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Torah reading (Hebrew: קריאת התורה, K'riat haTorah, "Reading [of] the Torah"; Ashkenazic pronunciation: Kriyas haTorah) is a Jewish religious tradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) from the Torah ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation (trope), and returning the scroll(s) to the ark. It is also commonly called "laining" (lein is also spelt lain, leyn, layn; from the Yiddish leyenen, which means "to read").[1]
Regular public reading of the Torah was introduced by Ezra the Scribe after the return of the Judean exiles from the Babylonian captivity (c. 537 BCE), as described in the Book of Nehemiah.[2] In the modern era, Orthodox Jews practice Torah reading according to a set procedure almost unchanged since the Talmudic era.[3] Since the 19th century CE, Reform and Conservative Judaism have made adaptations to the practice of Torah reading, but the basic pattern of Torah reading has usually remained the same:
As a part of the morning or afternoon prayer services on certain days of the week or holidays, a section of the Pentateuch is read from a Torah scroll. On Shabbat (Saturday) mornings, a weekly section (known as a sedra or parashah) is read, selected so that the entire Pentateuch is read consecutively each year.[4][5][6][7] On Sabbath afternoons, Mondays, and Thursdays, the beginning of the following Sabbath's portion is read. On Jewish holidays, Rosh Chodesh, and fast days, special sections connected to the day are read.
Many Jews observe an annual holiday, Simchat Torah, to celebrate the completion of the year's cycle of readings.
- ^ "Leyenen". Yiddish Word of the Week.
Leyenen is the popular term for the public reading of sections of the Torah and megiles [...] on Shabes and holidays. [...] a designated member of the community (the leyener) who would have to spend time memorising the proper way to read the text
- ^ "8", Nehemiah, Tanakh, Mechon Mamre.
- ^ The exceptions being that most communities (except for Yemenites) ceased in the early Middle Ages to translate the Torah reading into Aramaic as was done in Talmudic times. In addition, in Talmudic times, the one receiving an Aliyah would read his own portion, but most communities today have an institution of a Baal keriah who reads on behalf of all of those receiving Aliyot.
- ^ The division of parashot found in the modern-day Torah scrolls of all Jewish communities (Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and Yemenite) is based on the systematic list provided by Maimonides in Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and Torah Scrolls, chapter 8. Maimonides based his division of the parashot for the Torah on the Aleppo Codex. Though initially doubted by Umberto Cassuto, this has become the established position in modern scholarship (see the Aleppo Codex article for more information.)
- ^ Conservative and Reform synagogues may read parashot on a triennial rather than annual schedule.
- ^ Richard D. Rogovin (Fall 2006), "The Authentic Triennial Cycle: A Better Way to Read Torah?", United Synagogue Review, archived from the original on June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Bechol Levavcha", Let us learn, Worship, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, archived from the original on January 7, 2009.