Public Torah Reading

Use this interactive tool to learn to chant the Torah at synagogue. Select any Torah portion or Haftarah.

A central aspect of the Jewish prayer service is reading the Torah—a parchment scroll containing the Five Books of Moses handwritten in Hebrew.

The conclusion of the public Torah Reading; how and why we lift the Torah; how to do "hagbah."

A clear explanation of the Torah Reading service in synagogue, how it works, and getting called up to the Torah for an aliyah.

Question: Which portion of the Torah is read on Rosh Chodesh? Response: On Rosh Chodesh, the "head" of the new month, we read four aliyahs from Numbers 28. The requirements for any aliyah is a minimum of three verses. In Numbers 28, along with the daily a...

Please note: These recordings were not created on Shabbat or Jewish holidays. They are for educational purposes only.

On a typical week, the Torah is read publicly on Monday, Thursday, and twice on Shabbat. On holidays, fast days, and Rosh Chodesh, the Torah is read regardless of the day of the week. When did this start? Moses instituted that the Torah be read three days...

Question: Is it important that the Torah be read in the traditional melody? Who made up these melodies anyway? Response: The actual Torah scroll contains only letters. The printed editions, known as Chumashim, commonly contain not only the vowel markings,...

Question: At a synagogue I recently attended, I noticed people bidding for the right to be called to the Torah, or as they called it, getting an aliyah. What is so special about an aliyah? Are some more sought after than others? Response: Let's divide you...