Why is it that each aliyah for Krias Hatorah has to be 3 pesukim at minimum? I know that the minimum for an entire krias Hatorah on a weekday is 10 pesukim (with the exception of Purim being 9 pesukim), but why do the pesukim have to be split evenly amongst those called up?
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2The pesukim aren't necessarily split evenly; there are definitely unbalanced weekday readings. Are you asking about the minimum or about even division?– Monica CellioCommented Sep 22, 2013 at 2:01
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Perhaps see Megillah 21b– Double AA ♦Commented Sep 22, 2013 at 2:05
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1@DoubleAA You mean 22a? It has this rule, but gives no reason.– msh210 ♦Commented Oct 2, 2013 at 7:05
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1 Answer
The Talmud states that this is to correspond to the three-fold division of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim:
הני ג' פסוקין כנגד מי אמר רב אסי כנגד תורה נביאים וכתובים
What do these three verses represent? — R. Assi said: The Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa. (Soncino translation)
Most of the Codes simply cite the rule without mentioning the reason. Some of the commentaries to the Codes reference the Talmud's reasoning. However, R. Mordechai Yaffe in his Code provides a different reason. He simply says that the Sages assessed three verses to be the minimal amount that could be considered a significant reading for one person:
ואין קורין עם כל אחד פחות מג' פסוקים שכן שיערו רבותינו ז"ל ג"כ שזה סגי לקרות קריאה חשובה לאיש אחד
