<P> The weekly Torah portion ( Hebrew : פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ ‬ Parashat ha - Shavua ) , popularly just parashah ( or parshah / pɑːrʃə / or parsha ) and also known as a Sidra ( or Sedra / sɛdrə / ) is a section of the Torah ( Five Books of Moses ) used in Jewish liturgy during a single week . It is chanted publicly by a designated reader ( ba'al koreh ) in Jewish prayer services , starting with a partial reading on the afternoon of Shabbat ( Saturday , the Jewish Sabbath ) , again during the Monday and Thursday morning services , and ending with a full reading during the following Shabbat morning services . The weekly reading is pre-empted by a special reading on major religious holidays . The Saturday morning and holiday readings are followed by a reading ( Haftarah ) from the Book of Prophets ( Nevi'im ) . There are 54 weekly parashiyot ( plural ) or parshahs ( anglicized pluralization ) in Judaism , and the full cycle is read over the course of one Jewish year . </P>
what is the torah portion of the week
a section of the Torah ( Five Books of Moses ) used in Jewish liturgy during a single week