reading from the Torah scroll (reading and blessings)
14
votes
2answers
200 views
Why don't we use a translator during Torah reading?
Outside of the Teimanim I am not aware of any other segments of Judaism that still employ a meturgamen (translator) during kriat ha'torah. Why has this practice fallen into disuse?
13
votes
2answers
172 views
Why doesn't Chabad differentiate between Ches and Chaf, and Ayin and Aleph?
The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe writes that the Shabbos before the great debate in Minsk, the Alter Rebbe served as the chazzan and baal koreh for his minyan. Furthermore, although the Alter Rebbe used ...
12
votes
2answers
155 views
Which books help one acquire a systematic understanding of Biblical Hebrew grammar?
A question for the grammar experts. How can I learn Hebrew grammar in a systematic way? Especially a book that would help me understand how to layn properly. Something that covers rules of nikkud, ...
12
votes
2answers
217 views
Gabai speaking during chazaras hashatz, kaddish or kriyas hatorah for the sake of the tzibbur
Is a gabai allowed to speak during chazaras hashatz, kaddish and/or kriyas hatorah for the sake of the tzibbur (e.g. to ask someone if they are a Kohen or Levi)?
10
votes
3answers
141 views
Is Torah reading an individual or communal obligation?
Is the obligation to read the Torah (or hear it read) an individual or communal obligation?
A possible nafka mina might be if one missed the Torah reading -- does he need to assemble a minyan to ...
10
votes
1answer
195 views
Bar Mitzvah before Circumcision?
If one was never circumcised can they be called up to the Torah for their bar-mitzvah?
10
votes
1answer
94 views
הוא is he? Or is it?
The third-person feminine pronoun in Hebrew is היא, "hee." But in most instances in the Torah, the word is spelled הוא, with a vav rather than a yud as the middle letter. How does this make sense ...
10
votes
1answer
95 views
Ta'amei Mikra and the Torah Scroll
I have heard that a haftorah klaf (scroll) is still considered kosher and usable if the Ta'amei Mikra have been written on it. Yet I've always been told that this is not true for a Torah scroll. Why ...
9
votes
3answers
300 views
Why are some words in Tanach read differently than they are written?
From here:
The MT [Masoretic Text] includes the kere and ketiv system, in which marginal notes indicate that certain words are to be read differently than they are spelled in the text, or that ...
9
votes
4answers
166 views
Getting a head start on Shnayim Mikra
(Inspired by this question)
Can one get a head start on Shnayim Mikra? Would it count if someone either started early (perhaps during the weeks with no Sedra in Tishrei), or just had some spare time ...
9
votes
3answers
220 views
Seven aliyot for V'zot Habracha?
In the Keter Yerushalayim Tanach (published by Hebrew University), parashat V'zot Habracha is divided into seven aliyot (aliyah 7 being all of chapter 34 of Devarim.) I don't see this in the Stone ...
9
votes
2answers
94 views
Why doesn't saying the sh'ma satisfy torah-reading requirements?
According to this answer to a related question, the g'mara on Bava Kamma 82a requires reading torah at least every three days because we should never go longer than that without words of torah.
But ...
9
votes
1answer
85 views
Why Are These Double Parshiyos?
During a regular (non-leap) Jewish year, there are four instances where two of the weekly Torah portions are read together in the same week. This is because there are not enough weeks to read all of ...
8
votes
4answers
428 views
חזק חזק ונתחזק Chazak Chazak VeNischazek: why
Why do we say חזק חזק ונתחזק when we end each Chumash?
8
votes
2answers
449 views
Hand motions for trope in Torah reading
I've seen people standing next to Torah readers and making hand signals during the Torah reading, presumably to prompt the reader in the trope. I think @Shalom mentioned this in Method for practicing ...
7
votes
4answers
383 views
Method for practicing Torah reading
What is your method for practicing reading a Torah portion and thus memorizing the associated vowelizations and intonations? I'm looking for ideas for maximizing your effectiveness at performing a ...
7
votes
2answers
138 views
Standing during the Aseres HaDibros
There are people that always stand by Laining and people that always sit. Among those that sit there are those that stand at certain points, such as the Aseres HaDibros or the Shira, etc. Is it proper ...
7
votes
2answers
87 views
How does the torah reading and haftorah reading relate for Va-yayshev?
How does the torah reading and haftorah reading relate for Va-yayshev? Why do we read from Amos after reading from Va-yayshev?
7
votes
1answer
68 views
Getting a late start on being Maavir Sedra for the year
I remember hearing when I was younger that ואלה שמות - is Roshei Teivos V'Chayav A'dam L'haavir H'sedra S'htayim M'ikra V'echod T'argum.
If someone who has not been Maavir Sedra so far this year is ...
6
votes
4answers
120 views
Parshas Zachor Sfardi versus Ashkenazi
Can a Sefardi be Yotzeh Zachor with an Ashkenazi Laining and vice Versa?
6
votes
3answers
84 views
What is the shortest interval during which we read publicly from each of the five Chumashim?
What is the shortest interval during which we read publicly from each of the five Chumashim?
There is actually a practical issue involved here as well. The halachah is that if a community has a Sefer ...
6
votes
4answers
180 views
Why does a Bar mitzva boy publicly read from the Torah?
Why do bar mitzva boys publicly read from the Torah for their bar mitzva? Where does the minhag come from?
6
votes
1answer
211 views
When Israel and the diaspora are out of sync on parshiyot, why don't we take the first opportunity to re-align?
This year (5772) the seventh day of Pesach is on a Friday, so the diaspora has an 8th day of chag on Shabbat but Israel does not. The diaspora will thus read Sh'mini on April 21, Tazria-Metzora on ...
6
votes
1answer
88 views
Stops in the Sidrah Leyning - Rishon, Sheni etc
Who instituted Rishon, Sheni, Shelishi etc in the leyning of the Sidrah?
When was this done?
What are the principles which were applied to determine where the stop should be?
One would have thought ...
6
votes
1answer
121 views
Can a chumash be used for a public torah reading?
I recently attended a weekday morning minyan where the Torah reader was reading simultaneously from a sefer Torah and a printed Chumash. It appeared that the person was mostly reading from Chumash and ...
6
votes
3answers
181 views
רָקִיאַע or רָקִיַע
The מנחת שי at the beginning of בראשית (on "יהי רקיע") cites a מחלוקת whether the word 'רָקִיעַ' (and likewise for other words with a פתח גנובה) is pronounced as רָקִיאַע or as רָקִיַע, that is, with ...
6
votes
1answer
94 views
Is Chazaq Chazaq v'nitchazeq חזק חזק ונתחזק an interruption for the reader?
Is it considered a hefsek for the Ba'al Kore to say חזק חזק ונתחזק, and, if it's not an interruption, is there a different problem because he is saying something which is not written in the Torah?
5
votes
2answers
176 views
Zeicher vs Zecher
What is the underlying argument between the two pronunciations and what are the multiple ways to deal with the problem?
5
votes
1answer
68 views
Why is the Eicha reading broken up?
It seems to me that everywhere I've been, the reading of Eicha on Tish'a B-av night has been broken up, with different chapters read by different people. Why is this custom so prevalent, specifically ...
5
votes
1answer
116 views
Why does the second aliya of Vayeira start with the last verse of one topic and then change?
The second aliya of Vayeira begins at 18:15, with the end of the Sarah-denying-having-laughed episode. It then goes on to focus on S'dom and the other cities. This happens in the middle of a column, ...
5
votes
2answers
369 views
Trop (cantillation) for leining
Who created the trop (cantillation) for leining? Is it a Mesorah from when the Torah was written?
5
votes
1answer
121 views
Piyutim in the Scroll
The Shulchan Aruch (OC 139:4) discusses the potential issue that a listener might think that the blessings for an aliya are actually written in the Torah scroll. Different suggestions are offered for ...
5
votes
1answer
53 views
Mistake in aliyah on Rosh Chodesh
On Rosh Chodesh we have four aliyos by Krias HaTorah.
Rosh Chodesh fell out on Monday and by mistake it was read by the first aliyah of Kohen the Parsha of that week. After the aliyah was finished ...
5
votes
0answers
42 views
Why do we read vayechal twice on a fast?
I have been doing some research on the question of vayechal at mincha and have hit a roadblock. So far, here are the questions I have considered and feel ok with as "answered":
why lain at mincha on ...
5
votes
0answers
99 views
Good resource for learning vowel pronunciation
In trying to improve my leyning, I'm trying to get the finer points of vowel pronunciation down.
What is a good resource to learn, e.g., the difference between a patach and chataf-patach or a ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
Why do we read the same torah passage for shabbatot during Sukkot and Pesach?
All other shabbatot have unique torah readings (aside from the regular cycle, of course), but Shabbat during Sukkot and Shabbat during Pesach read the same passage from Ki Tisa (with varying maftir ...
4
votes
1answer
65 views
Can an Onen receive an Aliyah?
By onen I mean someone who as lost their sibling, and they haven't been buried yet.
Can an onen be called to the Torah as an Oleh? Can an onen read from the Torah?
4
votes
1answer
148 views
Does one do aliya-ending notes when reading Torah in private?
When reading the Torah with cantillation in private, such as when doing "Shnayim Mikra Ve-echad Targum," when one gets to the end of an aliya (formal division of a parasha), does one end with the tune ...
4
votes
1answer
214 views
When and why did we start reading the Parshat Hashavua?
My question is twofold:
When did we start reading a new parsha (torah portion) every week?
Why did we start reading a new parsha (torah portion) every week?
4
votes
1answer
73 views
Were Maftir Honors in 19th Century different from today?
I received a travel-diary for a man who was born in Huncovce (also known as Hunsdorf, once a famous yeshiva town, second only to Pressburg), Slovakia. He was born in 1851, presumably had some Torah ...
4
votes
1answer
37 views
Torah portions that end abruptly?
In parshat Va-era the 2nd portion - Sheini ends rather abruptly (in the middle of a sentence) Shemot 6:28:
Now it came to pass on the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in the
land of Egypt, ...
4
votes
2answers
107 views
Why does revi'i of Vayeira seem to end four verses late?
Why does revi'i - the fourth reading - of Parashat Vayeira end with the first few verses of the story of the birth of Yitzchak (Gen. 21:1-4)?
Objections:
There's a natural break in narrative before ...
4
votes
2answers
250 views
Does a home megilla reading require separate seating (or a mechitza) between men and women?
Occasionally people hold additional megillah readings in someone's home on Purim.
Assuming there's no prayers other than the megillah reading and its associated brachas, must/should there be a ...
3
votes
1answer
419 views
3
votes
3answers
158 views
3
votes
3answers
197 views
What is the Proper Way to Read Genesis 35:22?
In Parshas Vayishlach, there is a verse (Genesis 35:22) that contains a "Piska Be'emtza Pasuk": a new paragraph in the Torah scroll begins in the middle of the verse. However, unlike with other ...
3
votes
3answers
118 views
The beginning of Maftir in Krias HaTorah on Pesach
Why is Bamidbar 28:16 read as the first passuk of Maftir on the first day of Pesach if that passuk has nothing to do with Pesach, rather it refers to the Korban Pesach which was brought the day before ...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
Does anyone know of a public domain recording of Tanakh chapters or verses?
The question title explains it all -- I'm looking for a public domain audio recording of the Tanakh. For example, these people have recorded Genesis:
...
3
votes
1answer
90 views
What is the Only Parsha not Lained ever on Thursday? [closed]
What is the Only Parsha not Lained ever on Thursday?
3
votes
2answers
92 views
When to say “Yehallelu” by Mincha Shabbos Afternoon?
Chabad starts the Half-Kaddish by Mincha Shabbos afternoon just after Hagbahah and continuing the Kaddish until the Sefer Torah is put back in the Aron.
Since one should not interrupt in the middle ...
