An Explanation of the Parsha Torah

What is Parsha Torah?

    The word Parsha means Portion or Segment. There are 54 Parshoth (plural of Parsha), which being combined with the Moedei (Festivals), will fill a Jewish Leap Year (as well as any Leap-Leap Year). A normal Leap Year occurs every third year, and it contains 13 months instead of the usual 12. Its purpose is to compensate for the cycles of the Moon, which do not match the Sun and our seasonal changes. During the Non-Leap Years (the other two in their series), certain small Parshaim (pairs of Parsha) are combined in order that they and the Moedei will still fill the normal 52 weeks of a year. It can appear to be very complicated, but to know which Parsha or Parshaim is current for a given week, you only need to consult a Jewish Calendar, which usually posts each weekly Parsha for its year.

What is Haftara Torah?

    The study arrangement for Parshoth is a simple sequential order of the first five books of the Tenakh (Torah, Prophets and Writings), but those portions do not always coincide with Chapter breaks found in the Bible. This is because the chaptering of the Bible was originally done by the Church, and their segmentations did not reflect Jewish thinking and piety. Likewise, in order to compliment each Parsha, a similar text from the Prophets and Writings was selected to read along side the Parsha, which specifically addresses Jewish spirituality. These latter portions are called Haftara, meaning "the flowerings" or "reproductions,"  ie. interpretive applications of Torah principles.

Why is there a Haftara?

    The selection of Haftara texts was done when Torah study was outlawed by foreign invaders to Israel. These invaders and occupiers (the Greeks) would permit the Prophets to be read because they appeared to denigrate Jewish piety. So the Elders of Israel chose portions that specifically edified Israel by demonstrating lessons that paralleled the traditional Parsha Torah. These selections do not intentionally support a Christian agenda to promote Messianic prophecy, and this is because they are meant to underscore Torah, and their collection had preceded the advent of the Messiah as well.

What is Chadasha Torah?

    But today, in a similar fashion to Haftara, most Messianics also select portions from the Chadasha (New Testament) that reinforce the teachings of Parsha. This is because we believe the Chadasha is a valid extension of Torah, as are the Prophets and Writings, and Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah supported Torah as a personal value, and relied upon it as proof of his office to Yisrael (Israel) and the world.

Why study by Parsha?

    Furthermore, beyond being aware of the Messiah Yeshua's devotion to Torah, it should be obvious that there are specific advantages to studying Torah by Parsha. For example, by doing so you are spiritually aligning yourself with Jewish communities throughout the world, since most Jews adhere to this same scheme of study. Consequently, you are reviewing the same material in a timely fashion, and the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) is able to talk to you about the same thematic issues that are on the minds of most Jews and Messianic believers for any given week. This makes the job of the Ruach a lot easier (to say the least), and it gives you a conversational reference when interacting with Torah conscious people.

What is important about Parsha?

    But the most important advantage is that you are learning Torah in a spiritually linear manner. Adonai has revealed himself to Yisrael (Israel) through this sequential order of stories and precepts. And if you study them in their natural order, you are aligning yourself with the mind of Hashem (the Name of God). Additionally, if you study them in their week by week progression, you are walking (instead of skipping, dashing and thrashing) with the mind of Hashem ... and Yeshua the Messiah explained that all of Torah testified of himself, being the Messiah. Yet this testimony is not simply by prophecy or subtle innuendo, but rather, by its presenting righteousness to us all ... and by doing this, the Torah personifies the Messiah.

Rick Wills - Wellsprings of Torah
www.TorahWellsprings.org  and  Parsha Page