CCAR RESPONSA
Contemporary American Reform Responsa
184. Torah Reading for Second Day of
Shavuot
QUESTION: This year the second day of Shavuot
will be celebrated on shabbat by Orthodox and some Conservative Jews. This means
that the cycle of Torah readings may for the subsequent weeks be different for those
Reform and Conservative Jews who celebrate only one day of Shavuot. What should the
Torah reading be for us? How should we handle this situation so as to bring a minimum
confusion to the Jewish community? (Rabbi S. Karff, Houston, TX)ANSWER:
Initially the answer to this question seems simple. After all, the Israeli Jewish community,
both liberal and traditional, observes only one day of the holiday and so continues reading the
Torah one portion out of step with the Diaspora community until the next double portion is
reached, in this case (huqat-balaq). That is a possibility for us in the case of
Shavuot or when the eighth day of Pesah falls on a
shabbat. This solution is desirable for those congregations which read the
entire Torah portion. It is, however, not necessary for those congregations which read the
Torah on a tri-annual cycle with only a portion of the sidrah read during each
shabbat. Then it would be equally possible to read a segment of the following Scriptural
portion, in this case nasa, and another segment on the next
shabbat. This solution has the advantage of not separating us from the
remainder of the Diaspora Jewish community. The Israeli solution is fine, but there the entire
community, Orthodox and Liberal, follows the same pattern. We would recommend a division of
the Torah portion for most congregations, and therefore, maintain the same cycle as the
rest of the Diaspora community. For congregations which read the entire portion, the other
solution is equally appropriate.August 1986
If needed, please consult Abbreviations used in CCAR Responsa.