The Torah is the cornerstone of Jewish life. The word, Torah, means teaching, and this Book of the Jewish people is filled with many teachings. It contains laws and guidelines for daily living. It contains stories from our people’s history. It shares principles, ethical credos, and instructions. Whether you believe this Book was handed down through Divine intervention or was written as a metaphor for proper Jewish existence, you must be able to find some awe in the fact that this Book has been around for a very, long time. The Torah is an inherent component of Judaism and all the people who have ever been a part of this religion.

The Torah is read from on Mondays, Thursdays and on Shabbos. It is also read on Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the new month) and other Jewish festivals. The Parsha, weekly Torah portion, is read throughout the week and completed on Shabbat. During a leap year, which occurs approximately once every three years, one of the fifty-four parshat is read each week. In a regular year, we occasionally read two parshat during one week in order to complete the Torah by Simchat Torah.

There are several different thoughts as to how the tradition of reading from the Torah came about. Some say, it began at Sinai when Moses would read the words of the Torah to the Jewish people. Others say Ezra the Scribe initiated the tradition. Ezra lived at a time when the last of the prophets were leaving this world. Ezra struggled throughout his life to keep the Jewish people connected to their faith. It is said that he began the weekly Torah readings as one way to keep the Jewish people committed and connected to G-d.

During the Second Commonwealth, the period of the Second Temple, when the Jews were forbidden by the Greeks from reading the Torah, they began to read sections of Nevi’im, or the Book of Prophets, each week. The sections of Prophets that were read corresponded to the themes of the would-be Torah portions. These readings are referred to as Haftarot. Once the Torah reading was restored, the reading of the Haftarot continued and still remain to this day. The Haftarah is read following the Torah reading and is also read on Shabbos and other holidays.

Jewish scriptures are the foundation of our deeply rich tradition. We continue to read, explore and learn from the ancient texts. It is simultaneously helpful to have an idea as to how our traditions began and why. The persecution and subsequent perseverance of many Jewish leaders to continue to teach, learn and share our faith despite these adverse conditions is an example for all of us living in a free world. We have a choice to learn more about our history, to understand the survival of the Jewish people throughout the years and to ensure the Jewish future of generations to come.