Resources for learning about Parashat HaShavua / The Weekly Torah Portion
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ShareA companion sheet for Parashat HaShavua classes.
Glossary
- Chapter and verse breaks - "this practice...was borrowed from the Christian Bibles by Rabbi Solomon ben Ishmael (ca. 1330) during a time of medieval religious polemics. The Christian-Jewish debates, which often focused upon the interpretation of scriptural passages, necessitated a common, standardized system of reference." - Nahum M. Sarna, Commentary on Genesis, Introduction p. xiii (JPS: 1989).
- Chumash - originally Chomesh (?) = 'fifth', referring to each of the five books of the Torah. Plural: Chumashim. 1. *Pentateuch). The term Chumash is often used colloquially of the Torah as a whole. 2. The individual books can also be referred to as Chumash, e.g. Chumash Bereishit (Genesis). 3. A particular edition of the *Pentateuch, such as the traditional Hertz Chumash. "We only have 30 Hertz Chumashim" = we only have 30 copies of the Hertz Chumash.
- Derash - Rabbinic *exegesis, often associated with the derivation of halakhah from the verses or with midrashic expansions of the biblical text. Contrast *Peshat
- Exegesis - explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a biblical text
- Exegete - commentator
- Haftarah, Haftorah - concluding portion; a passage from the Prophets read on Shabbat and holidays after the conclusion of the Torah reading.
- Homiletics - the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific art of public preaching (Wikipedia). Homiletical - having to do with public preaching
- Maftir (Concluding [reader]) - Traditionally, the final portion of Torah read on Shabbat following the 7 statutory aliyot. On holidays and special Shabbatot, often read in a second Torah scroll.
- Mikra ("That which is read aloud (from a scroll)") - Scripture.
- Mikra'ot Gedolot ("Great Scriptures") - an edition of Torah with a variety of commentaries on the page, typically including Targum Onkelos, Rashi, Ramban, and ibn Ezra.
- Parashah (popularly, often 'Parshah;' pl. Parashiot) - portion, especially one of 54 weekly portions of the Torah. In biblical manuscripts or editions, the term parashah can also apply to a single paragraph of biblical text, marked out by spaces before and after the text.
- Parashat HaShavua - the *Parashah of the Week, the weekly Torah portion.
- Parshan. Commentator. See *Perush.
- Pasuk. Hebrew for "verse."
- Pentateuch - from ecclesiastical Greek pentateukhos, "five books." The Five Books of the Torah, *Chumash.
- Perek. Hebrew for "Chapter."
- Pericope (peh-RIH-ka-pee) - an extract from a text, especially a passage from the Bible.
- Perush (pay-ROOSH or PAY-roosh) - Commentary. E.g., "Perush Rashi," Rashi's commentary. See *Parshan.
- Peshat - contextual meaning of a biblical word, phrase, or verse with regard to the surrounding words, phrases, or verses. Sometimes understood as "literal meaning." Contrast *Derash
- Seder (pl. Sedarim) - used to refer to a portion of Torah smaller than a complete Parashah. There may be 2, 3, or 4 Sedarim (Seders) in a single Parashah
- Sidrah (pl. Sedarot) - another term for Parashah.
- Wissenschaft des Judentums - "literally in German the expression means 'science of Judaism'; more recently in the United States it started to be rendered as 'Jewish studies' or 'Judaic studies', a wide academic field of inquiry in American universities) refers to a nineteenth-century movement premised on the critical investigation of Jewish literature and culture, including rabbinic literature, to analyze the origins of Jewish traditions." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wissenschaft_des_Judentums
About the Weekly Torah Portion
Additional:
Christian traditions of scriptural readings in the course of liturgy: Revised Common Lectionary
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Common_Lectionary)
Christian traditions of scriptural readings in the course of liturgy: Revised Common Lectionary
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Common_Lectionary)
About Commentaries and Commentators
- Note: For a book which focuses on many of the traditional commentators, see Dr. Avigail Rock, Great Bible Commentators, Koren, 2023 (English translation from the Hebrew). See here.
Midrash (Midrash Halachah - Rabbinic Halachic/legal Bible exegesis and Midrash Aggadah - Rabbinic homiletical Bible exegesis) (Lesson 1)
Rashi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashi (Lesson 2)
ibn Ezra: See Encyclopedia Judaica article on Abraham ibn Ezra (vol. 8) (Lesson 3)
Rashbam - Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (Lesson 4)
Ramban - Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman - Nachmanides (Lesson 5)
Abrabanel - Abravanel - often pronounced Abarbanel (Lesson 6)
Samuel David Luzzatto - שמואל דוד לוצאטו - "Shadal"/שד״ל - (Lesson 7: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/718455?lang=bi)
Netziv - Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin - נפתלי צבי יהודה ברלין - נצי״ב - (Lesson 8: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/719408?lang=bi)
Nehama Leibowitz, 1905-1997 (Lesson 9: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/721799?lang=bi). Resources at Sefaria, see here.
Contemporary / Twenty-First Century Commentaries (Lesson 10: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/723577?lang=bi)
Rashi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashi (Lesson 2)
ibn Ezra: See Encyclopedia Judaica article on Abraham ibn Ezra (vol. 8) (Lesson 3)
Rashbam - Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (Lesson 4)
Ramban - Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman - Nachmanides (Lesson 5)
Abrabanel - Abravanel - often pronounced Abarbanel (Lesson 6)
Samuel David Luzzatto - שמואל דוד לוצאטו - "Shadal"/שד״ל - (Lesson 7: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/718455?lang=bi)
Netziv - Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin - נפתלי צבי יהודה ברלין - נצי״ב - (Lesson 8: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/719408?lang=bi)
Nehama Leibowitz, 1905-1997 (Lesson 9: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/721799?lang=bi). Resources at Sefaria, see here.
Contemporary / Twenty-First Century Commentaries (Lesson 10: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/723577?lang=bi)
- JPS Torah Commentary. JPS, 1996-2003. See here.
- Etz Hayim Commentary, Conservative Movement, 2001. See here.
- The Torah: A Modern Commentary. CCAR, 2006. See here. (New Reform Torah Commentary, in progress as of May 2026. See here.)
- The Torah: A Women's Commentary. CCAR, 2008. See here. Available on Sefaria at The Torah; A Women's Commentary | Sefaria Library
- Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. W W Norton, 2018. See here.
- The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 2014. See here.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: The Koren Shalem Humash. Koren, 2025. See here.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Covenant & Conversation. Tanakh, Modern Commentary on Tanakh, Jonathan Sacks | Sefaria Library
- The Commentator's Bible, Michael Carasik, PhD, ed. JPS. See here. This edition brings selections of the traditional commentators in a traditional "*Mikra'ot Gedolot" format to an English-speaking audience.
- Steinsaltz Humash with commentary of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Koren, 2019. See here. Available on Sefaria at Tanakh, Modern Commentary on Tanakh, Steinsaltz | Sefaria Library
- Chumash, with commentary from the late Lubavitcher Rebbe. Kehot, 2008. See here. Available on Sefaria at The Kehot Chumash; A Chasidic Commentary | Sefaria Library
Online Sources
- The Torah dot com - https://www.thetorah.com. "TheTorah.com’s mission is to make academic biblical scholarship accessible and engaging to readers from all backgrounds."
- 929. Resources for each of the 929 chapters of Tanach, including every chapter of the Torah. Today's chapter: https://www.929.org.il/lang/en/today
- Alhatorah.org. Many traditional resources for the study of the Torah and of Tanach in general.
- Merrimack Valley Havurah resources on Commentaries and Chumashim: See here.
