The five books of Moses are divided into fifty-four weekly portions. There is a mitzva for every Jewish community to read the Torah portion each Shabbat morning from a kosher Torah scroll. Each Torah portion is divided into seven sections, and for each of these sections a different person ascends to the bima (platform in the middle of the sanctuary) and recites a blessing before and after the section is read out loud by the designated Torah reader. Thanks to this weekly reading, traditional Jews finish the entire five books every year, celebrating this accomplishment on the festival of Simĥat Torah (36:21 below).
The Sages ordained that the Torah reading be followed by a public reading from the Prophets, on a topic which relates to the Torah reading in some way. This reading is referred to as the Haftara, meaning “conclusion,” as we conclude the Torah reading with it.
The Sages also ordained that individuals read the weekly Torah portion twice in the Hebrew and once in translation. This is obligatory for men and optional for women.
