Traditions of Torah Reading - קריאת התורה

The Torah scroll is taken out of the ark and read publicly each Monday, Thursday, and Shabbat, so that there shouldn't be more than 3 consecutive days without public Torah reading.

The Torah is always read using the melody of Maqam Sigah.

The Syrian Jewish community has many customs and traditions pertaining to the reading of the Torah that may differ from the practices of the general Jewish community. Among them are the “Aliyot” stops. Each Shabbat, seven or more individuals are selected to read the Torah. The locations where Syrian Torah readers stop to conclude the “aliyah” differs from what is listed in the standard “Humash.”

The locations of the stops are based on traditional sources and practices. For example, according to Max “Mac” Tawil, at Congregation Shaare Zion in New York as well as approximately 90% of the Syrian congregations in Brooklyn, New York, the tradition is to follow the book (list of stops) of Chief Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin A”H, whose source is according to the Kabbalah. According to Haim Shayo, “the more correct stops are the ones printed in the Succat David Humash, because the editor (H. Menahem Basri A”H) received these stops from H. Yishak Chehebar A”H, Chief Rabbi of Argentina, and from H. Sadek Harari A”H, Chief Rabbi of Mexico.

According to Tractate Megillah, no more than 3 aliyot may be read on a weekday, but this is not the case on Shabbat and the holidays. On Shabbat, it is permitted to exceed the traditional number of sevenaliyot in order to accommodate the congregation. For example, if there are many happy occasions or other people who would like to receive aliyot, the congregation may decide to add as many aliyot as there wish (as long as a minimum of 3 verses is read in each portion). On weekdays or on Rosh Hodesh, however, this practice is not permitted and the congregation must stick with the traditional number of three or four aliyot, respectively.

The most obvious deviation from the standard Ashkenazic practice is the stops for the first three aliyot. Most of the time, these first three aliyot for Shabbat are identical a the first three aliyot on Mondays and Thursday (usually only 3-6 verses long). However, there a few exceptions to that general rule of thumb.

According to the Kabbalah, there is an added significance to the sixth aliyah (“shishi”). Mac Tawil and Haim Shayo have said that if you look closely at the stops, everything is arranged in order to give the sixth aliyah the nicest portion of the Torah reading. It is usually short in order to give nice words and blessings. Samoukh in the Halabi tradition, is not a better aliya than the first six , or Mashlim, or Maftir. It is the best Rekkeh. In the Egyptian tradition and other traditions Samoukh is a very important aliya.

Somekh, is the first extra (Rekkeh). Not the one before Samoukh. He is Somekh for the extra aliyot (rekkat). It could be the one before Samoukh if there is no extra in between. After Samoukh, Somekh is considered the next best rekkeh.  The extra stops are not important as long as they begin and end bekhi tob. If you need to send many people up for a 'farah' (special occasion)  or any other reason, you try to make extra stops as much as possible as long as they begin and finish bekhi tob. You try to avoid repeating over and over unless it is necessary.

In Mishanieh’s or Chehebar’s stops they are there as a guide line as to where should stop if you need to. If not just read right through and make it all samoukh. If the stops are not enough, do not add more, but repeat any number of those pieces.

In Halab, the last rekkeh (extra aliyah) which is called Samoukh (LeMashlim), is considered a better aliyah than a normal rekkeh.

Those that have to make an “azkara” (prayer for the dead) for someone who has passed away, usually would like to get the aliyah of “Mashlim,” because there is a Kaddish immediately following it. However, there is no added significance for one to make sure that he specifically gets the Mashlim aliyah in order to honor the departed. There are those in Israel that would prefer to get Maftir in order to make an “azkara”rather than Mashlim.

The general preference of the Syrian tradition is to start and end each aliyah on a positive note. There are times when a verse from the previous aliyah is repeated to start the aliyah in order to not open an aliyah on a negative note (i.e. Emor, Qorah, Va'ethanan). There are also times where entire chapters of negative verses are bunched into one aliyah in order to sandwich the aliyah between one positive verse at the very beginning of the aliyah and one positive verse at the end of the aliyah.