Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot. In the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parashah Vayigash has no "open portion" (פתוחה, petuchah) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter פ (peh), roughly equivalent to the English letter “P”). Parashah Vayigash has a three, lesser "closed portion" (סתומה, setumah) divisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס (samekh), roughly equivalent to the English letter "S"). The first closed portion (סתומה, setumah) includes the first four readings (עליות, aliyot) and part of the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah). The second closed portion (סתומה, setumah) includes the rest of the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah). And the third closed portion (סתומה, setumah) includes the sixth and seventh readings (עליות, aliyot).
Read more about this topic: Vayigash
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