This year, like many others, the Torah portion read on Shabbat, and studied as part of Chitas, is different in Israel than the rest of the world. (You might have seen this on page 2 of your weekly Chayenu!) Did you wonder why that is? And when will it realign? Or why doesn't it realign quicker?

Let's try to unpack it.

The Reading Schedule

The five books of the Torah are divided into 54 Torah portions (Parshiyot). Each Shabbat another portion (Parsha) is read in synagogue during the morning prayers. The reading is in sequence, with the first week (following Simchat Torah) being Bereishit, followed by Noach, etc... [The portion read in synagogue on Shabbat becomes the study for Chitas learning in the preceding week.]

This scheduled sequence of Torah reading is suspended on Biblical Festivals, when a Torah portion that is related to that Festival is read in Synagogue. Therefore, in order to complete the entire Torah within a year, despite the interruption created by the Festivals, there are weeks when a double portion is read.

The Split

Biblically, the Jewish festival of Pesach is 7 days long, Shavuot is 1 day, and Sukkot is 8 days, and this is the length of the festival in Israel until this day. For numerous considerations, the Sages added a day to each Festival when celebrated outside the borders of Israel, thus, Pesach is 8 days, Shavuot 2 days, and Sukkot is 9 days long.

This single additional day creates the discrepancy between Israel and the rest of the world. When the last day of a festival in Israel is Friday, the next day they return to the regular order of Parshiyot, while the rest of the world is celebrating that Shabbat as a festival, and therefore, will not be returning to the regular schedule of Parshiyot until the following Shabbat.

For example, this year, 5782:  Shabbat, the 22^nd of Nissan, was the last day of Pesach outside of Israel, on which a festival portion was read, and only on the following Shabbat, the 29^th of Nissan was Parshat Acharei Mot read. In Israel however, the last day of Pesach was Friday, the 21^st of Nissan, and therefore, on the following day, Shabbat, the 22^nd of Nissan, they read Parshat Acharei Mot, and on the following Shabbat, the 29^th of Nissan, Parshat Kedoshim was read.

The Combinations  

There are certain ‘built in’ Parshiyot that can be combined (although the actual amount of combined Parshiyot depends on a particular year’s calendar):

Vayakhel - Pekudei

Tazria - Metzora

Achrei Mot – Kedoshim

Behar – Bechukotai

Chukat – Balak

Matos – Masei

Nitzavim – Vayelech

This scheduling of possible combinations creates the obvious question, why not combine two Parshiyot outside of Israel at the first possible occasion, and realign with Israel (where they will read a single portion)? Why wait through numerous possible combinations?

For example, this year, 5782: On the 29^th of Nissan, while in Israel they are reading the portion of Kedoshim, the rest of the world should read the two parshiyot of Achrei Mot and Kedoshim!? While in reality, Israel and the rest of the world will only realign on the 2^nd of Av, when in Israel they will read the parsha of Masei, and the rest of the world will read Matos and Masei.

Unpacking The Puzzle

In order to understand this, we will introduce some of the Sages’ placements of Torah portions as related to the time of year.

Ezra [the Scribe] established that the curses of Torat Kohanim [=Parshat Bechukotai] should be read before Shavuot, and the curses of Mishnah Torah [=Parshat Ki Tavo] should be read prior to Rosh Hashana. (Megillah 31b)

Abaya, Or Reish Lakish, explain that the reason for this is that before a year concludes, let its curses be concluded as well. And Shavuot is the new year for fruit, so we want to get the curses “out of the way” before Shavuot. (Megillah ibid.)

In order not to have the curses read in close connection to the actual festival, [and thus, a prosecuting angel might prosecute the Jewish people (Levush, Orach Chaim, 428:4),] we read another portion of the Torah to separate between the curses and the festival. Therefore, we read the portion of Nitzavim before Rosh Hashana, and the portion of Bamidbar before Shavuot. (Tosfot, S.v. Kelalot, Megillah ibid.)

Now we understand that the combination of Parshiyot, are not only to complete the entire Torah each year, but also to ensure that certain Parshiyot are read at certain times of the year. (See Rambam, Laws of Prayer 13:2)

This also leaves us with the following insight, as articulated by the Maharit (Rabbi Yosef Troni – 16^th c.):

Just as the sages enacted not to have the curses [= Parshat Bechukotai] read close to Shavuot (and therefore they have Parshat Bamidbar read in between the curses and the festival), so too, we are not supposed to read it more removed (from the festival) than needed, and read it two weeks before Shavuot. This is because, we then lose the element of these curses being read at the end of year, which indicates that the curses of the year should conclude, and is only recognizable if it is read in close proximity to the conclusion of the year.

In Israel, where they read Acharei Mot on the 7^th day of the Omer, (i.e., 22^nd of Nissan,) they will be forced to have two weeks (of regular Torah reading) between the curses and Shavuot (which is not optimal), but in the rest of the world it is more appropriate to follow the standard one week interval [and this is accomplished by not combining the Parshiyot until after Shavuot] (Teshuvos Maharit 2:4).

In summary: The rest of the world does not want to catch up and realign with Israel, since it wants to maintain the “healthier” flow of weekly Parshiyot, where there is only a one-week buffer between the curses and Shavuos.

However, as the Maharit continues, this only answers why the rest of the world doesn’t combine the parshiyot before Shavuot, but we are still left with a question: Why do they wait until Matos - Masei to combine and realign with Israel, why not combine and realign earlier, by the parshiyot of Chukat – Balak?

He answers:

Once they waited all that time, and did not combine it earlier, they wait(further in order) to combine the Parshiyot of Matos with Masei, which is combined more often than the Parshiyot of Chukat and Balak, which are usually separate (ibid.).

The Bnei Yissachar (Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, 19^th c.) offers another reason:

The three Parshiyot of Pinchas, Matot and Masei, speak of the promise to the Jewish people that they will receive the Land of Israel as their land Therefore, the Sages wanted these Parshiyot to be read in “the three weeks” (i.e., the time of year when the Jewish people mourn the destruction of the Temple), as consolement to the Jewish people, as a reminder that they will once again be in the Land of Israel. Additionally, Parshat Pinchas speaks of the Jewish festivals, and these days of the three weeks will eventually - in the messianic era - be added as a time of festival and celebration (Bnei Yissachar, Ma’amar Chodshei Tammuz Av, 2:2).

According to this answer, by combining the earlier Parshiyot of Chukas – Balak, we would lose out on having the Parsha of Pinchas being read in the period of the “the three weeks.” [In the scenario under discussion (like this year), the 17^th of Tammuz is Shabbat, so the fast and the onset of “the three week” mourning period, is delayed to Sunday.]

Comfort, Oh Comfort My Nation

The Maharit concludes with the reason why Matot and Masei are combined, and not any combination of the further parshiyot:

The Torah reading of ‘If you will have children and grandchildren, and you will grow old in the land etc.’ (in Parshat Vaeschanan, Devarim4:25) is a [projection to the future of the Jewish people. As Rashi explains: With this verse there is a] hint to the Jewish people, that they will be exiled (from the land of Israel) after 852 years, for this is the numerical value of the word Venoshantem (“And you will grow old”). G-d, however, exiled the Jewish people two year early, so that [the continuation of this projection] you will be eliminated speedily (v. 26) will not be materialized… It was really a kindness that G-d brought upon the Jewish people their Exile two years prematurely. By combining Matot and Masei, we ensure that the 9th of Av will fall in the week that the above reading is read [thus, hinting to the kindness in the destruction]. (Maharit ibid.)