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Parashat Masei - פָּרָשַׁת מַטּוֹת־מַסְעֵי
Matot (“Tribes”) opens with laws about vows, and continues to describe the Israelites’ war against the Midianites and the allocation of spoils. The tribes of Reuben and Gad request to dwell outside of the Land of Israel, and Moses acquiesces on the condition that they help conquer it. Masei (“Travels”), the final Torah portion in the Book of Numbers, opens with a list of places that the Israelites traveled in the desert. God commands the Israelites to destroy idolatry in the Land of Israel, outlines Israel’s boundaries, and details the laws of cities of refuge for accidental killers.
Torah Portion: Numbers 33:1-36:13
Parashat Matot-Masei is the 42,43th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on July 11th, 2026 / 26 Tamuz 5786
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
33:1 - 33:10· 10 p’sukim
2:
33:11 - 33:49· 39 p’sukim
3:
33:50 - 34:15· 22 p’sukim
4:
34:16 - 34:29· 14 p’sukim
5:
35:1 - 35:8· 8 p’sukim
6:
35:9 - 35:34· 26 p’sukim
7:
36:1 - 36:13· 13 p’sukim
Maftir:
36:11 - 36:13· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah for Sephardim:
Jeremiah 2:4 - 2:28· 25 p’sukim
Haftarah for Sephardim:
Jeremiah 4:1 - 4:2· 2 p’sukim
Haftarah for Ashkenazim:
Jeremiah 2:4 - 2:28· 25 p’sukim
Haftarah for Ashkenazim:
Jeremiah 3:4 - 3:4· 1 p’sukim
About Parashat Parashat Masei
Beyond its travel log, Masei is fundamentally about transition: the wandering generation reaches the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, poised at the threshold of the Promised Land. The portion shifts from memory to law and sacred geography, mapping the borders of the Land of Israel, the division of territory among the tribes, and the 48 cities given to the Levites, who hold no tribal land of their own. Its central legal innovation is the six cities of refuge that shelter someone guilty of unintentional manslaughter from the blood-avenger until trial, drawing a sharp moral line between deliberate murder and accidental killing and underscoring the sanctity of human life. The Book of Numbers then closes by resolving the case of the daughters of Zelophehad, who are instructed to marry within their tribe so ancestral land does not pass from one tribe to another.
The Haftarah
The Haftarah for Masei is from Jeremiah, beginning at Jeremiah 2:4-28. In most Ashkenazi communities the reading concludes with Jeremiah 3:4, while in many Sephardic communities it concludes with Jeremiah 4:1-2, a more hopeful ending so the passage does not close on a note of rebuke (community customs can vary). The connection is liturgical and seasonal rather than narrative: this is the second of the three "haftarot of affliction" read during the Three Weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B'Av. Jeremiah rebukes Israel for abandoning God and turning to idols, famously contrasting God as "the fountain of living waters" with the people's "broken cisterns that hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). In most years Masei is read combined with the preceding portion as Matot-Masei, and the combined reading takes this Haftarah of Masei.
Notable passages and verses
Masei is best known for its opening itinerary of the 42 stations of the wilderness journey (Numbers 33), a travel log unique in the Torah; the law of the cities of refuge (arei miklat); and the concluding case of the daughters of Zelophehad, which ends the entire Book of Numbers. Its Haftarah contributes one of Jeremiah's most quoted images, God as "the fountain of living waters" set against Israel's "broken cisterns that hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). Because Masei (or Matot-Masei) completes the Book of Numbers, the public reading is customarily followed by the congregational declaration "Chazak chazak v'nitchazek" ("Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another").
Frequently asked questions
What is parashat Masei about?
Masei ("Journeys"), the final portion in the Book of Numbers (Numbers 33:1-36:13), opens by listing the 42 stations of the Israelites' 40-year journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab. It then turns to entering the Land of Israel: God commands the people to drive out the inhabitants and destroy their idols, defines the Land's borders and the tribal allotments, assigns 48 cities to the Levites, and establishes six cities of refuge for accidental killers. Numbers concludes with the daughters of Zelophehad being told to marry within their tribe so inherited land stays within it. With TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading with its trope.
What is the Haftarah for Masei?
The Haftarah for Masei is from Jeremiah, beginning at Jeremiah 2:4-28. In most Ashkenazi communities it concludes with Jeremiah 3:4, while in many Sephardic communities it concludes with Jeremiah 4:1-2, though customs can vary by community. It is the second of the three "haftarot of affliction" read during the Three Weeks leading to Tisha B'Av, chosen for the mournful season rather than for a direct tie to the portion's narrative. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this Haftarah with its trope.
What are the themes of Masei?
Masei centers on transition from wandering to arrival: it recalls the wilderness journey, then looks ahead to settling the Land of Israel through its borders, tribal allotments, and Levite cities. Its major legal theme is justice and the sanctity of life, embodied in the six cities of refuge that distinguish intentional murder from accidental killing. The portion closes the Book of Numbers with the daughters of Zelophehad, balancing inheritance rights with keeping ancestral land within each tribe. You can hear and practice the full reading with trope on TropeTrainer.
What are the cities of refuge in Masei?
Masei establishes six cities of refuge (arei miklat), three east of the Jordan and three in Canaan, where a person guilty of unintentional manslaughter could flee for protection from the blood-avenger (go'el ha-dam) until standing trial. The portion sharply distinguishes deliberate murder, which is punishable by death, from accidental killing, which the city of refuge shelters, emphasizing the value of human life. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this reading with its trope.
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