TORAHSCOPE

(A JEWISH FOLK TRADITION)

In Jewish historical folklore, the divining of the future potential of a person is based upon those things held as SACRED to Jews, as well as upon the methods common to the local folk-culture; i. e. such as the reading of tea leaves, coffee grounds, birds in the sky, or the way cards of a tarot deck came up in one's hand.

The Torah is considered the most sacred single object within Judaism, and as such, is seen to have within it the power and ability to fore-tell future events, even of individuals not yet born, based upon the day they become born on (the First Aliyah equaits to Sunday, the First Day, etc.), and in which Torah reading of the week (Parashah) they are born in.

Rabbi Gershon Winkler, the Jewish Shaman-Rebbe writes:
"Here are the portions of the Torah that were read by the Jewish people around the planet on the day that you were born. In these readings lie a myriad of meanings and life clues to your process, so go and meditate on these texts and see what comes up."

It has long been believed that the Torah parashah of the day of one's birth contains within it hints of the direction one's life will take. This is also the case with the day of one's other life-cycle events.

If you'd like to know what your Torah parashah is and what verses apply to your personal life, contact the EcoRebbe (Rabbi Gershon Caudill) with the date and time of your birth, or other event; i. e. a wedding date will tell the nature of a marriage, and he will send you the Torah parashah and the verses of your specific "aliyah" that affect the event in question.

The Torah is divided into 54 Torah parashiot (divisions).

On the Sabbath after the autumn festival of Sukkot, we begin reading from the Torah book of Genesis (Bereshit), starting the reading cycle for the year. The cycle of reading the entire Torah is completed on the festival of Simchat Torah, when we read the very last parashah of the Torah (Ve'Zot HaBerakhah) plus the first three verses of the first parashah of the Torah (Bereshit).

Each Shabbat, we read seven divisions (siddarim) of the weekly parashah for the PAST week, which began on Saturday afternoon (Mincha). Thus, it is as though each sidrah represents a day of the week previous. The first sidrah (aliyah) would equal Sunday; the second, Monday; the third, Tuesday; the fourth, Wednesday; the fifth, Thursday; the sixth, Friday; and the seventh reading equals SHABBAT, Saturday, until 2:00 PM. From 2:00 PM until sundown, add the first three verses from the next parashah. Jewish calendar days begin at sundown on the previous Christian calendar day. This is why you need to know the time of birth. If after sundown, it is counted as the NEXT day in the Hebrew calendar.

Because the Hebrew Torah readings are also based upon the Hebrew calendar, (and not on the calendars of the Diaspora), which have special Torah readings for festivals that fall on the Sabbath, the reading of the week of a person's birthdate may differ from that of a person born on the very same day a year later, or even a year earlier.

As Jews, we do not read the Torah as a book of "Once upon a Time" happenings. Every reading of the Torah is as though it is happening at this very moment in our lives. Therefore, the day upon which we were born, or married, etc., is affected by the reading of the Torah sidrah for that day. In fact, TODAY is affected by what is written in the Torah parashah for this week and for TODAY'S READING.

We can gain an understanding of world happenings and events from seeing what is written in today's Torah parashah.

The annual reading of the Torah concludes on Simchat Torah and the new cycle begins again on the Shabbat following. Because some Shabbats fall during a festival, and because there are 54 separate readings of the Torah, some of the readings during the year are doubled. When that happens, the Haftarah reading and the Psalm are that of the second reading. One should check a Hebrew calendar (or click on one of the links below) to find out which Torah reading is for what week of the Common Calendar.

Parashat Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) - Haftarah Isaiah 42:5 - 43:10 - Psalm 139

Parashat Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32) - Haftarah Isaiah 54:1-55:5 - Psalm 29

Parashat Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1-17:27) - Haftarah Isaiah 40:27-41:16 - Psalm 110

Parashat Vayeira (Genesis 18:1-22:24) - Haftarah II Kings 4:1-37 - Psalm 11

Parashat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18) - Haftarah I Kings 1:1-31 - Psalm 45

Parashat Toldot (Genesis 25:19 - 28:9) - Haftarah Malachi 1:1 - 2:7 - Psalm 36

Parashat Vayetze (Genesis 28:10 - 32:3) - Haftarah Hosea 12:13- 14:10 - Psalm 3

Parashat VaYishlach (Genesis 32:4 - 36:43) - Haftarah Obadiah 1:1-21 - Psalm 140

Parashat VaYeshev (Genesis 37:1 - 40:23) - Haftarah Amos 2:6-3:8 - Psalm 112

Parashat Miketz (Genesis 41:1 - 44:17) - Haftarah I Kings 3:15 - 4:1 - Psalm 40

Parashat VaYigash (Genesis 44:18 - 47:27) - Haftarah Ezekiel 37:15-28 - Psalm 48

Parashat VayechI (Genesis 47:28 - 50:26) - Haftarah I Kings 2:1-12 - Psalm 41

Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1 - 6:1) - Haftarah Isaiah 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23 - Psalm 99

Parashat VaEra (Exodus 6:2 - 9:35) - Haftarah Ezekiel 28:25 - 29:21 - Psalm 46

Parashat Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16) - Haftarah Jeremiah 46:13-28 - Psalm 77

Parashat BeShalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16) - Haftarah Judges 4:4-5:31 - Psalm 66

Parashat Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:26) - Haftarah Isaiah 6:1-7:6 - Psalm 19

Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18) - Haftarah I Samuel 20:18-42 - Psalm 72

Parashat Terumah (Exodus 25:1-27:19) - Haftarah I Kings 5:26-6:13 - Psalm 26

Parashat Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20-30:10) - Haftarah I Samuel 15:2-34 - Psalm 65 (Some read Ezekiel 43:10-27)

Parashat Ki Tissa (Exodus 30:11-34:35) - Haftarah I Kings 18:1-39 - Psalm 75

Parashat VaYakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) - Haftarah II Kings 12:1-17 - Psalm 61

Parashat Pekudei (Exodus 38:1-40:38) - Haftarah I Kings 7:51-8:21 - Psalm 45

Parashat VaYikra (Leviticus 1:1-5:26) - Haftarah Isaiah 43:21-44:23 - Psalm 50

Parashat Tzav (Leviticus 6:1-8:36) - Haftarah Ezekiel 36:16-38 - Psalm 107

Parashat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47) - Haftarah II Samuel 6:1 - 7:17 - Psalm 128

Parashat Tazria (Leviticus 12:1-13:59) - Haftarah II Kings 4:42-5:19 - Psalm 106

Parashat Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33) - Haftarah II Kings 7:3-20 - Psalm 120

Shabbat Hol HaMoed Pesach (Exodus 33:12-34:26) - Haftarah Ezekiel 37:1-14

Parashat Acharey Mot (Leviticus 16:1-18:30) - Haftarah Ezekiel 22:1-19 - Psalm 26

Parashat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:1-20:27) - Haftarah Isaiah 66:1-24 - Psalm 15

Parashat Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) - Haftarah Ezekiel 44:15-31 - Psalm 42

Parashat B'Har (Leviticus 25:1-26:2) - Haftarah Jeremiah 32:6-27 - Psalm 112

Parashat B'Hukkotai (Leviticus 26:3-27:34) - Haftarah Jeremiah 16:19-17:14 - Psalm 105

Parashat Bemidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20) - Haftarah Hosea 2:1-22 - Psalm 122

Parashat Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89) - Haftarah Judges 13:2-25 - Psalm 67

Parashat BeHaAlotekha (Numbers 8:1-12:16) - Haftarah Zekhariah 2:14-4:7 - Psalm 68

Parashat Shelach Lekha (Numbers 13:1-15:41) - Haftarah Joshua 2:1-24 - Psalm 64

Parashat Korach (Numbers 16:1-18:32) - Haftarah I Samuel 11:14-12:22 - Psalm 5

Parashat Chukkat (Numbers 19:1-22:1) - Haftarah Judges 11:1-33 - Psalm 95

Parashat Balak (Numbers 22:2 - 25:9) - Haftarah Micah 5:6-6:8 - Psalm 79

Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1) - Haftarah Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 - Psalm 106

Parashat Mattot-Masei (Numbers 30:2-36-13) - Haftarah Jeremiah 2:4-28: 3:4 - Psalm 111

Parashat Devarim (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22) - Haftarah Isaiah 1:1-27 - Psalm 137

Parashat VaEtchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11) - Haftarah Isaiah 40:1-26 - Psalm 90

Parashat Ekev (Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25) - Haftarah Isaiah 49:14-51:3 - Psalm 75

Parashat Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) - Haftarah Isaiah 54:11-55:5 - Psalm 97

Parashat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9) - Haftarah Isaiah 51:12-52:12 - Psalm 17

Parashat Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) - Haftarah Isaiah 54:1-10 - Psalm 32

Parashat Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1-28:6) - Haftarah Isaiah 60:1-22 - Psalm 51

Parashat Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20) - Haftarah Isaiah 61:10-63:9 - Psalm 65

Parashat VaYelekh (Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30) - Haftarah Hosea 14:2 - 10, Micah 7:18-20 - Psalm 23

Parashat HaAzinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-52) - Haftarah II Samuel 22:1-51 - Psalm 71

Parashat Berechah (Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12) - Haftarah Joshua 1:1-18 - Psalm 12

There are fourteen parashot that can be read as seven double parashot. These
are VaYakhel-Pukedei (Exodus 35: 1-38: 20 - Exodus 38: 21-40: 38) ; Tazria-Mezora (Leviticus 12: 1-13: 59 - Leviticus 14: 1-15: 33); Acharey Moth-Kedoshim (Leviticus 16: 1-18: 30 - Leviticus 19: 1-20: 27); BeHar-Bechukkotai (Leviticus 25: 1-26: 2 - Leviticus 26: 3-27: 34); Chukat-Balak (Numbers 19: 1-22: 1 - Numbers 22: 2-25: 9); Mattot-Masei (Numbers 30: 2-32: 42 - Numbers 33:1-36: 13); and Nitzavim-VaYelech (Deuteronomy 29: 9-30: 20 - Deuteronomy 31: 1-30).

The Hebrew word - PARDES (פרדס) means PARADISE or Orchard, and often refers to the abode of human souls both prior to birth and after death, and as that is called "The Garden of Eden."

PARDES also refers to the acronym-mnemonic which describes the four methods of reading sacred text.

The PEH (פ) refers to the Hebrew word PESHAT, which means "plain" and refers to reading the text just as it is understood from what is says on the page.

The RESH (ר) refers to the REMEZ, which means "allusion" and refers to veiled references in the texts that can be ferreted out through gematriyah or by using the three letter root of a single word to mean three seperate words (notarikon).

The DALET (ד) refers to DERASH which means "expound" and refers to the use of homiletical interpretation through parables and stories to show the true meaning within a text.

The SAMEKH (ס) refers to SOD which means "secret" and suggests the use of mystical interpretation to arrive at a yet higher meaning.

When one is studying the texts of their TORAHSCOPE; the Torah text, the Haftorah text and the particular Psalm for the week and day of their birth, one should first read the Torah text and see if that text speaks in some way to some characteristic of that persons personality. The person should also read the particular Torah verses of his or her day of birth within the week in connection with the entire parashah (Wednesday would equal the fourth aliyah). Then, they should read the Haftorah text from the ancient Hebrew Prophets to see if they can yet see further meaning there. Then, they should read the Psalm of their birth week to see what message it has for the person. That Psalm contains within it a verse that the person should make into a chant at times when they need to meditate upon things spiritual.