Matot

Matot, Mattot, Mattoth, or Matos (מַּטּוֹת — Hebrew for “tribes,” the fifth word, and the first distinctive word, in the parshah) is the 42nd weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 30:2–32:42. Jews generally read it in July or early August.

The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In leap years (for example, 2014), parshah Matot is read separately. In common years (for example, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018), parshah Matot is combined with the next parshah, Masei, to help achieve the number of weekly readings needed.