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parashot

Parashot (singular parashah) are the divisions of the Torah used in the Jewish weekly cycle of public readings. The term comes from Hebrew parashah, meaning a section or portion of the text. In Rabbinic and printed editions, the five books of Moses are divided into 54 named parashot, with some weeks joining two portions into a single reading to fit the annual calendar. The names of parashot are usually taken from the opening words of the section, such as Bereishit, Noach, Lech-Lecha, and Vayigash.

Within the Masoretic text the Torah is further subdivided by parashot into open and closed breaks. In

Parashot serve as structural units for study and liturgy; they align with the weekly readings and the

a
Torah
scroll,
these
are
indicated
by
spaces
in
the
text:
a
large
space
marks
the
end
of
an
open
(petuchah)
parashah,
and
a
smaller
space
marks
a
closed
(setumah)
parashah.
Printed
editions
mark
the
divisions
with
headings
and
spaces.
accompanying
haftarah
portions
on
Shabbat
and
holidays.
The
system
of
parashot
influences
midrash,
legal
analysis,
and
the
interpretation
of
the
text.