Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parshah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot. In the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parshah Vayishlach has five "open portion" (פתוחה, petuchah) divisions (roughly equivalent to a paragraph, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter פ (peh), roughly equivalent to the English letter “P”). The first open portion (פתוחה, petuchah) is further subdivided by two "closed portion" (סתומה, setumah) divisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס (samekh), roughly equivalent to the English letter "S"). The first open portion (פתוחה, petuchah) spans the first four readings (עליות, aliyot) and part of the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah). The two closed portion (סתומה, setumah) divisions occur in the fourth reading (עליה, aliyah). The second open portion (פתוחה, petuchah) coincides with chapter 35 and includes part of the fifth and sixth readings (עליות, aliyot). The third open portion (פתוחה, petuchah) covers the balance of the sixth reading (עליה, aliyah). And the fourth and fifth open portion (פתוחה, petuchah) divisions divide the seventh reading (עליה, aliyah).
Read more about this topic: Vayishlach
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