Torah portions

[keng]

I was at our local temple a few weeks with a class discussing the week's parashat. I asked a question about the more ancient 3 year cycle to get a better understanding of the practices at the time of Jesus. The instructor said the Torah was not read in portions until much later. I think I recall some material that put the practice back to the exile in Babylon. I think I may have read one source put it back to the time of Josiah, but it's been too long ago that I read this material to remember the source, or maybe I just dreamed it up. Can anyone help me out?

 

[debi b]

According to TorahResource.com the 3 year cycle dates to 1st century and the 1 year cycle after the destruction of the Temple and became fixed in the 3rd century.


Psalm 1:2
But whose delight is in the Torah of the Lord; and in his Torah he meditates day and night.

 

[keng]

Thanks, debi b. Another point I have had a hard time finding information about is how they determined what was a portion. Could the portions have been determined by the size of the scrolls? I'll check out the site you reference, thanks again.

 

[debi b]

Ya know I'm not sure about that. But I sure do see that Adonai is cyclical, and I really appreciate having something that keeps me goin around

 

[keng]

Perhaps you are thinking of the Hassidic spinning dance at Simhat Torah (that's as humurous as I get). I was thinking of a page of the Torah scroll.