Category Archives: Torah Readings

There are multiple traditions about where to divide the aliyot for the Shabbat reading of Parashat Bereshit.

The Stone Edition of the Chumash, the Tikkun Torah Lakorim (Ktav Publishing) and several Internet sources (Hebcal, Sefaria, Tikkun.io, Chabad, Wikipedia) begin the sixth aliyah at verse Genesis 4:23, immediately following a short fifth aliyah (4:19-22). 

However, several sources use an alternate tradition with a longer the fifth aliyah (ending at 4:26) and begin the sixth aliyah at 5:1. The Koren Humash, the Hertz Humash (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs: Hebrew Text English Translation and Commentary) and Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary (Jewish Publication Society), and the Rabbi Miles Cohen Luaḥ Hashanah all use this aliyot division.

There is no “correct” answer here. One can argue about which is preferred, but one is not “better” (i.e. more halakhic or more traditional) than the other.

The Hebcal Torah Reading pages specify both the traditional full kriyah (reading the entire weekly Torah portion each Shabbat) and also a triennial cycle specified by the Conservative Movement in the United States.

“Many congregations pattern their weekly Torah reading cycle after a system similar to the one used in ancient Israel during the rabbinic period. In this system, the traditional parashiot are each divided into three shorter segments, and the whole Torah is completed once every three years. The system has both advantages and disadvantages, but its ability to shorten the length of Torah reading without sacrificing the complete reading of the Torah on a regular basis has made it the choice of some synagogues in the Conservative Movement.”

A Complete Triennial System for Reading the Torah, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, 1988, emended 1995

Triennial Haftarot

Hebcal displays an optional alternate Haftarah according to Haftarot for a Triennial Cycle Torah Reading, Avram Israel Reisner, 2014.

UK Reform Judaism

The UK Reform Judaism movement publishes its own triennial Torah & Haftarah schedule.

Updates and modifications to Conservative triennial schedule for Diaspora

Update August 2022: for Parashat Vayakhel and Parashat Pekudei, Hebcal uses the modification provided in An Emendation to Richard Eisenberg’s Complete Triennial System for Reading Torah, to Address a Rare Situation, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, 2012

Update December 2021: Hebcal adopted CJLS’s modifications triennial cycle for some combined parshiyot to change the reading for year 3 to be the third section of the parashah. Modification of the Triennial Cycle Readings for Combined Parashot in Certain Years, Rabbi Miles B. Cohen, 2020

Masorti triennial schedule for Israel

Although there is no formally specified triennial cycle for the Masorti movement in Israel, Hebcal began publishing a draft schedule in May 2023. Due to differences in the Torah readings schedule based on keeping only a single day of chag in Israel, the Diaspora triennial system does not work for a small number of parsha combinations that can occur in Israel.

In particular, Behar-Bechukotai and Matot-Masei occasionally occur with different 3-year patterns in Israel that never occur in the Diaspora. Rather than invent new aliyot divisions for Israel, we have adapted/reused the existing triennial variations used in the Diaspora.

Here is the draft schedule with some example years where the 3-year patterns occur.

Behar-Bechukotai

• 3-year pattern SSS (Separate in years 5774, 5775, 5776)
  • Behar year 1: 25:1-28
  • Bechukotai year 1: 26:3-27:15
  • Behar year 2: 25:1-28
  • Bechukotai year 2: 27:1-34
  • Behar year 3: 25:29-26:2
  • Bechukotai year 3: 27:1-34
• SST (Separate in 5789, Separate in 5790, Together in 5791)
  • Behar year 1: 25:1-28
  • Bechukotai year 1: 26:3-27:15
  • Behar year 2: 25:29-26:2
  • Bechukotai year 2: 27:1-34
  • Together year 3: 27:1-34
• TSS (Together in 5777, Separate in 5778, Separate in 5779)
  • Together year 1: 25:1-38
  • Behar year 2: 25:39-26:46
  • Bechukotai year 2: 26:3-27:15
  • Behar year 3: 25:29-26:2
  • Bechukotai year 3: 27:1-34

Matot-Masei: 3-year pattern “STS” (Separate in 5774, Together in 5775, Separate in 5776)

• Matot year 1: same as schedule “C” (30:2-31:54)
• Masei year 1: same as schedule “C” (33:1-49)
• Together year 2: standard year two for combined (32:1-33:49)
• Matot year 3: same as schedule “A” (31:1-32:42)
• Masei year 3: same as schedule “A” (33:50-36:13)

Here’s some halachic trivia for your next cocktail party.

We read from the Torah every Shabbat, but we usually read from a single Torah scroll, and occasionally read from two scrolls.

On three possible occasions (when Rosh Chodesh coincides with a special Shabbat) we read from three sifrei Torah.

• 1st scroll: regular weekly Torah portion (aliyot 1-6)
• 2nd scroll: special 7th aliyah for Rosh Chodesh (Numbers 28:9-15)
• 3rd scroll: special maftir aliyah for the special Shabbat

How often do we get one of these special Shabbatot? Pretty often! We read from 3 sifrei Torah on Shabbat about 4 out of every 7 years. Read on to learn more.

1. Shabbat Shekalim on Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh Adar coincides with Shabbat Shekalim about once every 9 years. The weekly Torah portion is always Parashat Pekudei on a leap year, or either Parashat Mishpatim or Parashat Terumah on a non-leap lear. The special maftir for Shabbat Shekalim is Exodus 30:11-16.

Here are a sample of dates, recent past and near future, all occurring on 1 Adar II on a leap year, or 1 Adar on a regular year:

• Mishpatim 5761 – 24 February 2001
• Pekudei 5765 – 12 March 2005
• Pekudei 5768 – 8 March 2008
• Mishpatim 5781 – 13 February 2021
• Terumah 5785 – 1 March 2025
• Terumah 5805 – 18 February 2045
• Mishpatim 5808 – 15 February 2048
• Pekudei 5812 – 2 March 2052
• Terumah 5832 – 20 February 2072
• Mishpatim 5835 – 16 February 2075
• Pekudei 5839 – 4 March 2079
• Mishpatim 5859 – 21 February 2099
• Pekudei 5863 – 10 March 2103
• Terumah 5883 – 27 February 2123
• Pekudei 5890 – 11 March 2130
• Terumah 5903 – 16 February 2143
• Mishpatim 5906 – 12 February 2146
• Terumah 5910 – 28 February 2150
• Pekudei 5917 – 12 March 2157
• Terumah 5930 – 17 February 2170

2. Shabbat HaChodesh on Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh Nisan falls on Shabbat HaChodesh once every 3-4 years (approximately 28% of the time). The weekly Torah portion is always either Parashat Tazria or Parashat Vayikra. The special maftir for Shabbat HaChodesh is Exodus 12:1-20.

Here are a sample of dates, recent past and near future, all occurring on 1 Nisan:

• Tazria 5776 – 9 April 2016
• Vayikra 5778 – 17 March 2018
• Tazria 5779 – 6 April 2019
• Tazria 5782 – 2 April 2022
• Vayikra 5789 – 17 March 2029
• Vayikra 5792 – 13 March 2032
• Vayikra 5796 – 29 March 2036
• Vayikra 5799 – 26 March 2039
• Vayikra 5802 – 22 March 2042
• Tazria 5803 – 11 April 2043
• Tazria 5806 – 7 April 2046
• Tazria 5809 – 3 April 2049
• Vayikra 5816 – 18 March 2056
• Vayikra 5819 – 15 March 2059
• Vayikra 5823 – 31 March 2063
• Vayikra 5826 – 27 March 2066
• Vayikra 5829 – 23 March 2069
• Tazria 5833 – 8 April 2073
• Tazria 5836 – 4 April 2076

3. Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Chanukah

When Rosh Chodesh Tevet (the 30th of Kislev) falls on Shabbat Chanukah, we read the first scroll for the weekly portion (always Parashat Miketz), the second for Rosh Chodesh, and the third for Chanukah.

This also happens approximately 28% of the time.

• Miketz 5776 – 12 December 2015
• Miketz 5779 – 8 December 2018
• Miketz 5780 – 28 December 2019
• Miketz 5782 – 4 December 2021
• Miketz 5783 – 24 December 2022
• Miketz 5786 – 20 December 2025
• Miketz 5800 – 17 December 2039
• Miketz 5803 – 13 December 2042
• Miketz 5806 – 9 December 2045
• Miketz 5807 – 29 December 2046
• Miketz 5809 – 5 December 2048
• Miketz 5810 – 25 December 2049
• Miketz 5813 – 21 December 2052
• Miketz 5827 – 18 December 2066
• Miketz 5830 – 14 December 2069
• Miketz 5833 – 10 December 2072
• Miketz 5834 – 30 December 2073
• Miketz 5836 – 7 December 2075
• Miketz 5837 – 26 December 2076

Can all three of these special occurrences happen in the same Hebrew year? Alas, no. Shabbat Shekalim on Rosh Chodesh (the most rare of the three) never occurs in the same year as the other two.

The other two special three-sifrei-Torah-on-Shabbat days (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Chanukah and Shabbat HaChodesh on Rosh Chodesh) co-occur in about 1 in every 10 Hebrew years. This happens in years 5776, 5779, 5782, 5803, 5806, 5809, 5833, 5836, 5850, 5860, …

When one of these special Shabbatot coincide with Rosh Chodesh, the 6th aliyah of the regular parashah is extended to include all of the verses of what would normally be the 7th aliyah. In this way, the whole weekly Torah portion is read.

In case you were wondering: if a congregation doesn’t happen to own three Torah scrolls, the congregation waits while the scroll is rolled to the proper position.

The Hebcal Torah Readings page lists all of the 54 parashiyot. Each individual parashah page includes an aliyah-by-aliyah breakdown of what sections are read.

See also Judaism 101: Torah Readings.