Parashōt, The Original Bible Study!

As Christians, we’re familiar with numerous Bible studies on many subjects, but this one is unique because it’s over 2500 years old! It’s collectively called the parashōt and is believed to originate from the time of Ezra (see below). The word parsha (plural parashōt) means “portion,” and this year-long study focuses on specific “portions” of the Bible with meaningful and important themes.

Click here to go straight to this year’s free printable Parsha and Holiday Reading Schedule!

It’s sometimes difficult to read through the Bible and extract the themes that connect the whole book and tell the story of the God of the Bible and His people. But this is precisely what the parashōt helps us to see. Many Christians participate in the weekly parsha readings that are read in Jewish synagogues and studied by Jewish people worldwide. One section of the Torah is studied weekly on a yearly cycle, paired with portions from the books of the prophets and, in Messianic Jewish communities, from the New Testament as well.

An Annual Torah Reading Cycle

Synagogues participate in this system of weekly readings from the Torah. For example, this year, on the Sabbath dated January 19 by our Gregorian calendar, the reading is called Shemōt and consists of Exodus 1:1-6:1.   

Aside from minor differences in reading schedules, orthodox Jews, Messianic Jews, and many Hebrew Roots Christians study the same section of scripture each week. The parashōt is read in synagogues on The Sabbath (Shabbat) and Holy Days and studied throughout the week prior.   

The Nitty Gritty

Although the word Torah sometimes includes rabbinical writings, when I discuss the Torah here, I’m referring to the Bible’s first five books, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. According to the Hebrew calendar, the parashōt are these five books divided into 54 sections or portions (about 2 to 6 chapters each) to be read each week. There are also readings for Holy Days and other significant days on the same calendar.

The schedule of readings repeated each year is believed to have been for thousands of years! The day of the year the reading cycle begins and ends is called Simchat Torah, meaning “joy of the Torah” or “rejoice in the Torah.”  

On Simchat Torah, the Torah (also called “the Law” and “God’s Word”) being given by God to His people is also celebrated. Psalm 1:2 and 119:97 show us that the Torah is something we should love, delight in, and see as a blessing! The creator of the universe gave His Word to His people to lead us, guide us, and ultimately show us who He is and lead us to faith in Him! What a reason to celebrate!

Each Portion Tells a Story

Each reading is given a name, using the first significant word of the reading in Hebrew. The name can tell the reader a bit of what the reading will be about and serves to distinguish one parsha from another.

For example, this past week’s reading, Shemōt (Ex. 1:1-6:1), is named because Exodus 1:1 starts with a list of names, and Shemot means “names” in Hebrew.

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household    

EX. 1:1 (NASB), EMPHASIS MINE

While it starts with the names of those accompanying Jacob to Egypt, this Torah portion covers the entire story of Moses’s birth, youth, and the slavery, including the eventual increase in the labor, of the Hebrew people. The overall theme is the setup of God’s plan for delivering Israel from slavery.

The Haftarah

The portions from the Torah are the primary parashōt readings, and with each parsha, there is an accompanying reading from books of prophecy in the Old Testament with similar themes. In reference to the selection above, Shemōt, the haftarah reading is Isaiah 27:6-28:13 and 29:22-29:23.

The haftarah goes along with the Torah portion for that week because its message (specifically Isaiah 27:12) is the deliverance of Israel, the same message found in the Torah portion, where we see God’s plan for delivering them from slavery materializing.

History

According to Jewish tradition, this schedule of Torah readings was developed by Ezra when he reintroduced Torah reading to Israel in the book of Nehemiah. It was then that the people turned back to reading the Torah and observing the Holy Days. The parashōt was a way to keep the Israelites from straying again when he reinstated the Temple practices.

Although we can’t be sure this was when this reading schedule started, we know it started long ago. The Aleppo Codex, a 294-page parchment biblical manuscript over 1,000 years old, contains Masoretic notes (commentary and pronunciation additions by rabbis) that specify the parashōt divisions. The Codex is now in a museum in Israel, but Maimonides, a well-respected Torah scholar, based his parashōt divisions on the ones in the Codex as far back as the Middle Ages.  

Parashōt for Christians

The weekly parsha is read in the synagogue on the Sabbath and Holy Days but is also studied throughout the week. The portion read on the upcoming Sabbath is usually studied throughout the week. Everyone’s on the same page when it’s read in the synagogue since they’ve been reading and studying it all week prior.

Messianic Jewish congregations often add a reading from the New Testament (Brit Chadashah in Hebrew) to the readings from the Torah and haftarah. I find this quite interesting as the reading from the New Testament covers the same theme as that in the Torah and haftarah portions. This Bible study method reveals one of the most extraordinary things about the book. Instead of being two separate books, the Old and New Testaments have the same themes – they’re just two parts of the same fantastic story!

Interested in Studying the Bible Through the Parashōt?

Here’s my free printable Parsha and Holiday Reading Schedule for this year. It includes New Testament readings with themes relevant to each Torah and haftarah reading. John Parsons, the author of the Hebrew for Christians website, has a study using the parsha readings to aid Christians interested in the Jewish roots of their faith called A Year Through the Torah: A Week-By-Week Journey for Christians. This book is an excellent way to study the Bible and explore our roots!