If you visit Mikdash Meh’at, you will notice that our Shabbat service centers around the weekly Parashah (פָּרָשָׁה)—a designated portion of the Torah read each Sabbath. Visitors often ask where this tradition came from and whether it is biblical. The answer is both historical and practical.
The Hebrew word parashah simply means “portion” or “section.” Long before the first century, the Jewish people had developed the custom of reading the Torah publicly in regular portions so that the entire congregation would hear the whole Word of God over time. This fulfilled the biblical pattern of publicly reading the Torah to the people (Deuteronomy 31:10–13; Nehemiah 8:1–8).
By the time of Yeshua, this practice was firmly established throughout the synagogues of Judea and Galilee. Every Sabbath, a portion from the Torah was read, followed by a reading from the Prophets (Haftarah/Division). Rather than selecting favorite passages, the congregation systematically worked through the Scriptures together, ensuring that the whole counsel of God was regularly proclaimed.
Luke records that this was the custom even for Yeshua Himself:
“And He came to Natzrat [Nazareth], where he had been brought up; and He entered the Beit K’nesset [Synagogue] on Yom HaShabbat, as was His custom, and stood up to read. And the book of Isaiah The Prophet [Yesha-Yahu HaNavi] was given to Him. And Yeshua opened the book…” (Luke 4:16-17)
The passage He was handed that day was Isaiah 61, where He announced that the prophecy had been fulfilled in their hearing (Luke 4:17–21). This strongly suggests that Isaiah 61 belonged to the prophetic reading cycle being used in Galilee at that time rather than being a passage chosen at random.
Following the destruction of the Temple and especially after the growing separation between Rabbinic Judaism and the Jewish followers of Yeshua, evidence suggests that some prophetic readings associated with Messianic expectation were altered or replaced in portions of the synagogue cycle. Passages such as Isaiah 61, Isaiah 53, and Zechariah 12—texts frequently cited by the Apostles concerning Messiah—were no longer read in the same places or, in some cases, disappeared from the regular Haftarah cycle altogether. While scholars continue to debate the exact timing and extent of these changes, there is broad recognition that the Haftarot were more flexible than the Torah readings, and developed over time.
The Torah cycle itself, however, remained remarkably stable. Today, Jewish communities around the world still read essentially the same weekly Torah portions that have united generations of God’s people for centuries.
At Mikdash Meh’at, we gladly continue this ancient practice. We read through the Torah portion each week, along with corresponding readings from the Prophets and the Apostolic Scriptures. This allows us to hear the Scriptures as Yeshua and His disciples did—seeing how the Torah, the Prophets, and the writings of the Apostles together testify to God’s plan of redemption.
Whether you have studied the Bible for decades or are opening it for the very first time, the weekly Parashah provides a beautiful, orderly way to journey through God’s Word—one Sabbath at a time.
What We Read Each Week: our congregation follows the traditional Torah portion read as a whole. Modern synagogues have deviated from the practice in Yeshua’s day, and divided the Torah portions up into thirds. We do not. We also read an accompanying prophetic reading where appropriate, and carefully chosen Apostolic readings from the Gospels and the letters that cover the complete four gospels and highlight the same themes across all readings. We also read the selection from the Psalms for each Sabbath. All of this is reflected on our “Parashot” page.