Siman 285

We say in Berakhot (8b): "A person should always complete his parshiyot with the community, twice the scripture and once the translation; and even 'Atarot and Divon,' for anyone who completes his parshiyot with the community, twice the scripture and once the translation—his days and years are lengthened." This means: that before the community reads the parsha in the beit knesset—he should read it in his home, whether on Shabbat itself in the morning, or during that entire week, but he should not precede that week. And there are people who are accustomed to reading a little every day of the week, and they finish on Shabbat (Tari). Therefore, even though every person hears the Torah every Shabbat in the community from the mouth of the reader—nevertheless, he is obligated to read for himself every week the parsha of that week, twice the scripture and once the translation. (And the Levush wrote an allusion: "And these are the names of the children of Israel" [Ve'eleh Shemot Bnei Yisrael]—the initial letters: "And a person is obligated to read the parsha twice the scripture and once the translation," and this all "the children of Israel" are obligated.)

The reason for the matter is not known to us, but certainly at the time when Moshe our teacher ordained the reading of the Torah—he also ordained this enactment, that everyone should read shnayim mikra ve-echad targum. And the Levush wrote: in order that one should be proficient in the Torah, see there, and this is obviously not sufficient. And it appears that the obligation in the Torah is: the hearing and the learning, as we say in the blessing of Ahavah: "to hear, to learn." And behold, the hearing is on Shabbat from a kosher sefer Torah, written according to law and halacha. Therefore, one should learn beforehand from a Chumash, and ascend in holiness to hear from the sefer Torah. And it is brought in Sotah (37b): "Generalities and specifics were stated at Sinai, and repeated in the Tent of Meeting, and tripled in the plains of Moav," see there. Therefore, one must learn three times, even a verse that has no targum, as will be explained, corresponding to these three. However, in a place where there is targum—they chose the targum for the third time, so that he should understand what he is learning. And the targum is close to the holy tongue, and was given at Sinai, as we say in Nedarim (37b): "'And they read in the book of the Torah of God, explained' (Nehemiah 8:8), 'explained'—this is targum." And it was given from Sinai as is explained there, but they forgot them, and Onkelos returned and established it, as we say at the beginning of Megillah, see there. (And similar to this I saw in the Eliyahu Zuta, in the name of the Matteh Moshe. And he did not explain it properly, see there.) And some say: corresponding to the two who read, and the one who translates (Ra'avan).

And there is reason to doubt: whether we specifically require two of the מקרא first and afterwards the translation, or if one has fulfilled the obligation if he read מקרא, then translation, and then מקרא. And from the words of the Levush it is clarified that this is his opinion, for he wrote: "It appears to me that if a person reads one מקרא and one translation alone, and afterwards when they read the parashah in the synagogue he reads with the chazzan word for word – he has fulfilled 'twice מקרא and once translation,'" see there; behold, he wrote explicitly that the translation can be in the middle. And even though he wrote there that our teacher, the Beit Yosef, does not hold that one has fulfilled the obligation with this - this is because he holds that one does not fulfill the obligation through the shaliach tzibbur, see there, but not because the translation is in the middle. And the great authorities have already written that our teacher, the Beit Yosef, also does not disagree on this, but rather that he is dealing with a case where through hearing one does not fulfill the obligation. But if he says it with the chazzan word for word – he has fulfilled the obligation (Prisha and Eliyahu Zuta). And there is one who says that even through hearing one has fulfilled the obligation (Magen Avraham subsection 8). And likewise there is one who says that if he heard twice מקרא and once translation – he has also fulfilled the obligation, with the intent to hear (Sha'arei Teshuva in the name of the Radbaz). And in my humble opinion, we specifically require study, and not hearing, as I have written. And see in section 13.

There is one who says that the reading of shnayim mikra ve-echad targum is in this manner: to read every parsha, meaning a petucha or a setuma, two times, and afterward the targum (Magen Avraham, subsection 1, in the name of the Rashal and the Shelah). And it appears so from the perspective of logic, for the Holy One, Blessed be He, said every parsha to Moshe as a whole, and between parsha and parsha there was a pause, as it is stated in Torat Kohanim at the beginning of Vayikra: What purpose did the pauses serve? To give Moshe space to reflect on every parsha. And Rashi brought it in the Chumash, see there. And perhaps for this reason they commanded to read shnayim mikra ve-echad targum, as it is stated in the Midrash (Yalkut Iyov 28): Every single thing that the Holy One, Blessed be He, would say to Moshe—He would say it two times in His heart, and afterward He would say it to Moshe. What is the reason? "Then He saw it and declared it" (Iyov 28:27)—one, etc., see there. In any event, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moshe every parsha by itself. And at the beginning of Megillah (4a) they said: I will pass over this parsha and repeat it, see there. And "parsha" refers to a petucha or a setuma. And that which is marked in the Chumashim as "shlishi," "revi'i," etc.—this is nothing. (And in Berakhot 8b where they said: A person should always complete his parshiyot with the congregation, which implies that the entire sidra is called "parsha"—it is not so, for this is the explanation: the parshiyot of the sidra.)

But according to this, there is reason to be in doubt when there is a parashah in the middle of a verse, such as in Pinechas: "And it came to pass after the plague," and in "Vayishlach": "And the sons of Jacob were twelve," and in "Devarim": "from Elath and from Ezion-geber" – what should he do if he stops there, and repeats the parashah? Is it not in the middle of a verse? Nevertheless, it appears that he should do so. And if it is because of "any verse that Moses did not divide, we do not divide" – here Moses did divide it. And so too in the Ten Commandments regarding "You shall not murder" etc., where there is a parashah. See there.

And there are those who wrote to read every pasuk two times, and afterward the Targum (the Arizal, and the Ma'adanei Yom Tov there, in Divrei Chamudot letter 41), and at the end of the parashah he should read the pasuk also after the Targum in order to conclude with Torah (Magen Avraham there). And a proof for this is from the wording of the Gemara: "Two mikra and one Targum," masculine phrasing, and "parashah" is feminine phrasing, while "pasuk" is masculine phrasing. However, it can be said that it refers to "a person," that the person should say two times mikra and one Targum. And it appears to me that this depends on the reasons: for according to the reason we wrote in section 4—it certainly refers to "parashah," and likewise for the reason we wrote in section 2. But according to the reason of the "there are those who say" at the end of section 2, it certainly refers to every pasuk (see there in Divrei Chamudot).

And there are those who read the entire sidra, and afterward a second time, and afterward the targum. And this is somewhat implied by the wording of Rashi in Berakhot there, and from the wording of the Gemara which says: "Rav Bibi bar Abaye intended to complete the parshiyot of the entire year on the eve of Yom Kippur, etc.," and the intention is to all the sidrot. And afterward it says: "He intended to advance them," and Rashi explained (starting with the words "to advance them"): "To arrange all the parshiyot on one Shabbat," see there; behold, he called the sidra "parsha." And so it is clarified from the words of the great Or Zarua (siman 12), and this is his wording: "He intended to complete the parshiyot of the entire year. Rabbeinu Chananel's version is 'the parshiyot of the kallah,' which are the four parshiyot that we read in Elul, and the four parshiyot that we read in Adar, etc."; thus far his words. Behold, he called the sidra "parsha." Therefore, it appears in my humble opinion that there is no strict requirement, and one may do as he wishes, for all of them have a basis in halacha. And it is possible that one may also do sometimes like this and sometimes like that. For if it entered your mind that there is a strict requirement to do specifically thus or thus—our teachers, the Rishonim, would not have remained silent from explaining it. And there is one who wrote that if he is expert in the cantillation—he should read from a Sefer Torah, and immerse after the reading, and cut the fingernails before the reading (Magen Avraham there). And this is from the measure of piety, and for those who read it all on the eve of Shabbat. And there is one who wrote that there is a prohibition to interrupt with speech during the reading of shnayim mikra ve-echad targum (Ba'er Heitev, subsection 1). And it is a wonder to say so, for without a berakha, what relevance does an interruption have? As the Tosafot wrote in Berakhot (14a, starting with the word "Yamim") regarding Hallel. And if it is because one should not interrupt Torah study for mundane matters—if so, this is not specific to the reading of shnayim mikra ve-echad targum, and presumably he interrupts for a necessary matter. Furthermore, those who read a parsha every day—behold, they interrupt much, and therefore there is no place for this according to the law.

What is called "with the congregation"? The Tur wrote: That the entire week from Sunday onwards is considered "with the congregation," since they begin the parashah on the Sabbath at Mincha. (And this is "with the congregation," meaning: when the congregation begins.) And it is a choice commandment that he should complete it before he eats on the Sabbath. (And it is written in the Or Zarua there that we fear that due to excessive eating he will not read at all.) And if he did not complete it before eating—he should complete it after eating before Mincha. But from then onwards, since they begin another—the time for this one has passed; thus far his words.

It is explained from his words that there is no hidur to complete before the reading of the Torah, only before eating, for it is this that he calls "a mitzvah of the choice kind." It is also explained from his words that after Mincha—its time has already passed, because the community has already begun another, and it is not called "with the community." It is also explained from his words that when one completes on the eve of Shabbat—this is not a mitzvah of the choice kind. And so wrote the Mordechai in the first chapter of Berakhot, that it is specifically on Shabbat morning before eating, see there (and see Bach).

But there are those who wrote that the primary beautification of the mitzvah is on Erev Shabbat; some say before midday, and some say after midday. And so the Arizal was accustomed to read from the Sefer Torah on Erev Shabbat after the prayer (see Be'er Heitev, and Sha'arei Teshuva subsection 1). And some say that the choice way to perform the mitzvah is to read a little every day, and on Erev Shabbat to complete it, as is printed in the book Chok LeYisrael. And so some say: one who did not complete it on Shabbat—he may complete it until Wednesday, for this is called "after the Shabbat," as we say at the end of the seventh chapter of Gittin (77a). And some say further: that he can complete it until the end of the year, until the completion of the Torah—in Eretz Yisrael on Shemini Atzeret, and in the diaspora on Simchat Torah. And then he shall read all the parashiot, those that he did not read—he shall read shnayim mikra ve-echad targum. And so it appears from the words of our teachers, the authors of the Shulchan Aruch and the Acharonim, and so one should act.

And the statement of the sages, of blessed memory, has already been explained, that for every matter one requires Targum, even verses of names such as "Reuven and Shimon" – one requires Targum. And this is not for the sake of the translation, for even in the language of the Targum the names are identical to the language of the Scripture, but rather because one requires three times, according to the reasons we have explained. And in the Gemara they said: even "Atarot and Divon." And in this there is a greater novelty, as our teacher Bahya wrote, because the Targum is names of idol worship, and I would have said that it is better not to mention them – it comes to teach us that this is not so. (And the commentators labored over this, see Taz and Magen Avraham, and see in the Tur and in the Ri. And according to what I have written it works out well; examine it and you will find it simple.)

The Tur wrote: That if one studied the parashah with the commentary of Rashi—it is considered like the Targum, for the intent of the Targum is only to understand the matter, but if one reads in another foreign language—no; thus far his words. Because another foreign language does not translate the intent as it was transmitted from Sinai, but the Targum explains as it was given from Sinai, as I wrote at the end of section 2, and similarly the commentary of Rashi is founded upon the midrash of our sages, of blessed memory, which is the clear truth as from Sinai. Our teacher, the Beit Yosef, in section 2 wrote: That a God-fearing person should read the Targum and also the commentary of Rashi; for the Targum was given from Sinai, and the commentary of Rashi is in order to understand the parashah well. And the great authorities agreed that specifically Targum Onkelos, and one does not fulfill the obligation with anything else, for the Targum is holy and was given from Sinai. And so it is according to the wisdom of the Kabbalah, and so all of Israel conduct themselves, and Heaven forbid one should change from this. And if he does not have the Targum in his hand at the moment—he should say the mikra two times, and when he obtains the Targum—he should say it (Magen Avraham, subsection 4). And if he does not expect that a Targum will come to his hand—it seems to my humble opinion that he must read the mikra three times, according to the reasons that have been explained.

One may read shnayim mikra ve-echad targum during the reading of the Torah; so wrote our teacher, the Beit Yosef, in section 5. And its explanation is: that one may say shnayim mikra ve-echad targum during the reading of the Torah, even though he does not say it in unison with the reader. And the reason is explained in the Mordechai there, because he is engaged in this matter, see there. And there is one who says that also through hearing—he has fulfilled his obligation, but we have already written that this is not so (and so wrote the Knesset HaGedolah and the Eliyah Rabbah). And teachers of children who read the parashah throughout the week with the children several times—fulfill the obligation of reading through this. And if they read the targum or the commentary of Rashi with them—they fulfill the obligation of targum with this as well. And see what I wrote in section 12. And so too, anyone who studied the parashah in the middle of the week twice—does not need to return and read the parashah on Shabbat. And the haftarot do not need to be read in private, however, it is customary to read them after shnayim mikra ve-echad targum. And so too, what is read on Rosh Chodesh, and festivals, and the High Holy Days—the individual does not need to read them, as each was already read on its own Shabbat. And our teacher, the Rema, wrote: that on the Shabbat of a wedding one should read the haftarah of the Shabbat, and not "Sos Asis"; thus far his words. For in his days the custom was to read "Sos Asis" for a groom, but in our days we have not known of this custom. (And all that the Magen Avraham wrote in section 11 and 12—we have not known of such customs. And also what he wrote in the name of the Knesset HaGedolah, that one who reads shnayim mikra ve-echad targum should read the haftarah of the parashah of the week, and not of the four parashiyot—requires further study.)