Torah reading

What it is

Torah reading is the public reading of passages from a Torah scroll. The phrase often covers the whole ceremony: the scroll is taken from the ark, an excerpt is chanted with special melodies called cantillations, and the scroll is returned. The reader uses a special tune. In Yiddish, the practice is called leyening, from a word meaning to read aloud. The reading is not a performance. It is an act of prayer, and the congregation listens, stands, and responds with blessings. The scroll itself is treated with care and honour.

Origins and history

Regular public reading is described in Nehemiah 8, where Ezra reads to the people after the Judean exiles return from Babylonia, around 537 BCE. The Mishneh Torah says the custom of reading in sections three times a week goes back to Moses. The practice is discussed in the Mishna and Talmud, mainly in tractate Megilla. An older triennial cycle existed in Palestine, while Babylonia read the whole Torah in one year. Benjamin of Tudela noted Egyptian congregations that took three years, and Maimonides knew a few communities still doing so. The annual cycle later became standard in Orthodox synagogues. From the 19th century, Reform and Conservative congregations made changes, with some adopting a triennial cycle.

How it is kept

The Torah scroll rests in an ornamental ark at the front of the sanctuary. For reading, a chosen member takes it out while prayers are recited. It is carried to the bima, the platform where the reading happens. A gabbai calls people up one by one for an aliyah. The person called, the oleh, says a blessing. Then a trained reader, the ba'al qeri'ah, chants the day's portion with cantillation, and the oleh says another blessing. There are always at least three aliyot. On Shabbat morning there are seven. In Yemenite communities the oleh reads the portion, and a young boy may recite the targum after each verse.

Scroll and cantillation

The scroll is written on parchment and kept rolled. Its ornament may include a cover, a belt and a crown. The reading is chanted with cantillation, also called trope. The melody changes with the occasion. Lifting the scroll is called hagbaha in Ashkenazi practice, usually after the reading. Sephardic practice lifts it before the reading, called levantar in Judaeo-Spanish. In the Yemenite tradition only the parchment is raised while the scroll stays in place. During hagbaha the congregation points toward the scroll with the little finger and recites a verse from Deuteronomy.

Today and change

Orthodox congregations follow a procedure that has changed little since Talmudic times. The annual cycle remains the norm there. Conservative and Reform synagogues may read the weekly portion on a triennial schedule, so the whole Torah is completed over three years. Some Reform, Reconstructing and Renewal congregations also use a triennial cycle. In several communities women can perform hagbaha and gelila, and in Conservative congregations they may be called for an aliyah. Baby boys are named at a brit milah, while baby girls are often named during a Torah reading, with one or both parents called up before the blessing.

How Torah reading is kept

The scroll is taken from the ark by a person chosen for the honour. Prayers are said as it is carried to the bima. A gabbai calls up people for aliyot. Each person recites a blessing before and after the reading. A designated reader chants the portion with cantillation. On Shabbat morning seven people are called; on other days there are at least three. The scroll is then lifted so the congregation can see the text, rolled closed, covered, and returned to the ark. In Yemenite communities the person called reads the portion himself, and a young boy may recite the targum.

When and where

Torah reading takes place during morning or afternoon prayer on Shabbat, Mondays and Thursdays, and on festivals, fast days, Rosh Chodesh and Yom Kippur. On Shabbat mornings the full weekly portion is read. The annual cycle begins after the Feast of Tabernacles and ends on Simchat Torah.

It is kept in synagogues wherever Jewish communities live. The annual cycle is standard in Orthodox congregations. The sources describe a triennial cycle once used in Palestine and by some Egyptian congregations. Yemenite and Sephardic communities have their own customs for lifting the scroll and for who reads the portion.

What Torah reading means

Torah reading places the scroll at the centre of community prayer. The congregation stands as it is carried, points toward it during hagbaha, and recites a verse from Deuteronomy. Being called up for an aliyah is an honour. It may be given after a serious illness, a long trip or another danger, at a wedding, or when a baby is named. The reading ties each week and festival to the yearly cycle of the Torah.

Days Torah reading is marked

Questions people ask about Torah reading

See also

Yom KippurThe holiest day in Judaism, dedicated to fasting, prayer and atonementTallitA four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worshipOvooA stone cairn on a peak or pass, circled by travellers and honoured in sky worshipHamadshaA Moroccan possession rite kept by Muslim fraternities to cure affliction and restore social balance through music and d

Good reading and sources

• Torah reading on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.