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Parashat Beha'alotcha - פָּרָשַׁת בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ
Beha’alotekha (“When You Raise”) opens with God instructing Moses to inaugurate the Levites for service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). It also recounts the stories of people who request a second chance to offer the Passover sacrifice, complaints of the Israelites and their punishments, and a disease that affects Miriam.
Torah Portion: Numbers 8:1-12:16
Parashat Beha'alotcha is the 36th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on June 26th, 2027 / 21 Sivan 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
8:1 - 8:14· 14 p’sukim
2:
8:15 - 8:26· 12 p’sukim
3:
9:1 - 9:14· 14 p’sukim
4:
9:15 - 10:10· 19 p’sukim
5:
10:11 - 10:34· 24 p’sukim
6:
10:35 - 11:29· 31 p’sukim
7:
11:30 - 12:16· 22 p’sukim
Maftir:
12:14 - 12:16· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah:
Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7· 21 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 1
June 6th, 2026
1:
8:1 - 8:4· 4 p’sukim
2:
8:5 - 8:9· 5 p’sukim
3:
8:10 - 8:14· 5 p’sukim
4:
8:15 - 8:22· 8 p’sukim
5:
8:23 - 8:26· 4 p’sukim
6:
9:1 - 9:8· 8 p’sukim
7:
9:9 - 9:14· 6 p’sukim
Maftir:
9:12 - 9:14· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 1:
Zechariah 3:1 - 3:5· 5 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 2:
Zechariah 4:1 - 4:7· 7 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 2
June 26th, 2027
1:
9:15 - 9:18· 4 p’sukim
2:
9:19 - 9:23· 5 p’sukim
3:
10:1 - 10:7· 7 p’sukim
4:
10:8 - 10:10· 3 p’sukim
5:
10:11 - 10:20· 10 p’sukim
6:
10:21 - 10:28· 8 p’sukim
7:
10:29 - 10:34· 6 p’sukim
Maftir:
10:32 - 10:34· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 1:
Joshua 3:3 - 3:8· 6 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 2:
Joshua 3:17 - 4:7· 8 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
June 10th, 2028
1:
10:35 - 11:9· 11 p’sukim
2:
11:10 - 11:18· 9 p’sukim
3:
11:19 - 11:22· 4 p’sukim
4:
11:23 - 11:29· 7 p’sukim
5:
11:30 - 11:35· 6 p’sukim
6:
12:1 - 12:13· 13 p’sukim
7:
12:14 - 12:16· 3 p’sukim
Maftir:
12:14 - 12:16· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah:
II Kings 20:1 - 20:11· 11 p’sukim
About Parashat Parashat Beha'alotcha
Beha'alotcha (Numbers 8:1-12:16) packs a dense run of wilderness episodes around the themes of leadership, its burdens, and the sharing of the prophetic spirit. After the menorah is kindled and the Levites are purified for sacred service, the cloud of glory and a pair of silver trumpets (chatzotzrot) become the signals that govern Israel's departures and encampments as the nation finally journeys onward from Sinai. The mood then turns from order to grievance: the people crave meat over the manna, an exhausted Moses has the prophetic spirit distributed among seventy elders, and a plague strikes at Kivrot HaTaavah, the "graves of craving." Recurring threads include gratitude versus complaint, the institution of Pesach Sheni as a "second chance," and the destructive power of slanderous speech (lashon hara).
The Haftarah
In most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities the haftarah is Zechariah 2:14-4:7, and the two rites are generally read identically here, with no widely documented difference for this portion. The thematic link is the menorah: just as the parsha opens with the command to kindle the lamps of the golden menorah, Zechariah's central vision is of a solid gold menorah with seven lamps flanked by two olive trees that supply its oil. The two olive branches are traditionally read as the priesthood and the Davidic monarchy, paralleling the parsha's consecration of the Levites for service. This same Zechariah passage is also read on Shabbat Chanukah for its menorah imagery. Congregations following a triennial cycle may read alternate selections.
Notable passages and verses
The portion's most distinctive feature is the pair of inverted (reversed) Hebrew letters nun that bracket Numbers 10:35-36, "Vayehi binso'a ha'aron" ("And it came to pass, when the Ark set out..."). This scribal phenomenon is unique in the Torah, and the Talmud (tractate Shabbat, around 115b-116a) treats the two enclosed verses as a separate book, a basis for the tradition that the Torah comprises seven books. The first of these verses ("Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered") is recited when the ark is opened to take out the Torah, and the second when the scroll is returned. The haftarah supplies one of the most quoted verses in the prophets: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit" (Zechariah 4:6).
Frequently asked questions
What is Parashat Beha'alotcha about?
Beha'alotcha (Numbers 8:1-12:16) covers the kindling of the menorah and the inauguration of the Levites, the law of Pesach Sheni (a make-up Passover), and the silver trumpets and cloud that signal Israel's travels from Sinai. It then turns to the people's craving for meat, the appointment of seventy elders to share Moses's prophetic burden, and Miriam being struck with tzara'at after speaking against Moses. On TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading chanted with its trope.
What is the haftarah for Beha'alotcha?
In most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities the haftarah is Zechariah 2:14-4:7, connected to the parsha through Zechariah's vision of a golden seven-lamp menorah flanked by two olive trees. It is the same passage read on Shabbat Chanukah, and it contains the famous line 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit.' Communities on a triennial cycle may read a different selection. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this haftarah with trope.
What are the main themes of Beha'alotcha?
Central themes include leadership and its burdens (Moses sharing prophecy with seventy elders), gratitude versus complaint (the craving for meat over the manna), second chances (the law of Pesach Sheni), and the consequences of slanderous speech, or lashon hara (Miriam's tzara'at). TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the full reading with trope as you study these themes.
Why are there two upside-down letters in Beha'alotcha?
Numbers 10:35-36 is marked off by two inverted (reversed) Hebrew letters nun, a feature unique in the Torah. The Talmud treats the verses between them as a separate book, supporting the tradition of seven books of the Torah; the first verse is also recited when the ark is opened to remove the Torah scroll. You can hear and practice these verses chanted with trope on TropeTrainer.
Where to go next
See the complete list of weekly parashot with links to every reading and detail page.
Work through guided lessons on Torah trope cantillation, from basic symbols to advanced phrase patterns.