The haftarah reading for Shabbat Shqalim preceding Rosh Ḥodesh Adar, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for Shabbat haḤodesh preceding Rosh Ḥodesh Nissan, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for Shabbat Parah (after Purim, preceding Shabbat haḤodesh), in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for shabbatot that coincide with Rosh Ḥodesh, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for the Minḥah service on fast days, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for Shabbat haGadol preceding Pesaḥ, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for shabbatot that coincide with erev Rosh Ḥodesh, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . The haftarah reading for Shabbat Zakhor preceding Purim, in English translation, transtropilized. . . . When the first day of Ḥanukkah is a Shabbat, the last day of Ḥanukkah is also Shabbat. In most customs this is addressed by using the standard Shabbat Ḥanukkah haftarah from Zechariah on the first day and I Kings 7:40–50 on the last day. But this never sat well with me, since I Kings 7:40–50 (also the haftara for Vayakhel) is a very technical reading, and the last day of Ḥanukkah is more of a culmination. Conveniently, another minor prophet contemporary of Zechariah, Ḥaggai, discusses the reconstruction of the House as a process of national revitalization, *and* claims that the foundation of the temple was rebuilt on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month — i.e. the day before Ḥanukkah! This is historically fascinating since it suggests that Ḥanukkah as a rededication festival might predate the Maccabean Revolt entirely, but more importantly here, it makes it a very appropriate reading for the day before or the first day of Ḥanukkah. This is an alternative haftarah from the book of Ḥaggai , chapter 2 verses 2—23, that could be used as a replacement for the standard haftarah when Shabbat falls on the day before Ḥanukkah or on the first day of Ḥanukkah. When read on the first day of Ḥanukkah, the traditional Ḥanukkah haftarah reading of Zechariah 2:14–4:7 would be postponed to the eighth day in its place. . . . There are all sorts of customs associated with weddings in Judaism. But one custom that has been practiced for a long time and deserves a comeback is the additions to the Torah reading for Shabbat Kallah. Shabbat Kallah, the Shabbat in the “Sheva Berakhot” week after the wedding, is in many Sephardic communities preferred over Shabbat Ḥatan, the aufruf Shabbat before the wedding. And in all sorts of communities across the Jewish world, there have been customs for specific readings for Shabbat Kallah, treating it as a Special Sabbath in its own right. Traditionally this special maftir and haftarah would recited by the groom (along with an Aramaic translator interpolating for the maftir). The maftir is from the story of Abraham’s servant tasked with finding a wife for Isaac, and the haftarah is from the book of Isaiah and compares a groom and bride to the relationship between God and Israel. . . . |
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