Sedarim and Hafṭarot for a Triennial Torah-reading Cycle, according to the nusaḥ Erets Yisrael as recorded in the “St. Petersburg Manuscript” (NLR Ms. EVR II B 42)

The ancient Land of Israel rite was most well-known for its three-and-a-half-year Torah-reading cycle, but until recently very little was known about the haftarot recited alongside this cycle. Through studies of piyyuṭim and midrashim lists of opening verses to the hafṭarot were reconstructed, but an opening verse does not a full hafṭara make. All that changed when the St. Petersburg Manuscript, MS. EVR II B 42, was rediscovered by Prof. Ezra Shevat and publicized in this blog post. This manuscript, which had been lumped in as just another of the many codices haphazardly gathered by Abraham Firkovich, actually records what may be our most complete record of the hafṭarot of the ancient Land of Israel rite, at least as kept in one community.

Categories:

Reading Schedules

Tags:

11th century C.E., 48th century A.M., הפטרות haftarot, לוח lu'aḥ, Nusaḥ Erets Yisrael

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Hafṭarot for Festivals and Special Sabbaths, according to the nusaḥ Erets Yisrael as recorded in the “St. Petersburg Manuscript” (NLR Ms. EVR II B 42)

The ancient Land of Israel rite was most well-known for its three-and-a-half-year Torah-reading cycle, but it had its own unique aspects for festivals and special Sabbaths as well. Recorded in this manuscript is what may be our most complete record of the hafṭarot of the ancient Land of Israel rite, at least in one community. Some, but not all, of the hafṭarot for festivals and special Sabbaths are the same as those found in the Babylonian practice, but all of them are substantially shorter, with some as short as three verses. It seems the Babylonian prohibition on hafṭarot shorter than twenty-one verses was not taken into account in the West!