353. Where to Start the Next Reading

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 13:3

The place where we end the Torah-reading on Shabbos morning is where we start reading on Shabbos afternoon, Monday, Thursday, and the following Shabbos. For example, on the first Shabbos, we read parshas Bereishis in the morning. That afternoon, we read the start of parshas Noach. We read the same selection on Monday and Thursday. The following Shabbos, we read the entirety of parshas Noach from start to finish. We continue in this manner throughout the year. On Shabbos morning, we also read a selection from the Prophets, which we call the haftarah. The haftarah has a thematic connection to the day’s Torah reading.

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 13:4

On Rosh Chodesh, the first aliyah is three verses from parshas Pinchas. The second aliyah repeats the third verse of the first aliyah, plus the next two verses, so that there will still be three verses left in the section. The third aliyah consists of the three remaining verses plus the section of “On the Sabbath day....” The fourth aliyah consists of the section “On your new months....” When Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbos, two Torah scrolls are taken out at shacharis. The regular weekly Torah portion is read from one; from the second, we read the final aliyah (maftir) from “On your new months....” The one who will read the haftarah receives the aliyah about Rosh Chodesh. He then reads “It will be from month to month...” from Isaiah 66 as the haftarah. When Rosh Chodesh Av falls on Shabbos the haftarah is “My soul hates your new moons and festivals” (Isaiah 1). When Rosh Chodesh falls on Sunday, “Tomorrow is the new month” (I Samuel 20) is read on Shabbos the day before.