The portion of Metzora is not read alone

Sometimes, trying to help people seems complicated, but in this case, where the goal is to learn the lessons of the Torah, we have a case where the goal justifies the means. Two biblical portions, Tazria and Metzora, are read together during the week beginning April 27, 2025. This gives us a chance to explain what sometimes occurs. 

The first five Books of Moses in the Torah are divided into 54 portions today. Each portion is called a parshah or a sidra in Hebrew. The division makes it possible to read all five books each year. While the secular calendar, based on the sun, contains 52 weeks of 365 and a quarter days, the Jewish calendar, based on the moon, sometimes needs an extra month to correspond to the secular calendar. A standard Jewish calendar year has 353, 354, or 355 days, depending on certain circumstances. Leap years, which add a month to the year, occur every 19 years and have 383, 384, or 385 days.

Complicating the reading of 54 portions, special selections are read on holidays instead of one of the 54 portions, usually related to the day’s theme. They are read to remind Jews of the significance of the holidays. For example, in Passover, the biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt is read to remind Jews why Passover is celebrated. In addition, on holidays and Rosh Chodesh, the new moon, the portions of the Torah that discuss the animals sacrificed on the altar on that day in the ancient Jerusalem temple are read so that we do not forget Jewish history.

Thus, the division of 54 portions assures Jews can read all five Books of Moses annually, even during a leap year with an extra month. However, during non-leap years, and because sometimes the usual portion is not read during a week because of the special selections read for holidays, it is sometimes necessary to read two portions together during the week to finish all 54 portions. This is what occurred during the week of April 27, 2025. This happens for several pairs of portions, such as Vayakhel-Pekudei, Tazria-Metzora, Behar-Bechukotai, and Nitzavim-Vayelech. It occurs approximately 3-4 times a year, depending on the specifics of the calendar.

When did the practice of reading the Torah annually begin?

It is unknown when the practice of reading a portion of the Torah every week and completing it yearly arose. The only available facts are that a Mishnah in Talmud Megillah 29b mentions that the Torah was read in a three-year cycle in Israel every year. Thus, the practice most likely predates the Mishna period, which is dated around 200 CE.

The three-year cycle of Israel continued in some areas into the Middle Ages. Maimonides, who died in 1204, mentions that it existed during his lifetime. He disapproved of it in his Mishnah Torah, Hilchot Tefillah 13:1.

Some scholars date the reading of the entire Torah annually as early as around the time of the Babylonian exile, which occurred after the first temple’s destruction in 586 BCE. However, there is no proof of their assertion. They suggest that after the Judean exiles returned to Israel from Babylon, Ezra the Scribe introduced the practice of public Torah readings in a three-year cycle. They say that his system was modified by Babylonian Jews who divided the Torah into 54 weekly portions to be read in a year. They also say the annual cycle became universal around 1100 CE, but the triennial cycle persisted in some areas for a time.

When did Jews add a month to have the lunar year correspond to the solar year?

We do not know. But it is likely that it was done so that the holidays would occur at the proper season, such as Passover, which occurs in the spring.

Summary

While there is much we do not know, one thing is sure. The practice of annually studying the five Books of Moses in their entirety is an excellent idea. The Torah is like a huge palace with a thousand rooms. Each room has dozens of cabinets with dozens of drawers filled with treasures. Seeing and enjoying all the treasures would take more than a lifetime. So, too, no human can fully grasp all the treasures in the Torah that would make life better. But we should try to gain and enjoy as many as possible.