Q: I’ve noticed that after the Torah reading in Shul, they start reading something else and I was wondering what was? I’m already bored during the Torah reading itself and can’t understand why we have to read more.

A: I would first of all suggest that you make the Torah reading more meaningful. During the week read through the parsha with deeper insights, there are plenty of resources online for that. Then you can follow along in shul with an English Chumash and know what is going on.

What you are referring to is the Haftorah. It’s a section from the prophets we read after the Torah reading. After the destruction of the Second Temple, seeing that Torah learning was keeping the Jewish people from assimilating, they outlawed Torah reading. So the sages instituted that we read from the prophets instead, from a section that is connected to the Torah portion of that week. Even after the decree was annulled the custom remained to continue reading the Haftorah.

So next time you are listening to the Haftorah think about Jewish resilience, how we never gave up or stopped connecting to our heritage. That will make it a lot more meaningful.

 

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