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Which Parsha has the most Kriyos Hatorah from it?

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3 Answers3

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The Parsha of Pinchas is the most often-read from sedra in the whole Torah (Rosh Chodesh & Yomim Toivim)

Just to add some spice to the answer I will add a story:

The Haflah, whose name was Pinchas, was Rav in Frankfurt. He was Chassidish and Frankfurt was not (to say the least). He had many people who did not appreciate him, and were open in their animosity towards him.

After he became Rav in Frankfurt he went to visit Poland where he was showered with many honors as it was more accepting of Chassidus. They asked him how is it in his own town they disrespected him and in Poland everyone bestows such honor upon him?

He answered: Simple! it is in the Torah. Parshas Pinchas always comes out in the Three weeks - a not so good time, but it is also lained on Yom Tov - a happy time.

I, Pinchas, am like Parshas Pinchas. In my own town, it is like Parshas Pinchas not such a positive time to lain, so I get not such a positive response. But when I am a guest it is like Yom Tov which is not the weeks Parsha but a guest Parsha, and everyone is happy with Pinchas then.

Danny Schoemann
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    Pinchas didn't fall during the three weeks in 2011, 2008, 2005, 1984, 1981 nor will it in 2014, 2035, 2038. – Double AA May 06 '12 at 08:29
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I would say V'zos Habrachah. Even though it only happens once a year, I can say with a certain degree of statistical certainty that it is read so many times on that one day (in order to give everyone an aliyah) that it is the most-read Parshah by far.

Yehuda
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  • Reading Vezot Habracha through 35 times would imply 35*5=175 men per reading station! No way! – Double AA Feb 14 '21 at 17:28
  • @DoubleAA Ah, but who says we're talking about per station? Maybe the question meant per shul, or even across the board, everywhere, in a year? Since the question is ambiguous, I have to assume it means most-read in absolute numbers. If that's the case, the answer is most definitely V'zos Habrachah. – Yehuda Feb 14 '21 at 18:35
  • Most shuls have over 175 men there on simchas torah? I doubt it. A few, but not most. Not to mention there are many more weekday rosh chodesh minyanim than yom tov minyanim. So rosh chodesh might get read two three four times each day – Double AA Feb 14 '21 at 18:36
  • I also don't see how you interpret "most commonly read" or "most kriyos from it" as "most-read in absolute numbers". However you slice it, this answer doesn't add up. – Double AA Feb 14 '21 at 18:40
  • @DoubleAA The question reads, Which Parsha has the most Kriyos Hatorah from it? There is no qualification. Ergo, the answer is interpretable as an absolute sum. Furthermore, there is no qualification of most as being in a specific shulchan, or shul, or even community. Ergo, the question is further interpretable as all shuls throughout klal yisroel. Furthermore, the question is on kriyos, not on minyanim reading it. By these definitions, the Parshah with the most absolute kriyos, across Klal Yisroel, is V'zos Habrachah. Again, it's all based on interpretation, but it's valid. – Yehuda Feb 14 '21 at 20:53
  • Even if the interpretation is valid (highly questionable) the numbers don't add up. This is either a wrong answer to the wrong question or a wrong answer to the right question. – Double AA Feb 14 '21 at 21:23
  • @DoubleAA Agree to disagree. – Yehuda Feb 15 '21 at 16:23
  • You haven't presented any numbers, so I have no reason to take your disagreement seriously. – Double AA Feb 15 '21 at 23:13
  • @DoubleAA Fair. However, while I don't have time to go through the calculation now, figure 1) How many Jews are there in the world, 2) How many are Orthodox (i.e. would attend Simchas Torah), 3) How many are men, and 4) How many are over 13. Divide that number by 5, assuming a distribution of Kohanim and Leviim such that there is no repetition, and you'll have a rough estimate of how many times per year V'zos Habrachah is read. Compare that with an absolute count of, for example, korbanos read by the number of minyanim in frum communities across the world, I think this still comes out on top. – Yehuda Feb 15 '21 at 23:39
  • Of course, if we're also including Monday-Thursday-Shabbos afternoon, the number increases significantly, because there are few parshiyos that see as many weekday readings as V'zos Habrachah as well, due to its place in the calendar.... – Yehuda Feb 15 '21 at 23:40
  • So we're counting Aliyos? That's not so much. There are ~16 weekday rosh chodesh readings during the year. 4 aliyot each. 64 aliyos per minyan. The average shacharis minyan I hope you agree is less than 64 men (even not during COVID). QED more Rosh Chodesh Aliyos than Jewish men. Hence Pinchas beats Vezos-Habracha. – Double AA Feb 16 '21 at 00:08
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What about Parshas Naso - for those who lain the Parshas Hanesi'im in Nisan, as well as on Chanukah?

user146
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    That comes to 21 days total (8 of Chanukah and 13 of Nissan). But the number of days of Rosh Chodesh alone is at least 16, and the number of Yom Tov days (in Eretz Yisrael) is 19 (Rosh Hashanah = 2, Yom Kippur = 1, Sukkos/Shemini Atzeres = 8, Pesach = 7, Shavuos = 1). – Alex Jun 28 '10 at 15:01
  • Right you are. – user146 Jun 28 '10 at 16:17
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    You're right, of course, @Alex, but note that it's 25, not 21, of Naso, due to reading it around Shavuos. (Likewise add four for Pin'chas.) – msh210 May 17 '12 at 22:45
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    @msh210: actually, too, in years when the second day of Shavuos (for bnei chu"l) is on Shabbos, then Naso or part of it is read seven times over a two-week period. – Alex May 18 '12 at 02:43
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    @Alex In those places though there are an extra 3 Pinchas readings too because of Yom Tov Sheni. – Double AA May 15 '14 at 11:45