Torah and Haftarah

The Torah is divided into five books: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. These five books are divided into further chapters and verses. The Jews use another system, too, to divide the Torah, which corresponds to weekly public readings. The five books, which are then further divided into portions, are then again divided into readings.

Generally speaking, one portion is read in the synagogue each week during religious ceremory. Each reading opens and closes with blessings.

There are many ways in which the child proceeds with the event of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah tradition. He or she can read the whole portion of the Torah if he or she is able. Or he or she can only read from a section of the Haftarah if he or she so chooses.

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