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In my shul, we have a total of 3 people who know taamim. The rest can barely read Hebrew. The question came up, are they allowed to go up for Maftir, and subsequently read the Berachot of the Haftarah, with someone else reading the actual Haftarah?

My Rabbi in Yeshivah said it's better for them not to go up for maftir,, but if they do the reader of the haftarah must say the berachot before and after the haftarah.

This is contrary to what we do in our shul, where we just let the oleh stand silently, saying the berachot before and berachot after.

Looking for a Sephardic response, please.

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  • I have been in schuls where they wanted to honour someone, say another Kohen or Levi, however they did not have time to prepare or were unable to lejn haftarah. They were called up, said the bracha rishona, and another person said the haftarah and the brachot acharonot. Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 19:46
  • So while the original oleh said the Berakhot Rishonot, the reader said the berachot achronot?
    – 147zcbm
    Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 19:47
  • Yes, that's what happened Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 19:50
  • If they can't read Hebrew then how can they get Maftir?
    – Double AA
    Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 20:02
  • Barely. They read every word wrong.
    – 147zcbm
    Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 20:03

3 Answers 3

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In the קיצור ש''ע ילקוט יוסף in סימן רפד - קצת מדיני ההפטרה it says:

ה קטן יכול לעלות למפטיר ולקרוא את ההפטרה. ‏ ולכתחלה אין להעלות למפטיר אלא מי שיודע לקרוא ההפטרה בעצמו. אולם בדיעבד אם זה שעלה מפטיר אינו יודע לקרוא את ההפטרה, יקרא אדם אחר, ומי שעלה מפטיר יקרא עמו בלחש. אבל לא יקראו שנים ביחד בקול רם, דתרי קלי לא משתמעי.

"Preferably the person called up for Maftir should be somebody who can read the Haftara. However, if somebody was called up for Maftir who cannot read the Haftara, then somebody else may read it."

He takes for granted that the person called up will be saying the Brachot; as you see he expects the person called up to say the Haftara along - quietly - with the reader.

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Normally, this does not occur. However, in our shul we have someone say the brachos (before and after) and a ba'al koreh read the haftorah in exactly the same way as is done with the Torah, if it is required. In places in which the haftorah is read from a klaf (such as Yeshiva University and certain shuls) this is the normal way. I do not have citations, however this was my personal experience. I will, Bli Neder, check further after Shabbos as I do not have the time to do so now.

Update. I apologize for missing the last line of the question. I have not been to many sephardic shuls but those that have had a klaf have done the same thing. I have not been to one where the the person called for maftir could not read from the sefer.

Note that many of the sefardi shuls (such as in Spain and Italy) that I have been in have had each oleh read his own portion in the torah. This case was where the oleh could not read his own portion.

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  • Does the oleh or shaliach say the berachot achronot?
    – 147zcbm
    Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 19:51
  • In general, I have only ever seen the oleh say the berachot
    – Yitzchak
    Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 19:54
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The custom of the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue in New York is that a person not reading the haftara may be called up for the maftir portion "bimqom maftir" and says the blessings on the Torah as usual.

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  • Do they have another Maftir after that?
    – Double AA
    Commented Oct 3, 2014 at 16:02
  • No, @Double AA.
    – Hayyim
    Commented Nov 6, 2014 at 20:45

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