How are the words Humash and Pentateuch related?
Because the Hebrew word for five is ‘Hamesh,’ another word for the Torah is Humash (also seen, Chumash). (In English, we see the same play on the word for five in the Greek derived word: Pentateuch- from the Greek penta- like pentagon). The Humash is a book that contains the text of the Torah, and the volume for synagogue usually contains the additional (Prophetic) portions (Haftarah) read on Shabbat morning after the Torah reading. Haftarah (sometimes pronounced ‘Haftorah’), does NOT come from ‘half’ the Torah! It actually is a completely different Hebrew root (spelled differently) than Torah and means ‘completion.’ How is the Torah divided? The five books are subdivided into 54 smaller literary units called a Parashah (Parashiyot, pl.), usually 3-6 chapters in length. (VaYelech, Deut. 31 is the shortest parashah with 30 verses.) The name of each Parashah comes from the first (important) word just like the Hebrew name of the book. Typically, every Shabbat, one parashah is read – in se
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