Haftarah

The ''haftara'' or (in Ashkenazic pronunciation) ''haftorah'' (alt. ''haftarah, haphtara'', he, הפטרה) "parting," "taking leave", (plural form: ''haftarot'' or ''haftoros'') is a series of selections from the books of ''Nevi'im'' ("Prophets") of the Hebrew Bible as part of Jewish religious practice. The ''haftara'' reading follows the Torah reading on each Sabbath and on Jewish festivals and fast days. Typically, the ''haftara'' is thematically linked to the ''parashah'' (weekly Torah portion) that precedes it. The ''haftara'' is sung in a chant. (Chanting of Biblical texts is known as "''trope''" in Yiddish or " Cantillation" in English.) Related blessings precede and follow the haftara reading.

The origin of haftara reading is lost to history, and several theories have been proposed to explain its role in Jewish practice, suggesting it arose in response to the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus IV Epiphanes which preceded the Maccabean Revolt, wherein Torah reading was prohibited, or that it was "instituted against the Samaritans, who denied the canonicity of the Prophets (except for Joshua), and later against the Sadducees." Another theory is that it was instituted after some act of persecution or other disaster in which the synagogue Torah scrolls were destroyed or ruined - it was forbidden to read the Torah portion from any but a ritually fit parchment scroll, but there was no such requirement about a reading from Prophets, which was then "substituted as a temporary expedient and then remained." The Talmud mentions that a ''haftara'' was read in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus, who lived c.70 CE, and that by the time of Rabbah bar Nahmani (the 3rd century) there was a "Scroll of Haftarot", which is not further described. Several references in the Christian New Testament suggest this Jewish custom was in place during that era.

History

No one knows for certain the origins of reading the haftara, but several theories have been put forth. The most common explanation, accepted by some traditional Jewish authorities is that in 168 BCE, when the Jews were under the rule of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, they were forbidden to read the Torah and made do with a substitute. When they were again able to read the Torah, they kept reading the ''haftara'' as well. However, this theory was not articulated before the 14th century, when it was suggested by Rabbi David Abudirham, and has several weaknesses.

An alternative explanation, offered by Rabbis Reuven Margolies and Samson Raphael Hirsch (except where otherwise identified, this is the Hirsch cited throughout this article), is that the haftara reading was instituted to fight the influence of those sects in Judaism that viewed the Hebrew Bible as consisting only of the Torah.

However, all offered explanations for the origin of reading the haftara have unanswered difficulties.

Certainly the haftara was read — perhaps not obligatorily nor in all communities nor on every Sabbath — as far back as circa 70 CE: The Talmud mentions that a ''haftara'' was read in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, who lived at that time. The Christian Bible indicates that readings from the Prophets - but not necessarily a fixed schedule - was a common part of the Sabbath service in Jerusalem synagogues even earlier than 70 CE.

Who reads the ''haftara''

Only one person reads the haftara portion.Ismar Elbogen, ''Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History'' (German 1913, English transl. 1993, Philadelphia, Jewish Publ'n Society) page 146. This differs from the procedure in Torah reading, wherein the text is divided into anywhere from three to seven portions, which may be read by one person or divided amongst several.

The haftara is traditionally read by the ''maftir'', or the last person to be called up to the Torah scroll.

Traditions varied or evolved with regard to which person could read the haftara. As an indication that, perhaps to make clear that the haftara reading was not the same status as the Torah reading, a minor (i.e., a boy not yet bar mitzvah age) was permitted to chant the haftara (at least on an ordinary Sabbath), and there were even communities where the haftara reading was reserved exclusively for minor boys. In recent centuries, Ashkenazi bar mitzvah boys, (now an adult) will read at least the ''maftir'' portion and the haftara. In some other communities, the haftara could only be read by one who had participated in the Torah reading (in some practices, the ''maftir'' - the last man to have read from the Torah), or even the whole congregation would read the haftara to themselves from the available ''humashim'' - this evidently to avoid embarrassing a reader who might make a mistake.

Rabbi Yosef Karo (16th century) reported that for many years there were no set haftarot: the ''maftir'' chose an appropriate passage from the ''Nevi'im''. Over time, certain choices became established in certain communities; in contemporary Jewish observance one may not choose his or her own haftara, explained Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, as that would run against accepted custom. Rabbi Karo's explanation, however, helps to explain why communities have varying customs regarding what to read as haftara.

What form of the text is read

Unlike the Torah portion, the haftara is, nowadays, normally read from a printed book. This may be either a Tanakh

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases