Torah Reading

Although the typical synagogue has a professional Torah reader, or ba'al korey, all of the Torah reading at Or Zarua is done by its congregants. Several people will normally divide the weekly parashah (we always read the entire parashah, not just portions of it) amongst themselves and will read it on Shabbat morning.

Some of the readers learned to read Torah when they were in Jewish day schools or when preparing, in their youth, to become b'nei mitzvah. Others, having seen their fellow congregants read, have learned as adults to read in Or Zarua classes or with tutors and tapes. We're always seeking new Torah and haftarah readers and you, too, are invited to join those who already fulfill this essential role in the life of our congregation.

One of our regular Torah readers two years ago wrote "Rediscovering the Joys of Torah Reading", a short piece prompted by his first time reading Torah in more than 60 years. If you'd like to read what he's written, please click here.

If you'd like to read Torah during services, please contact Yaakov Shechter by telephone at 212.570.9413 or by email at yaakovs@verizon.net .