Hot answers tagged haftarah
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Going through all of the possibilities (already mentioned, and that I can think of) mathematically, using the data on frequency of year types provided on Remy Landau's page, and the tables of kevios in Jewish Chrononomy, by Yehudah (Leo) Levi:
Miketz: usually that's Shabbos Chanukah. The exceptions are the year types זחא (regular) and זחג (leap). These ...
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Levush (Orach Chaim 669) says that it is because its first verse condemns the Jewish people על מכרם בכסף צדיק - for selling the righteous for money. This ties in, then, with the brothers' sale of Yosef (even though the simple meaning of the verse is referring to the kingdom of Yisrael some 900 years later).
Indeed, the next phrase, ואביון בעבור נעלים, "and ...
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Wikipedia claims (with no source given) that
No one reads a special haftarah for a bridegroom any longer, except the Karaites.
This is a revised edition of something I myself added to that article in 2004. While I didn't cite any source (and, still, there's no citation for that claim in the Wikipedia article), I do remembering having researched the ...
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The simplest answer is that the haftoras go in the way the Torah ordered it in Melachim. (Tazria's being from 2 Kings ch. 4, and Metzora's from ibid. ch. 7.) (Not that this is always the case, see for example Behar and Bechukosai. )
In addition, the Gemara tells us (Sotah 47a) that the four lepers (discussed in the second haftora) are Gechazi and his sons ...
5
Mishnah Berurah (490:16), citing Pri Megadim, says that the difference is because each day of Sukkos is considered in a sense a separate Yom Tov, since the offerings in the Beis Hamikdash were different (each day there was one bull less than the day before). By contrast, the same offerings were brought every day of Pesach.
Therefore, he says, we end the ...
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I don't know about 2 of repentance, but about 3 of punishment and 7 consolation I've heard the following explanation from the lecture of Rav Pinkus.
When we see a number 10 that is splited to 3 and 7 it means the cause and effect. The source if this is in sfiros (I don't undarstand that part much, but anyway) 3 high sfiros are the source and the rest 7 are ...
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The Malbim Melachim B, 4:29 deal with this. He explains that Elisha Hanavi thought the boy just fainted (because Hashem didn't tell him through prophecy), so he so called "loaded" Gechazi with the adequate powers and thought that Gechazi would be able to use Elsiha's "stick" and cure the boy. From pasuk 32, as explained by the Malbim, we see that Elisha ...
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Perhaps this answers my own question:
I managed to locate a phone number and just called long distance to a descendent of the Huncovce Horowitz family and asked him about this. My erroneous assumption was that the Haftorah had to be sung with the Haftorah trope, which often needs to be practiced some beforehand. But he assured me there are still many ...
3
Taame Haminhagim, kuntres acharon to 341, cites sidur Arizal as saying that each person must read the haftara and cannot fulfill his obligation by hearing it from the ole. In a footnote, TH points us to P'ri M'gadim [EA] 284:5, which says that, since haftara requires a minyan, one must listen to the reader, but that someone reading quietly can listen to the ...
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משנה ברורה in ס' רפד ס'ק ב says that it began as a custom to say when public torah reading was banned, and was subsequently enacted as a גזרה. This would appear to be backed by earlier authorities, as רמ'א quotes תשובות הרמב'ן in that סימן describing the 'תקנה' of הפטרה, as opposed to just a מנהג.
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From the Pesukim it seems as though Elisha' was going to travel with the mother to keep her calm and sent Geḥazi ahead to heal the boy because he could travel faster alone (hence, in part, the admonition not to speak with anyone; it would slow him down and take his focus off of his mission - the other part is likely that, regardless of speed, I would think, ...
3
I believe Tazria alone (the story of Na'aman) is quite rare; very often it's either combined with Metzora (and we read the subsequent story of the four lepers), or some special week (HaGadol, HaChodesh, or the like).
Kedoshim's alone ("go tell Jerusalem about all its abominable acts") is also quite rare; when there's combined Acharei-Kedoshim, many ...
3
I suspect it may be Tzav's, since Tzav usually coincides with the week of one of the many special haftaros that we read around that time of year. (I've also heard that the most rarely read haftara is Tzav's, but I don't remember hearing it from a reliable source.)
If it is Tzav's, that's pretty ironic, since Tzav's is one of the few haftaros mentioned in ...
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Conceivably, another point might be the fact that maftir is more of a "public performance," so to speak, than the other aliyos. Nowadays most people who get an aliyah don't read their own portion, but the maftir nearly always does (except on the rare occasions where someone is called up for it and doesn't know how to read it properly).
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I don't really know why, but here are two possible ideas:
Acharon, Acharon Chaviv (The last is the most beloved) - Rashi Bereshit 33:2
To give the same Aliya to every bar mitzvah boy (or bridegroom). Since the bar mitzvah boy (or the bridegroom) may be a Kohen or a Levi, he couldn't get any other Aliyah besides the Kohen, Levi, or Maftir Aliyah. If the bar ...
2
Many Chasidishe Shuls give Maftir to the Bar Mitzva boy the week prior to his actual Bar Mitzva. They can not give the Bar Mitzva boy any other Aliya as he is still a Katan. Those Chasidishe Shuls that give the Aliya after the Bar Mitzva give a regular Aliya, not Maftir.
I would imagine that this Minhag of giving a week prior has led to some giving it the ...
2
Rashi gives the clue. In verse 29, Gechazi is instructed not to speak to anyone on the way. If Gechazi would answer their questions by saying that he was going to revive the dead this would not be to the honour of the mitzvah. But Gechazi did tell everyone his mission. The Radak says it clearly that because Gechazi wanted to cheapen the miracle, it did not ...
2
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains (Likuttey Sichos vol. 33 pg. 18, adapted in English here):
The Gemora (Chagiga 13b) explains the difference between the Merkava of Yishayahu and that of Yechezkel:
כל שראה יחזקאל ראה ישעיה למה יחזקאל דומה לבן כפר שראה את המלך ולמה ישעיה דומה לבן כרך שראה את המלך
All that Yechezkel saw Yeshayahu saw. What does ...
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The Haftorah is very moving and probably hold the record for the most Jewish songs from one Haftorah! It especially relates to the Rosh Hashanah theme of Zichronos.
The Haftorah discusses God bringing the redemption, which may connect to the theme of Zichronos, as it involves God 'remembering' the Jews. Next is the scene of Rachel weeping and God promising ...
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To learn from the Teshuvah of the city of Ninveh (Siddur Rashi, Machzor Vitri, Rokeach). The Tzeidah Laderech adds: if the inhabitants of Ninveh who were not Jewish could fully repent, how much more so us who stood before Har Sina etc.
To learn that one cannot flee from Hashem (Abudraham, Chofetz Chaim in Shaar Hatziyon 622:6)
The fact that the ship was in ...
1
As it says in the Unetanneh Tokef, Yom Kippur is Judgment Day for all, not just for Jews:
וְכָל בָּאֵי עולָם יַעַבְרוּן לְפָנֶיךָ כִּבְנֵי מָרון. כְּבַקָּרַת רועֶה עֶדְרו. מַעֲבִיר צאנו תַּחַת שִׁבְטו .כֵּן תַּעֲבִיר וְתִסְפּר וְתִמְנֶה וְתִפְקד נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי. וְתַחְתּךְ קִצְבָה לְכָל בְּרִיּותֶיךָ. וְתִכְתּב אֶת גְּזַר דִּינָם:
בְּראשׁ הַשָּׁנָה ...
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The Rav Pinches Friedman Chlit"a did a very interesting drasha on this question.
See shvileipinches for more information.
The Targum yerouchalmi says that Yossef's brothers bought shoes with the money of the sell. Why do they choose specifically this object?
The Rav Chlit"a quotes the Middrash Rabba in Wayiqra which says that Women were protected from ...
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There are a few pages on the Haftorah practice found in the Breuer Tikkun.
It suggests that the traditional custom was to have one Haftorah reader, just like the Torah reading. That everyone would chime in out loud may have begun to spare from embarrassment someone who was called up to read and wasn't doing very well with it.
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In all the Shuls I have Davened in (Yeshivish, Chasidish, Young Israel, Orthodox Union) the person who had Yarzheit either that day or the following week receives Maftir on Shabbos. Regarding Yom Tov they only received it if the Yarzheit is that day.
See Biur Halacha in the Mishna Berura Chelek 2 Siman 137 where it is clearly mentioned that the Chiuv is on ...
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