Vayeshev (“He Settled”) begins the story of Joseph, describing his rivalry with his brothers, slavery in Egypt, and imprisonment after his master’s wife frames him in response to Joseph’s refusal of her advances. It also contains the story of Tamar, her husbands, and her father-in-law, Judah
(click on a selected scriptural reading to be taken directly to it)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Vayishlach (“He Sent”) follows Jacob and his family as Jacob wrestles with a man (commonly understood as an angel), is renamed Israel, and reconciles with his brother, Esau. Jacob’s daughter, Dina, is raped by a Hivite prince, and her brothers sack a city in response. Rachel dies as she gives birth to Jacob’s youngest child, Benjamin
(click on a selected scriptural reading in each of the photo’s below to be taken directly to it)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah
Vayetzei (“He Went Out”) opens as Jacob dreams about angels going up and down a ladder, and then continues on his journey toward the home of his uncle Laban. During years of indentured servitude, Jacob marries Laban’s daughters Leah and Rachel, bearing children with them and with their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah. [1]
(click on a selected reading shown in the scriptual photo’s to be taken directly to it)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Chayei Sarah (“The Life of Sarah”) opens as Sarah dies and Abraham buys the Cave of Machpelah to bury her. Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant meets Rebecca at a well, and Rebecca returns with the servant to marry Isaac. Abraham remarries, has more children, and dies at age 175. [1]
Weekly Torah readings (Parashat ha-Shavua) including verses for each aliyah and accompanying Haftarah. Includes traditional (full kriyah), triennial and weekday readings.
Shabbat Times for Sa‘ad
Sa‘ad, Israel
Candle lighting: 16:28 on Friday, Nov 10
Shabbat Mevarchim Chodesh Kislev occurs on Saturday, Nov 11
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Vayera (“He Appeared”) opens as guests inform Abraham that Sarah will give birth. Despite Abraham’s attempts to convince God otherwise, God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sarah gives birth to Isaac, and Abraham sends away Hagar and Ishmael. At God’s command, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac, but an angel of God tells Abraham to offer a ram instead.
(click on a selected reading connected to each photo to be taken directly to it and please read and study them)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadassah each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Lech Lecha (“Go Forth”) recounts Abraham’s (here known as Abram) first encounter with God, his journey to Canaan, the birth of his son Ishmael, the covenant between him, his descendants, and God, and God’s commandment to circumcise the males of his household. [1]
(click on a selected scripture reading as shown below each photo to be taken directly to it)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Bereshit (read on 14 October 2023).
Bereishit (“In the Beginning”), the first parashah in the annual Torah reading cycle, begins with God’s creation of the world. The first people, Adam and Eve, eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are banished from the Garden of Eden. Their elder son, Cain, kills their younger son, Abel, and Cain is destined to a life of wandering. [1]
Weekly Torah readings (Parashat ha-Shavua) including verses for each aliyah and accompanying Haftarah. Includes traditional (full kriyah), triennial and weekday readin
Shabbat Times for Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, Israel
Candle lighting: 17:53 on Friday, Oct 13
Shabbat Mevarchim Chodesh Cheshvan occurs on Saturday, Oct 14
Start of month of Cheshvan on the Hebrew calendar 🌒
Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan for Hebrew Year 5784 begins at sundown on and ends at nightfall on .
Start of month of Cheshvan on the Hebrew calendar. חֶשְׁוָן (transliterated Cheshvan or Heshvan) is the 8th month of the Hebrew year, has 29 or 30 days, and corresponds to October or November on the Gregorian calendar. רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ, transliterated Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh, is a minor holiday that occurs at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar. It is marked by the birth of a new moon.
(click on a selected selected scripture reading below each photo to be taken directly to it)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Shmini Atzeret for Hebrew Year 5784 begins at sundown on and ends at nightfall on .
Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת – “the Eighth [day] of Assembly”) is a Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (first month of calendar). In the Diaspora, an additional day is celebrated, the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah. In Israel and Reform Judaism, the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into a single day and the names are used interchangeably.
began Friday, October 6
at sunset
ends Saturday, October 7
at nightfall
Shemini Atzeret marks the end of one of the most intense, inspirational, and celebratory seasons on the Jewish calendar, known as the High Holy Days.
Sukkot for Hebrew Year 5784 begins at sundown on and ends at nightfa
This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Sukkot (read on 30 September 2023).
Torah Readings
Weekly Torah readings (Parashat ha-Shavua) including verses for each aliyah and accompanying Haftarah. Includes traditional (full kriyah), triennial and weekday readings
The Torah tells us to dwell in a hut (sukkah) for seven days. And it gives a reason why: “So that coming generations shall know that I caused the children of Israel to dwell in sukkot when I took them out of the land of Egypt.”1
So what were these exodus-facilitating sukkotthat we eternalize by sitting in huts?
Rabbi Eliezer explains: They were the miraculous Clouds of Glory that surrounded us on all sides and protected us throughout our 40-year sojourn in the wilderness.23
And how do you go about dwelling in a sukkah? Well, the oral tradition is that you live in a temporary hut built for shade in the same way you live in your home.4 What’s one of the main things you do in your home? Why, eating meals, of course! So one of the main mitzvahs on the holiday of Sukkot is to eat in a sukkah.
Okay, but we need some details, because otherwise everyone is going to take that very differently. We need to know who needs to eat what and when. And what if it’s raining, or smelly, or otherwise really uncomfortable out there?
Like the verse said, you’re sitting in this sukkah to re-experience a pivotal memory that sits deep within the consciousness of the nation. So it’s not just where you sit—it’s also what you think. That’s a key part of the mitzvah.
So when you enter the sukkah, you need to remind yourself that you’re doing this to fulfill G‑d’s commandment to dwell in a sukkah to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt.5
There’s also a blessing for dwelling in a sukkah. But you only say it when you’re sitting down to eat something that must be eaten in a sukkah (we’ll get to that eventually). Say it after you say your blessing on the food, before you eat it:
Boruch Atah… leshev ba-sukkah (Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah).
Who Sits in the Sukkah?
Adults: Men over the age of bar mitzvah (13) are obligatory sukkah-dwellers. Women are non-obligatory sukkah-dwellers.6 Ashkenazic women generally recite the blessing leshev ba-sukkah just as the men do,7 while Sephardic women generally do not.8 (There are some Sephardic communities in which the women do recite a blessing.9)
Children: Technically, the kids should be exempt, as they are from all mitzvahs. But the ancient sages insist that we educate and train them to do mitzvahs. So once a boy reaches an age when he no longer needs the constant attention of his mother (usually 5-6 years old), he should be sitting there with the men.10
There are certain situations that might exempt some people from this mitzvah; for example, if someone is sick. See What About People Who Are Ill? below.
What Do I Eat in There?
Well, what do you eat at home? Most people generally have their main meals at home, but snack outside of the house.
So that’s how it works: If you’re eating a full meal, eat it in the sukkah, and say the sukkah blessing. If it’s a snack, you can eat it there as well, and that is indeed the custom of many, including Chabad. But you technically don’t have to, so don’t say the sukkah blessing.11
What’s considered a snack? If it’s not made of grain, it’s a snack. If it’s grain-based food that is equal to or less than an egg-sized portion (54 cc/grams), it’s also a snack. Bigger than that and it’s a meal.12
Basically, you could have a complete meal with non-grain foods, and you still wouldn’t be required to eat those foods inside a sukkah.13
But, hey, we love mitzvahs. We chase them down and grab them at any opportunity. It’s a privilege and a joy to eat in a sukkah. So despite the above, many, including Chabad, have the custom to not even drink water outside the sukkah.
Drinks: A casual drink, even of wine, is OK outside the sukkah. But let’s say you’re sitting down with friends to enjoy some wine or a few beers, you need to do it in the sukkah. However, if it’s not with a meal, don’t recite the sukkah blessing.14
Kiddush: The exception to this rule is kiddush (and havdalah—see next point). Then the ceremony lends drinking special weight. So, before drinking it, you need to say the leshev ba-sukkah blessing.15
Havdalah: Havdalah should be made in the sukkah, just as it is usually done in the home all year.16
According to many,17 including Chabad,18 you would also recite the sukkah blessing. (Many opine that this would only apply if the havdalah was made over actual wine.19)
(There are some who have doubts whether you really can say the sukkah blessing with just havdalah.20 They suggest eating some grain-based food in the sukkah right after havdalah.21 This is not the Chabad custom.)
Of course, as mentioned above, many, including Chabad, have the custom of not eating or drinking anything, including water, outside of the sukkah.
When Do We Sit in the Sukkah?
On the first night of Sukkot, some time between nightfall and midnight, we all have to eat a minimum amount of bread in the sukkah.22 It’s similar to the requirement to eat matzah on the night of Passover before midnight.
However, during the other days of Sukkot, you can technically choose to only eat foods that aren’t required to be eaten in the sukkah.23
Of course, there is still the mitzvah of having Shabbat and holiday meals with bread, so you would have to eat the bread in the sukkah.24
What If It Rains (Other Than The First Night)?
If it were raining inside your house, would you sit there? Or would you go to your brother-in-law or a restaurant instead?
Same with your sukkah—since you’re treating it like your home. If it’s uncomfortable, you leave. If enough rain is falling to mess up a dish of uncooked beans, you can eat in your year-round home instead (even if you have no beans). If you don’t know how much rain it takes to mess up beans (like most of us), just figure: If you were sitting in your house and this were happening, would you stick it out, or get out?25
Do you say the sukkah blessing if eating in the rain? That’s a whole discussion. Ask the rabbi of your community for his opinion.
The Chabad custom is to eat in the sukkah regardless of the weather. How could you be uncomfortable sitting inside a mitzvah?
The rules for the first night of Sukkot, however, are different.
What About the First Night?
You have to eat at least a kezayit (olive-sized portion) of bread (ideally an egg-sized portion) in the sukkah on the first night of Sukkot. So make sure to make kiddush, and at the very least eat a kezayit of bread in the sukkah after nightfall but before halachic midnight of the first night.26
Ashkenazic custom (including Chabad): If it’s raining on the first night, even if you would ordinarily not eat in the sukkah when it rains, you would still make kiddush and eat at least a kezayit (ideally an egg-sized portion) of bread with the sukkah blessing.27
Other Ashkenazim wait an hour or two to see whether the rain will stop, and if it does, they eat in the sukkah with the sukkah blessing. If the rain persists, they recite kiddush and eat a kezayit of bread in the sukkah without the sukkah blessing.28
Sephardic custom: If it rains on the first night of Sukkot, you are exempt from the sukkah and can eat in your house.29 You also have the option to wait briefly for the rain to subside, as long as it doesn’t lead to discomfort on Yom Tov. If the rain ceases before halachic midnight, go into the sukkah, recite the sukkah blessing, and eat a kezayit of bread. However, if it’s after midnight, the sukkah blessing is only recited if you eat a kebeitza (egg-sized portion) of bread.30
Do I Make Another Blessing if I Leave and Return?
If there’s been an interval or interruption between your current meal and the previous one, then you need to recite a new blessing. If not, then you don’t repeat the blessing since the prior one still applies.31
If you leave the sukkah after eating and don’t intend to return within one to two32 hours, then, even if you do return immediately, you need to recite the blessing again before eating. Similarly, if you intended to return within one to two hours but actually came back sooner, it’s considered an interval, and you recite the blessing before eating a kebeitza of grain-based food.33
If you stay in the sukkah throughout all seven days of Sukkot without any breaks, then you would only recite the blessing once.34
What About Going From One Sukkah to Another?
In every sukkah in which you eat the requisite amount, the blessing is recited. This applies even if you planned to eat in the second sukkah when making the blessing in the first. Even if the sukkahs are adjacent to each other and you would not be required to make a new first blessing on the food, you would still need to say a new sukkah blessing.35
What About People Who Are Ill?
If you aren’t well, you should try (if it won’t be detrimental to your health) to eat the minimum amount (a kezayit) inside the sukkah on the first night.36 You have no obligation to eat in the sukkah for the rest of Sukkot.37
Not only that, but if someone is taking care of you, they may also eat out of the sukkah. Of course, if they can arrange to have someone take over for a while so that they can eat in the sukkah, they should do that.38
What if I Am Traveling?
If you’re on the road, can you eat your meals without a sukkah?
Depends.
If you’re on a business trip or the like, technically, you don’t have to seek out a sukkah.39 Of course, it’s a good thing to do since, as stated above, we like mitzvahs. Or at least just eat something that doesn’t require a sukkah.40
When you get to civilization, however, you’ll need a sukkah again.41
If you’re traveling for leisure, no excuse. Make sure before you leave that you’ll have a sukkah to eat in. No sukkah, don’t go. Or, keep to foods that don’t require a sukkah.42
And, as mentioned, the Chabad custom is to always try and eat in the sukkah, regardless of weather conditions and types of food being eaten. When else do you get to eat inside a mitzvah?
In Ha’azinu (“Listen”) , Moses recites a poem praising God and criticizing the sins of the Israelites. He describes the misfortunes that the Israelites will face and the damage God will ultimately wreak on their oppressors. The portion ends as God commands Moses to ascend Mount Nebo, where he is to die
(click on a selected scriptural reading to be taken directly to it)
“Torah Portions” are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Torah 