How the Weekly Torah Portions Work on TorahResource

Updated

TorahResource publishes two complete weekly Torah reading schedules — a one-year cycle and a three-year cycle — and each scheduled portion comes with three linked readings: the Torah portion, the haftarah (a selection from the rest of the Tanakh), and an accompanying reading from the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament). The schedules and the notes on each portion are described on the site as free resources. If you want to follow a weekly reading discipline and want the New Testament reading attached to the same schedule, this page is built for that.

The two reading cycles

The site states that the schedules it posts "represent the two schedules that are the most prevalent and take the reader through God's law in 1 and 3 years."

Cycle What it covers Who it suits
One-year cycle The full Torah read through in a single year Readers who want to complete the Torah annually, and the pattern used by most modern synagogues
Three-year cycle The same material spread across three years Readers who want a slower pace or more time with each portion

TorahResource notes that although modern synagogues use the one-year cycle, evidence suggests the three-year pattern is older. Both are offered side by side, so the choice is about pace rather than which one is "correct."

What each weekly portion includes

Every entry in the schedule is not just the Torah text. TorahResource describes the traditional structure and then adds to it:

  • Torah portion — the weekly reading from the Law.
  • Haftarah portion — historically, the readings "have been separated into a Torah portion and a reading from the rest of the Tanakh (Old Testament) which is referred to as the 'haftarah' portion."
  • Apostolic Scriptures reading — the site attaches "readings from the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) to accompany the readings as well."

So a single week gives you three connected passages rather than one.

Getting the commentary for a portion

The schedules themselves are the calendar. For explanation of a given week's reading, the site points to a separate step: "Notes on each portion can be found by clicking the 'Weekly Parashah' button."

In practice that means two layers:

  1. Use the schedule to find which portion falls in the current week.
  2. Open the Weekly Parashah notes for that portion to read the commentary alongside the text.

The site also lists dedicated commentary sections organized by book — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — for readers who want to work through a book rather than follow the calendar.

Special readings that sit outside the weekly cycle

The weekly portion is not the only reading schedule on the site. TorahResource also maintains:

  • Special Readings and Special Sabbaths
  • Festival Readings
  • Yearly Festivals, listed under The Mo'dim: Pesach, Shavuot, Yom T'ruah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Hanukkah, and Purim
  • The Hebrew Calendar, which is the reference point for placing all of the above

If you are following the weekly cycle, these are the weeks where the regular portion is supplemented or replaced, so it is worth checking the festival list before assuming a standard reading applies.

How to start following along

  1. Decide on the one-year or three-year cycle.
  2. Open that schedule and locate the current week's Torah portion.
  3. Read the paired haftarah and Apostolic Scriptures readings for the same week.
  4. Click through to the Weekly Parashah notes for commentary on that portion.
  5. Check the festival and special Sabbath listings for weeks that deviate from the standard cycle.

The site describes these resources as "provided free" and expresses the hope that they "are a blessing to you and your community." Note that other parts of the site — the Shop, audio/video, and books sections — are separate from the reading schedules, and the page shows a cart and donation option, so free access to the schedules should not be read as free access to everything on the site.

Common snags

  • Mixing the cycles. The one-year and three-year schedules will not line up week to week. Pick one and stay with it, or you will lose track of where you are.
  • Forgetting the festival weeks. Special Sabbaths and festival readings interrupt the normal sequence. Check the Hebrew Calendar and festival pages before assuming the standard portion applies.
  • Looking for notes in the schedule itself. The commentary lives behind the Weekly Parashah button, not inside the reading table.
  • Expecting only Torah. Each week carries three readings. Skipping the haftarah and Apostolic Scriptures leaves out what the site deliberately attached to the portion.