“I was just satisfying my own curiosity, figuring out the answers for myself. It took two or three years before I felt I had the information I wanted,” Richard W. Golden By Celia Weintrob When did Jews start reading the Haftarah, a portion of the prophets chanted in synagogues on Shabbat morning? Despite the Haftarah’s…

For some two thousand years, the practice at every Jewish congregation on Shabbos mornings has been to read a weekly portion, the “parsha,” from the Torah followed by a reading from the books of the prophets, the “haftarah.” Despite the haftarah’s antiquity and universality, we know little about its origin or purpose. We have no…

This is an outstanding book on the weekly Parsha and haftarah, which will be appreciated by a wide range of readers. It appealed to me, a graduate of public schools who came to understand Judaism and its wonderful aspects; to my wife, who attended the Jewish School in Lima, Peru; as well as my children,…

THE HAFTARAH AND ITS PARSHA Richard W. Golden Mosaica Press (216 pp.) hardcover ISBN: 9781957579337 November 14, 2022 BOOK REVIEW In this work of religious scholarship, Golden explores ways that biblical passages are paired in Jewish religious practice. According to millennia of Jewish tradition, the weekly reading from the Torah is followed by the haftarah,…

By Celia Weintrob When did Jews start reading the haftarah? If you were asked that question, you might recall a link to the Chanukah story, to a decree by Antiochus that the Torah itself could not be read in public. But when Richard Golden, author of the newly released book “The Haftarah and its Parsha,”…

On Sunday morning, January 29, I will be appearing at a brunch followed by a lecture and book signing.  The event will take place at Congregation B’nai Avraham, located at 117 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights.  Brunch will begin at 9:45 and the program will start at 10:15.  Admission is free.  I look forward to…

For some two thousand years, the practice at every Jewish congregation on Shabbos morning has been to read a weekly portion from the Torah followed by a reading from the books of the prophets, the haftarah. Despite the haftarah’s antiquity and universality, we know little about its origin or purpose. This newly released groundbreaking book…