For as long as anyone can remember, Agudas Achim has followed a triennial cycle of reading Torah. That is, like much of the Conservative Movement, we have taken three years to complete the reading of the entire Torah by abridging each weekly portion. In the first year, we read the first third, in the second year, the middle third and conclude in the third year.

Our reasoning is practical more than philosophical, but the result is that for thirty years or more the Torah has not been read in its order at our synagogue. For the many members who follow the reading each week, the disjointed way we fulfill the tradition creates isolated lessons in Torah rather than a sense of the unified whole.

The triennial system originated in Israel more than 2000 years ago, but it did not resemble the pattern we now employ. Instead, the Torah was read consecutively over a three-year period. (In fact, much evidence suggests that each local synagogue followed its own pace and completed the reading in an amount of time ranging from 2½ to 3½ years.) It was the Babylonian diaspora community which established the annual cycle, designed to hold together a scattered community in foreign host cultures. They also instituted the observance of Simchat Torah on the day after Sukkot, which evolved into our current day of dancing and reading in medieval France.

Liberal Jews in America combined the two traditions of Torah reading. In an effort to standardize the rather haphazard way the divisions of readings were done, Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, a classmate of mine, developed a roster of readings on behalf of the Rabbinical Assembly. We have used it since its inception.

Recently, the Ritual Committee considered a proposal I made regarding the next cycle of triennial readings. I was concerned that a person could grow to and through maturity at Agudas Achim and never hear the Torah read consecutively. The difficulty of finding and preparing Torah readers for a full annual reading was surmountable, if daunting. But the sheer volume of reading and the speed with which it would need to be done to keep the length of services manageable seemed more than we could handle. Instead, I proposed a return to the custom of a consecutive triennial reading. The committee approved the idea. We will begin with the next cycle of readings, which commences in October of 2002.

In practical terms, this change means that we will take from October to May just to complete the reading of the Book of Genesis. It will allow us a considered reading of the Torah, and give us the chance to investigate more than a few weekly highlights. To my delight, a plan for just such a reading was developed and published by my colleagues in Israel. We will rely upon it.

The biggest concerns of mine and the committee were placing us out of sync with the rest of the Jewish world and determining the haftarot for each week. The modern Israeli triennial includes different haftarot for each weekly reading, which is a remarkable accomplishment. However, it places our b’nai mitzvah particularly in a difficult position in subsequent years. So we decided that the maftir and haftarah each week will follow the annual cycle. As we do on holidays, we will read from two different scrolls each week, thus maintaining our link with the general annual cycle.

There are practical questions we need to address in the coming year, including the roster of weekday readings and other such practical matters. Of course, we will, and we will keep you informed as we do. Meanwhile, look forward to an innovative and exciting time for bringing honor to the Torah, learning to your life and a renewal of tradition to the synagogue.

the holiday evolved into our current day of dancing and reading.

Liberal Jews in America combined the two traditions of Torah reading. In an effort to standardize the rather haphazard way the divisions of readings were done, Rabbi Richard Eisenberg, a classmate of mine, developed a roster of readings on behalf of the Rabbinical Assembly. We have used it since its inception.

Recently, the Ritual Committee considered a proposal I made regarding the next cycle of triennial readings. I was concerned that a person could grow to and through maturity at Agudas Achim and never hear the Torah read consecutively. The difficulty of finding and preparing Torah readers for a full annual reading was surmountable, if daunting. But the sheer volume of reading and the speed with which it would need to be done to keep the length of services manageable seemed more than we could handle. Instead, I proposed a return to the custom of a consecutive triennial reading. The committee approved the idea. We will begin with the next cycle of readings, which commences in October of 2002.

In practical terms, this change means that we will take from October to May just to complete the reading of the Book of Genesis. It will allow us a considered reading of the Torah, and give us the chance to investigate more than a few weekly highlights. To my delight, a plan for just such a reading was developed and published by my colleagues in Israel. We will rely upon it.

The biggest concerns of mine and the committee were placing us out of sync with the rest of the Jewish world and determining the haftarot for each week. The modern Israeli triennial includes different haftarot for each weekly reading, which is a remarkable accomplishment. However, it places our b’nai mitzvah particularly in a difficult position in subsequent years. So we decided that the maftir and haftarah each week will follow the annual cycle.