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Haftarah

Haftarah

Haftarot are a series of biblical readings that are part of Jewish liturgy. They are read in synagogues after the Torah on Sabbaths, festivals, and fast days.The word "haftarah" comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to conclude". 

How are haftarot selected?

  • Ancient rabbis selected the haftarah for each week. 
  • The haftarah is usually from the books of the Prophets. 
  • The haftarah is usually thematically linked to the Torah portion that comes before it. 
  • On holidays and special Sabbaths, the haftarah is selected to match the calendar. 

How are haftarot read?

  • The haftarah is sung in a chant based on trope, a musical notation system. 
  • Blessings are said before and after the haftarah. 
  • In most congregations, it is considered an honor to be called to read the haftarot. 

Haftarah of Double Parsha

Why when we read a double parsha is the haftarah generally the haftarah of the second parsha?

According to many of the meforshim, the main reason is that we connect the haftara to the Torah portion that is read immediately before it (the maftir). Note that a days when we take out a second sefer torah for a special maftir, we read a special haftara as well. Thus, when a double parsha is read, we would read the haftara of the second parsha. 

The main reason to do so is to read a haftara similar to what was just read, which translates to the second parsha just finished and not the first parsha.

Mon, March 17 2025 17 Adar 5785