REAING OF THE TORAH Since the revelation at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people has been a nation defined by a book: the Torah. The Mosaic books are more than sacred literature, they are the written constitution of the house of Israel as a nation under the sovereignty of God, the basis of its collective memory, the record of its covenant with God, the template of its existence as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” and the detailed specification of the task it is called on to perform: to construct a society on the basis of justice and compassion and the inalienable dignity of the human person as the image of God. Just as the Torah is central to Jewish life, so the reading of the Torah is central to the synagogue service. The Tanakh records several key moments in Jewish history when national rededication was accompanied by a public reading of the Torah, most famously in the days of King Josiah (II Kings, chapter 23) and Ezra (Nehemiah, chapter 8). According to tradition, Moses ordained that the Torah be read regularly and publicly, a long reading on Shabbat morning and shorter readings on Mondays and Thursdays. Ezra, reinstituting this practice, added the reading on Shabbat afternoon. Thus from its earliest days the synagogue was a place of study as well as prayer. During the Second Temple period and later eras, the reading was accompanied by verse-by-verse translation into the vernacular, mainly Aramaic. Over the course of time, the act of taking the Torah from, and returning it to, the Ark became ceremonial moments in their own right.

אֵין־כָּמֽוֹךָ There is none like You among the heavenly powers: A collection of verses and phrases from the book of Psalms. וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹֽעַ הָאָרֹן Whenever the Ark set out: A description of the Ark during the journeys of the Israelites in the wilderness. The parallel verse, “When it came to rest,” is recited when the Torah is returned to the Ark. Thus, the taking of the Sefer Torah from the Ark and its return recall the Ark of the covenant which accompanied the Israelites in the days of Moses.

כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה For the Torah shall come forth from Zion: part of Isaiah’s famous vision (2:2–4) of the end of days.

רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם Master of the Universe: The festivals are heightened times of holiness, and the opening of the Ark a moment when we most intensely feel the transformative energy of the Divine Presence. Thus when these two sacred moments coincide, we say a personal prayer for God’s blessing in our lives and the lives of our family, that we may have a material and spiritual environment that will allow us to serve God without distraction or hindrance. The version of the prayer for Hoshana Raba (also said on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur) is more specifically tied to the details of our fate in the coming year, inscribed on Rosh HaShana, sealed on Yom Kippur but not finalized until Hoshana Raba. Both prayers are preceded by the Thirteen Attributes of Compassion, used by Moses when praying for mercy and forgiveness, and taught to him, according to the Talmud, by God Himself.

בְּרִיךְ שְׁמֵהּ Blessed is the name: This passage, from the mystical text, the Zohar (Vayak-hel 206a), is prefaced in its original context with the words: “Rabbi Shimon said: When the scroll of the Torah is taken out to be read in public, the Gates of Compassion are opened, and love is aroused on high. Therefore one should say (at this time):….” The prayer “Blessed is the name” then follows. The custom of reciting it has its origins in the circle of mystics in Safed associated with Rabbi Isaac Luria.

ASCENT TO THE TORAH The original custom was that each of those called to the Torah read his own portion. Not everyone was able to do this, so the practice developed of en-trusting the reading to one with expertise (commonly, though ungrammati-cally, known as the ba’al koreh), “so as not to shame those who do not know how to read” their own portions. Instead, they say the blessings before and after the portion, and recite the text silently along with the Reader.

בָּרְכוּ Bless the LORD: An invitation to the congregation to join in blessing God, similar to the one that precedes communal prayer in the morning and evening services. אֲשֶׁר בָּֽחַר בָּֽנוּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים Who has chosen us from all peoples: this ancient blessing, to be said before Torah study as well as before the public reading of the Torah, makes it clear that chosenness is not a right but a responsibility. אֲשֶׁר נָֽתַן לָֽנוּ תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת Who has given us the Torah of truth: an act of affirmation following the reading. The blessing, simply but beautifully, expresses the thought that in reading, studying and observing the word of the Eternal, we touch eternity.

הַגּוֹמֵל Who bestows good on the unworthy: This blessing, known as HaGomel (“who bestows”), is mentioned in the Talmud (Berakhot 54b). It is to be said after the following four circumstances: (1) release from captivity, (2) recovery from a potentially life-threatening illness, (3) a dangerous journey, and (4) a sea-crossing (nowadays, many also say it after an air flight). It is said in the presence of a minyan (at least ten adult males), usually, though not necessarily, at the time of the reading of the Torah, and within three days of the event. הַגּוֹמֵל לְחַיָּבִים טוֹבוֹת Who bestows good on the unworthy: reminiscent of Jacob’s prayer (Gen. 32:11), “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant.”

בָּרוּךְ שֶׁפְּטָרַֽנִי Who has released me from the responsibility for this child: Until a boy reaches the age of thirteen (twelve for girls), the parents are responsible for his or her deeds. This blessing expresses the parents’ gratitude for having lived to see their child reach the age of responsibility.

וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה This is the Torah. The raising (hagbaha) and rolling (gelila) of the Torah – ancient customs regarded as high honors, are accompanied by a reaffirmation of the holiness of the Torah as God’s word, “at the LORD’s commandment, by the hand of Moses” (the declaration is an amalgam of Deuteronomy 4:44 and Numbers 9:23).

THE HAFTARA The reading of a passage from the prophetic works (the second of the three parts of Tanakh) dates back, in origin, to the period of the Second Temple. The word haftara means “conclusion” of the Torah reading. The person who reads the haftara is first called to the Torah (maftir – a rereading of the last verses of the weekly Torah portion) to emphasize the connection between the Mosaic and prophetic books. The haftara is usually connected, verbally or thematically, with the Torah reading. Some haftarot, however, are related to the time of the year, such as the readings for Rosh Ḥodesh when it falls on a Shabbat, or before and after Tisha B’Av. The blessing before the reading emphasizes our faith in the truth of the words of the prophets. The four blessings afterwards speak of: (1) our faith in God’s promises, through the prophets; (2) our hope for the restoration of Zion; (3) a prayer for the return of the Davidic monarchy (there are traces here of a polemic against rival claims to sovereignty, such as that of the Hasmonean kings of the Second Temple period, who were not from the house of David); and (4) a hymn of praise to the day: Shabbat or Festival.

Special Prayers: A series of seven prayers for Jewish communities throughout the world, the societies in which, and the governments under which, they live. Dating from different times and places, they reflect the diversity of Jewish life from ancient times to today.

יְקוּם פֻּרְקָן May deliverance arise: A prayer for the religious and lay leadership of Babylonian Jewry, dating from the Talmudic and Geonic eras, when Babylon was a major center of Jewish life.

יְקוּם פֻּרְקָן May deliverance arise: The second and third prayers, one in Aramaic and based on the previous prayer, the other in Hebrew, are for all those who work for the congregation. Just as the Tabernacle, the first collective house of Jewish worship, was made out of the voluntary contributions of the Israelites, so Jewish communities today are sustained by the voluntary contributions of their members, whether in the form of money or time.