Practice Parashat Behar with TropeTrainer
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Parashat Behar - פָּרָשַׁת בְּהַר
Behar (“On The Mountain”) details the laws of the sabbatical year (Shemita), when working the land is prohibited and debts are forgiven. It also sets out laws of indentured servitude and of the Jubilee year (Yovel), when property reverts to its original ownership.
Torah Portion: Leviticus 25:1-26:2
Parashat Behar is the 32nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on May 22nd, 2027 / 15 Iyyar 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
25:1 - 25:13· 13 p’sukim
2:
25:14 - 25:18· 5 p’sukim
3:
25:19 - 25:24· 6 p’sukim
4:
25:25 - 25:28· 4 p’sukim
5:
25:29 - 25:38· 10 p’sukim
6:
25:39 - 25:46· 8 p’sukim
7:
25:47 - 26:2· 11 p’sukim
Maftir:
25:55 - 26:2· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah:
Jeremiah 32:6 - 32:27· 22 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 1
Read Together in 2026/5786
Behar and Bechukotai are read together for Triennial Year 1.
- Triennial Year 2
May 22nd, 2027
1:
25:29 - 25:34· 6 p’sukim
2:
25:35 - 25:38· 4 p’sukim
3:
25:39 - 25:43· 5 p’sukim
4:
25:44 - 25:46· 3 p’sukim
5:
25:47 - 25:50· 4 p’sukim
6:
25:51 - 25:54· 4 p’sukim
7:
25:55 - 26:2· 3 p’sukim
Maftir:
25:55 - 26:2· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah:
Jeremiah 32:16 - 32:27· 12 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
Read Together in 2028/5788
Behar and Bechukotai are read together for Triennial Year 3.
About Parashat Parashat Behar
Beyond the mechanics of Shemita and Yovel, Behar (Leviticus 25:1-26:2) articulates a sweeping ethic of stewardship: the Land of Israel ultimately belongs to God, and people are tenants rather than absolute owners ("the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me," Lev 25:23). From this principle the portion derives a web of economic-justice laws meant to restrain the permanent concentration of land and wealth. These include redemption of sold land by a near relative (geulah), a ban on selling ancestral land in perpetuity, a prohibition on charging interest to a fellow Israelite, an obligation to support the impoverished, and humane limits on debt servitude so that an impoverished Israelite is treated as a hired laborer rather than chattel. The unifying idea is that ownership, wealth, and even personal freedom are provisional, periodically reset by divine command.
The Haftarah
When Behar is read on its own, the haftarah is from Jeremiah 32, the account of the prophet redeeming his cousin Hanamel's field in Anathoth during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. In most Ashkenazi communities the reading is Jeremiah 32:6-27, while many Sephardi communities read a slightly shorter range (commonly given as Jeremiah 32:6-22); customs vary, so check your community's practice. The thematic link is land redemption (geulah): Behar legislates that ancestral land must remain redeemable and ultimately return to its original family, and Jeremiah enacts exactly that law as a deliberate act of faith that God will restore the exiles, "for houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land" (Jer 32:15). Note that in most years Behar is read together with Bechukotai as a double portion, in which case a different haftarah (commonly Jeremiah 16:19-17:14) is read instead.
Notable passages and verses
Behar's most celebrated verse is Leviticus 25:10, "and you shall proclaim liberty (dror) throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," the Jubilee proclamation inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Also frequently cited is Leviticus 25:23, "the land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is Mine," a foundational text for Jewish ideas of stewardship over ownership. Behar is one of the shortest weekly portions in the Torah; it opens "on Mount Sinai" (be-har Sinai), the source of its name, "On the Mountain," and in most years it is read together with Bechukotai, standing alone primarily in leap years.
Frequently asked questions
What is parashat Behar about?
Behar (Leviticus 25:1-26:2) sets out the laws of the Sabbatical year (Shemita), when the land lies fallow every seventh year, and the Jubilee (Yovel), when ancestral land returns to its original owners and Israelite servants go free every fiftieth year. Around these cycles it builds an ethic of economic justice and stewardship, teaching that the land belongs to God and that ownership, wealth, and freedom are periodically reset. On TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading with its trope at your own pace.
What is the haftarah for Behar?
When Behar is read on its own, the haftarah is from Jeremiah 32, in which the prophet redeems his cousin Hanamel's field in Anathoth as Jerusalem is besieged. In most Ashkenazi communities this is Jeremiah 32:6-27, and many Sephardi communities read a slightly shorter range (often given as Jeremiah 32:6-22); when Behar is paired with Bechukotai, a different haftarah is read. Customs vary by community, so confirm your congregation's practice. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the haftarah with its trope.
What are the themes of Behar?
Behar's central themes are stewardship of the land (God is the true owner, people are tenants), the resetting of wealth and freedom through Shemita and Yovel, and economic justice toward the poor, including land redemption by relatives, a ban on charging interest to fellow Israelites, and humane limits on debt servitude. Together these laws restrain the permanent concentration of land and wealth. You can hear and practice the full reading with trope on TropeTrainer.
Why is Behar connected to the Liberty Bell?
The Liberty Bell is inscribed with words from Behar, Leviticus 25:10: "proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." In its original context this verse announces the Jubilee year, when debts were released, ancestral land reverted to its original families, and indentured Israelites were freed. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this passage and the rest of the reading with its trope.
Where to go next
Open a sample Torah reading with full Hebrew text, trope marks, and audio to see how TropeTrainer works.
See the complete list of weekly parashot with links to every reading and detail page.
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