Why Israel and the Diaspora Read Different Parshahs

Question:

I enjoy your website and regularly visit the section on the weekly Torah portion. Recently I discovered, to my great surprise, that on the top right-hand side of the Parshah homepage, you write: "In Israel, this week we read: .... [here appears the name, and a link to, the following week's Torah reading]."

What is going on?

Answer:

Once in several years, for a few weeks, different Torah portions are read in Israel and in the Diaspora. This year (2022-5782) happens to be one of those years.

Why does this happen? Here is the basic idea:

The Torah is apportioned into 54 readings, and each Shabbat we read a portion according to a predetermined order. When Shabbat coincides with a holiday, we substitute the reading of the weekly portion with a section from the Torah that relates to that holiday.
In the diaspora, the holidays of Sukkot (and Shemini Atzeret), Passover, and Shavuot are celebrated for an extra day (known as "the second holiday of the Diaspora").

This year, the holiday of Passover started on Shabbat. In Israel it was celebrated for seven days, ending on Friday. The next day was Shabbat and everyone there read the Torah portion of Acharei Mot.

Outside of Israel, however, the holiday was celebrated for an eighth day, and everyone read the Torah reading for the final day of Passover. The Torah portion of Acharei Mot wasn't read until the following week—by which time synagogues in Israel were already up to the next portion, Kedoshim. That's how Diaspora Jews ended up behind by one portion.

(The same thing can happen if Shabbat falls on 7 Sivan. While the Jews in Israel read the portion of Naso, Diaspora Jews read the portion associated with the second day of Shavuot.)

But no worries: We in the Diaspora will soon catch up with our Israeli brethren. How? Because on the Shabbat of 2 Av (July 30), those in Israel will read the Torah portion of Masei, while we will read two portions—Matot and Masei—joined together. Once again, all the Jewish People will be in synch.

Rabbi Mendy Kaminker,
Editor, He.Chabad.org

By Mendy Kaminker

Rabbi Mendy Kaminker is a member of the Chabad.org editorial team and rabbi of Chabad of Hackensack.

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15 Comments

Rafael Hecht Toronto May 13, 2022

What I never understood is, with the 1 and 2 day Yom Tov disparance, why the "combined" Parsha can't be for the following week? Why does it need to wait to the very end of Yayikra? Reply

Mendel Fogelman May 17, 2022

in response to Rafael Hecht:

In a regular year, the 'combining of Parshas' does indeed start right away without delay, in all places.

How so? The goal is to end up with the portion of Bamidbar being read right before Shavuot. To reach this, the Jews in the Diaspora must combine at all three opportunities between Passover and Shavuot. Their Israeli counterparts only need two, and they start combining at the first two opportunities, leaving only the last one separate at the very end of the book of Vayikra. This is when both locations match back up together.

However, in a leap year both locations are unable to combine any portions between Passover and Shavuot, as this would cause the portion of Bamidbar to be read earlier than preferred. We then choose to delay one possible opportunity to join together and instead wait until Matot-Masei, which is a more preferred choice due to the natural relationship between the content of both portions.

See here, under "Why the Lopsided Pairing?" Reply

David L. May 19, 2015

Yes. In 2020 (5780), Parashas Naso will be read on 7 Sivan in Israel, and on 14 Sivan in the Diaspora.

There's a web site goes into great detail on how the Parashah readings are scheduled, but I don't know if it's permitted to post links here. Reply

Howard Kew garden hills April 9, 2022

in response to David L.:

This year 2022 why not catch up right away with acherei mot kedoshim Reply

Anonymous NY May 18, 2015

A search on Google for "Sukkot 2020" shows that its first day will be on Friday. So won't this apply also then? Reply

Eli Levy Johannesburg May 12, 2015

This happened to me, that I was in Israel in April and on Shabbat 11 April I was called for an Aliyah (I am Levy and get the second Aliyah) so in Israel on Shabbat there was no holiday and they read the regular Parsha of Shemini. That Tuesday I flew from Israel to South Africa and on Shabbat 18 April, I was called again in Johannesburg for the Levy Aliyah and they read exactly the same Parsha of Shmini, as they were one week behind from Israel. Reply

miriam bat ayin, Israel May 12, 2015

different parshas Why isn't the catching up as soon as possible? we could have been back together in 2weeks with tazria-metzora. It has been inconvenient having to use 2 different chayenus for Tanya and Chumash. How was it decided to wait 5 weeks instead of 2? Reply

SD karnei shomron June 8, 2022

in response to miriam:

This is explained in the Ohr Sameach site.
Google "the parsha dual dichotomy 5776 - part 3" Reply

זאב מרדכי בן אברם באר שבע הנגב June 13, 2020

Please list both portions of our Torah when it is not the same as there other Sabbaths when this occurs. Please also list the alternate Haftara readings as is done in the IDF bible. -Ashkenazi, Sfaradi, Mizrahi, Yemenite. Sometimes less are listed. We also know that sometimes there are variations within any single family. (Some start at .. and some finish at.. etc.) Reply

Frederick E Edelstein Gaithersburg April 25, 2019

In 2019, a similar occurance with the end of Passover. Does the "catch-up" occur with Matot-Masei on August 3 for the Galoot, and Just "Masei" for Israel? Reply

Anonymous Lawrence April 12, 2018

Add a comment.

Why does the calendar not take advantage of the several earlier opportunities, like the coming Shabbos, Tazria-Metzora in Israel, which could be separated, and thereby bring the readings in Israel and the Diaspora into "sync" as of the following week, when the Diaspora would read them as joined? Reply

MSB April 22, 2015

Probably a typo mistake... I thought there are 54 Torah portions... Reply

Rabbi Mendy Kaminker June 22, 2009

Yehudah, great question The Talmud (Tractate Beitzah) suggests two possible explanations:

A) We preserve this custom in the event that we once again start determining months based on the testimony of witnesses, not pre-set calculations.

B) We celebrate two days in order to “keep the tradition of our forefathers.” A great lesson, indeed, on the importance of maintaining tradition... Reply

Yehudah Szuch June 19, 2009

Multiple days Why do we still keep the tradition of celebrating feast days when we are in a time when we know when a feast day will begin. We do not need messengers anymore and it is clear as to when a Shabbat or Feast day begins. Also, I understand there are commandments that only relate to Israel, but why do we look at the feasts this way. If the Torah states a Feast day should be celebrated for 1 day, shouldn't we follow that instead of the thoughts of Rabbi's that came many centuries later? Any help would be grat. Reply

ברוך סדרות February 7, 2024

in response to Yehudah Szuch:

All your answer lies in ''because Everything is from 'H' and He is the ultimate of Kindness. Reply

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