Practice Parashat Emor with TropeTrainer
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Parashat Emor - פָּרָשַׁת אֱמוֹר
Emor (“Say”) opens with laws regulating priestly behavior, working in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and consuming sacrifices and priestly food. It describes the biblical holidays of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot, and ends with a story about a blasphemer and his punishment.
Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Parashat Emor is the 31st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on May 15th, 2027 / 8 Iyyar 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
21:1 - 21:15· 15 p’sukim
2:
21:16 - 22:16· 25 p’sukim
3:
22:17 - 22:33· 17 p’sukim
4:
23:1 - 23:22· 22 p’sukim
5:
23:23 - 23:32· 10 p’sukim
6:
23:33 - 23:44· 12 p’sukim
7:
24:1 - 24:23· 23 p’sukim
Maftir:
24:21 - 24:23· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah:
Ezekiel 44:15 - 44:31· 17 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 1
May 2nd, 2026
1:
21:1 - 21:6· 6 p’sukim
2:
21:7 - 21:12· 6 p’sukim
3:
21:13 - 21:15· 3 p’sukim
4:
21:16 - 21:24· 9 p’sukim
5:
22:1 - 22:9· 9 p’sukim
6:
22:10 - 22:12· 3 p’sukim
7:
22:13 - 22:16· 4 p’sukim
Maftir:
22:13 - 22:16· 4 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah:
Ezekiel 44:15 - 44:24· 10 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 2
May 15th, 2027
1:
22:17 - 22:20· 4 p’sukim
2:
22:21 - 22:25· 5 p’sukim
3:
22:26 - 22:33· 8 p’sukim
4:
23:1 - 23:3· 3 p’sukim
5:
23:4 - 23:8· 5 p’sukim
6:
23:9 - 23:14· 6 p’sukim
7:
23:15 - 23:22· 8 p’sukim
Maftir:
23:19 - 23:22· 4 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 1:
Malachi 2:1 - 2:10· 10 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 2:
Malachi 2:7 - 2:7· 1 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
May 13th, 2028
1:
23:23 - 23:25· 3 p’sukim
2:
23:26 - 23:32· 7 p’sukim
3:
23:33 - 23:44· 12 p’sukim
4:
24:1 - 24:4· 4 p’sukim
5:
24:5 - 24:9· 5 p’sukim
6:
24:10 - 24:12· 3 p’sukim
7:
24:13 - 24:23· 11 p’sukim
Maftir:
24:21 - 24:23· 3 p’sukim
About Parashat Parashat Emor
At its heart, Emor is a meditation on kedushah (holiness) expressed across people, time, and space. The priestly laws of Leviticus 21-22 guard the sanctity of those who serve God: kohanim face restrictions on contact with the dead and on whom they may marry, and both priests and the animals they offer must be free of physical blemish, dramatizing the idea that what approaches the sacred must be whole and unprofaned. The festival calendar of Leviticus 23 then sanctifies time itself, framing the year as a rhythm of appointed sacred days. Running through the whole portion is the charge to sanctify God's Name (kiddush Hashem) and never to profane it (chillul Hashem), a theme that culminates pointedly in the closing episode of the blasphemer.
The Haftarah
In most communities the haftarah for Emor is Ezekiel 44:15-31, a reading shared across Ashkenazi and Sephardi rites with only minor differences in how the verses are grouped. Its thematic link to the parashah is the law of the priesthood: just as Moses transmits rules for the kohanim regarding ritual purity, marriage, and conduct, Ezekiel describes the regulations for the Zadokite priests who will serve in the future Temple — their garments, the prohibition on wine while on duty, restrictions on whom they may marry, and their role in teaching and distinguishing the sacred from the profane and the pure from the impure. The pairing underscores a continuity from Moses to the prophets in defining what priestly holiness requires.
Notable passages and verses
Emor is the scriptural source for the Counting of the Omer (Leviticus 23:15-16), the daily count of seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot still observed each year. It contains the well-known lex talionis formula "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Leviticus 24:19-21), as well as the commands to kindle the menorah with pure olive oil and to set out the twelve loaves of showbread (lechem ha-panim) weekly (Leviticus 24:1-9). It is also the classic source for the paired ideas of profaning and sanctifying God's Name — chillul Hashem and kiddush Hashem (Leviticus 22:32). The portion spans Leviticus 21:1-24:23 and is the 31st weekly Torah reading and the 8th in the Book of Leviticus.
Frequently asked questions
What is parashat Emor about?
Emor (Leviticus 21:1-24:23) has two main parts. The first sets out laws for the priests (kohanim) and especially the High Priest, covering ritual purity, whom they may marry, the requirement that priests and sacrificial animals be unblemished, and who may eat sacred food. The second lays out the sacred calendar — Shabbat, Passover, the Counting of the Omer leading to Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot — along with the menorah and showbread, and closes with the story of the blasphemer. With TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading with its trope (cantillation).
What is the haftarah for Emor?
In most communities the haftarah for Emor is Ezekiel 44:15-31, a selection shared by Ashkenazi and Sephardi rites with only minor variation in verse division. It describes the rules for the priests who will serve in the future Temple, paralleling the parashah's own priestly legislation. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the haftarah with its trope so you can prepare to chant it.
What are the main themes of Emor?
The unifying theme is kedushah, or holiness — the sanctity of the priesthood, of sacred time through the festival calendar, and of God's Name through the commands to sanctify it (kiddush Hashem) and never to profane it (chillul Hashem). The portion connects holy people, holy days, and holy conduct into a single vision. You can hear and practice the full reading with trope on TropeTrainer.
Where does the Counting of the Omer come from in the Torah?
The Counting of the Omer (Sefirat HaOmer) comes from Emor, in Leviticus 23:15-16, which commands counting seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot. The same portion also gives the 'an eye for an eye' principle and the laws of the menorah and showbread. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this 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.
Work through guided lessons on Torah trope cantillation, from basic symbols to advanced phrase patterns.