Ahavat Ivrit

Your Tikun and Chumash

Your Tikkun and Chumash are tools to help you prepare for reading from the Torah Scroll, after you have mastered reading basic Biblical Hebrew. The Torah Scroll contains the 5 Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Written by a Scribe in Hebrew, with no vowels or chanting cantillation marks nor page numbers nor any references to Book / Parsha / Aliyah / Chapter or Verse.

To prepare, first identify your reading. Your reading will be from a specific Book, for one of 54 Parshas (sections) and for one or more Aliyahs (being called up to the Torah to read; there are 8 Aliyahs per Parsha). If your reading is for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, your birth date will determine your portion. Next, find and read the English translation for your Aliyah(s) in the Chumash. Then, using either your Chumash or your Tikkun, read the Hebrew using the vowels and cantillation marks. Finally, use your Tikkun to practice reading the Hebrew as it appears in the Torah Scroll. Most importantly, continually ask for and seek out assistance.

• Chumash - This book contains the first 5 Books of Moses in both English and in Hebrew (with vowels and cantillation), along with commentary notes and references. It is very easy to find a specific reading in the Chumash because it is indexed by both Book/Chapter/Verse and by Parsha/Aliyah. Haftarah portions, reading from the Prophets after the Torah Reading, are also included.


• Tikkun Korim - Tikkun for Torah Reading. This Tikkun follows the formatting of the Torah Scroll. For the illustrations in this Website, the Torah Scroll and Tikkun are using the format of 245 Columns with 42 Lines per Column. Check and validate the formatting of the Torah Scroll that you will be reading from and the formatting of the Tikkun Korim you are using. The Tikkun Korim contains two pages for each Column in the Torah Scroll. One page contains the text only the same way that it appears in the actual Torah Scroll, and the facing page contains the Hebrew text with vowels and cantillation marks. The top of each page will contain the number of the Column, along with the Book (Sefer) and Parsha.

Chumash Skill Goals

Strive to master and maintain the following skills:

• Big Picture – Think of the Chumash as a whole, and then become familiar, at a high level, with each Parsha within each Book. Create a worksheet for yourself, list the name of the Parsha in Hebrew, find the appropriate English translation, and then write a 2-3 sentence summarizing the highlights of each Parsha. Ask for help!


• My Part(s) - Think of your Torah Readings as your “special places” within the whole of the Torah Scroll / Chumash. Memorize where those readings begin (including page number) and be able to find them quickly. Know where each of your readings ends.

Tikun Skill Goals

Strive to master and maintain the following skills:

• Big Picture - Think of the Torah Scroll/Tikkun as an integrated whole and become familiar with it as such – start with Column 1 and go page by page until you reach Column 245 – read the headings on each page that describe the Sefer(s) and Parsha(s) contained within each Column.
• My Part(s) - Think of your Torah Readings as your “special places” within the whole of the Torah Scroll / Tikkun. Memorize where those readings begin (including Column Number) and be able to find them quickly. Know where each of your readings begin and end.

Encouragement!

For the upcoming Shabbat – What is the Torah Reading? Which Parsha? Are there any special readings for Rosh Chodesh/New Month or for Holidays?

Share your current skills and knowledge with someone

Investigate – Find the Torah Reading in your Chumash. Read it in English; read it in Hebrew. Be able to give a summary of the reading, and find what specifically resonates with you.

Investigate – Find the Torah Reading in your Tikun. Find the beginning of the reading and the end. Become familiar with the formatting of the Column where the reading begins. Be able to point to the beginning text for each Aliyah.