Reading Missed Parshiyos

Q. When the pandemic ends and the shuls reopen, will we be required to make up all the parshiyos Hashavua (weekly Torah portions) that were missed?

A. Sefer Shaarei Efrayim (7:39) writes that if a minyan missed kriyas Hatorah one Shabbos, due to a situation that was beyond their control, they should make up the missed kriyas Hatorah the following Shabbos. However, if several weeks were missed, they need only make up the reading for the previous week. Nonetheless, if the congregation wants to read all the missed parshiyos, they may do so. These rules apply if there was a minyan, but if there was no minyan at all, most poskim hold there is no requirement to make up any missed parshiyos. The Vilna Gaon has a different view and he requires making up parshiyos even if there was no minyan. Rav Schachter said that the Halacha follows the first opinion and shuls are not required to make up the missed parshiyos, but he thought it would be proper for a minyan of medakdikim to be strict.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.