Practice Parashat Toldot with TropeTrainer
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Parashat Toldot - פָּרָשַׁת תּוֹלְדוֹת
Toldot (“Generations”) opens with the births of Isaac and Rebecca’s twins, Jacob and Esau. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob in exchange for soup. Isaac and Rebecca travel to Gerar, where Isaac makes a peace treaty with King Abimelech. Isaac gives Jacob the blessing meant for Esau, and Jacob runs away to his uncle Laban.
Torah Portion: Genesis 25:19-28:9
Parashat Toldot is the 6th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on November 14th, 2026 / 4 Kislev 5787
- Annual Reading
Read Annually
1:
25:19 - 26:5· 21 p’sukim
2:
26:6 - 26:12· 7 p’sukim
3:
26:13 - 26:22· 10 p’sukim
4:
26:23 - 26:29· 7 p’sukim
5:
26:30 - 27:27· 33 p’sukim
6:
27:28 - 28:4· 23 p’sukim
7:
28:5 - 28:9· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
28:7 - 28:9· 3 p’sukim
Haftarah:
Malachi 1:1 - 2:7· 21 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 1
November 22nd, 2025
1:
25:19 - 25:22· 4 p’sukim
2:
25:23 - 25:26· 4 p’sukim
3:
25:27 - 25:34· 8 p’sukim
4:
26:1 - 26:5· 5 p’sukim
5:
26:6 - 26:12· 7 p’sukim
6:
26:13 - 26:16· 4 p’sukim
7:
26:17 - 26:22· 6 p’sukim
Maftir:
26:19 - 26:22· 4 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah:
Malachi 1:1 - 1:14· 14 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 2
November 14th, 2026
1:
26:23 - 26:29· 7 p’sukim
2:
26:30 - 26:33· 4 p’sukim
3:
26:34 - 27:4· 6 p’sukim
4:
27:5 - 27:13· 9 p’sukim
5:
27:14 - 27:17· 4 p’sukim
6:
27:18 - 27:23· 6 p’sukim
7:
27:24 - 27:27· 4 p’sukim
Maftir:
27:24 - 27:27· 4 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah:
II Samuel 19:32 - 19:40· 9 p’sukim
- Triennial Year 3
December 4th, 2027
1:
27:28 - 27:30· 3 p’sukim
2:
27:31 - 27:33· 3 p’sukim
3:
27:34 - 27:37· 4 p’sukim
4:
27:38 - 27:40· 3 p’sukim
5:
27:41 - 27:46· 6 p’sukim
6:
28:1 - 28:4· 4 p’sukim
7:
28:5 - 28:9· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
28:7 - 28:9· 3 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 1:
Judges 3:15 - 3:27· 13 p’sukim
Alternate Haftarah Part 2:
Judges 3:30 - 3:30· 1 p’sukim
About Parashat Parashat Toldot
Beyond the plot, Toldot (Genesis 25:19–28:9) is the only Torah portion built almost entirely around Isaac as patriarch, and it explores divine election versus human merit. The conflict between Jacob and Esau is framed before birth by God's oracle to Rebecca that "two nations are in your womb" and "the older shall serve the younger," reading the brothers as ancestors of rival peoples (Israel and Edom). Recurring motifs echo Abraham's life: a wife's long childlessness, a "she is my sister" episode with Abimelech of Gerar, and Isaac re-digging his father's wells. The portion presses an uncomfortable question about who is fit to carry the covenant forward, given that it passes through deception and struggle rather than obvious righteousness.
The Haftarah
The haftarah for Toldot is Malachi 1:1–2:7, read in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities (no significant rite split in the verse range was found, though some Sephardi practices trim haftarot slightly where rites diverge). The connection is explicit: Malachi opens with God declaring covenantal love through the very same pair of brothers — "I loved Jacob but Esau I hated" (Malachi 1:2–3) — identifying Esau with Edom and contrasting Edom's desolation with God's enduring love for Israel. The prophet then turns the election into a charge of responsibility, rebuking the priests for offering blemished sacrifices and corrupting their teaching role. Note that when Toldot falls on Shabbat Machar Chodesh (the Sabbath before Rosh Chodesh), the regular haftarah is typically replaced by 1 Samuel 20:18–42.
Notable passages and verses
Toldot contains some of Genesis's most quoted lines: God's oracle "Two nations are in your womb... and the older shall serve the younger" (25:23), Rebecca's anguished "If so, why am I?" (lamah zeh anokhi, 25:22), and Isaac's blessing of Jacob, "May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth" (27:28–29). The lentil-stew sale of the birthright (25:29–34, "Esau despised his birthright") and the blessing-by-deception scene (chapter 27, where Jacob disguises himself as the hairy Esau before his blind father) are among the best-known narratives in the Torah. The portion is the sixth in the annual cycle and spans 106 verses, typically read in November or early December.
Frequently asked questions
What is parashat Toldot about?
Toldot ("Generations," Genesis 25:19–28:9) tells the story of Isaac and Rebecca's twin sons, Jacob and Esau: Esau sells his birthright for lentil stew, Isaac makes a treaty with Abimelech of Gerar and re-digs Abraham's wells, and Jacob — at Rebecca's urging — deceives the blind Isaac to obtain the blessing meant for Esau, then flees toward his uncle Laban. It is the sixth weekly portion in the annual cycle and the only one centered on Isaac as patriarch. With TropeTrainer you can hear and practice this reading chanted with its trope.
What is the haftarah for Toldot?
The haftarah for Toldot is Malachi 1:1–2:7, read in most Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities. It connects to the portion through the same two brothers, with God declaring "I loved Jacob but Esau I hated" (Malachi 1:2–3) and identifying Esau with Edom. When Toldot falls on Shabbat Machar Chodesh, the haftarah is typically replaced by 1 Samuel 20:18–42, so check your community's calendar. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the haftarah reading with its trope.
What are the main themes of Toldot?
Toldot centers on sibling rivalry and divine election: the contest between Jacob and Esau over the birthright and the patriarchal blessing, framed before birth by God's word that "the older shall serve the younger." It also weaves in trials of fertility, the repetition of Abraham's patterns in Isaac's life (the wife-sister episode and the wells of Gerar), and the question of who is worthy to carry the covenant forward. You can hear and practice the full reading with trope in TropeTrainer.
Why did Jacob receive Esau's blessing in Toldot?
In chapter 27, Rebecca — recalling God's oracle that the elder would serve the younger — directs Jacob to disguise himself as his hairier older brother and bring food to the blind, aging Isaac, who then blesses Jacob with the blessing intended for Esau. Esau's resulting rage drives Jacob to flee toward Haran, setting up the next stage of the story. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice this reading chanted 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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