What is Parsha?פרשה
The parsha is the weekly Torah portion, one of fifty-four sections read in sequence over the course of the annual Torah reading cycle.
Also written: Parashah, Parshah, Sedra, Sidra, Parshiyos
The cycle begins with Bereishis after Simchas Torah and completes a year later. Because some years have fewer Shabbosos than there are portions, certain pairs are combined, which is why the same parsha can fall on different dates in different years.
A large publishing category exists purely around the weekly portion: collections of commentary, essays, and divrei Torah arranged parsha by parsha. These are among the most-gifted seforim and turn over briskly on the used market.
Browse Parsha listings on SimplySefer
Related terms
- Chumash — A Chumash is a printed volume of the Five Books of Moses, named from the Hebrew word for five, usually including commentary and the haftaros read on Shabbos and festivals.
- Midrash — Midrash is the body of rabbinic literature that expounds the biblical text, drawing out legal and homiletical meaning beyond the plain reading.
- Meforshim — Meforshim are the classical commentaries on Jewish texts and the commentators behind them — individual authors such as Rashi, Ramban, and Ibn Ezra, and collective works such as Tosafos.