Question: I’m told that it is meritorious to complete the reading of the weekly Torah portion during the week and that it is a segula bestowing the blessing of long life. Does this apply even if one has no understanding of the text?
Shmuel B.
Via Email
Answer: The Mechaber (Orach Chayyim 285:1) states as follows: “Even though a person hears the entire Torah [portion] every Sabbath at the congregational reading, one is nevertheless required to read to oneself during the week the Torah portion that is the parasha of the coming Sabbath, twice the verse and once the Aramaic translation (Targum Onkelos), including Atarot and Divon” (referring to the verse [Numbers 32:34], “Vayivnu bnei Gad et Divon ve’et Atarot ve’et Aro’er – The sons of Gad built Dibon and Atarot and Aro’er”).
The Ba’er Heitev (Orach Chayyim ad loc.) explains regarding “Atarot and Divon” that even though there is no translation for these words, they are also read in Aramaic. This applies to any instance where names (such as Reuven or Shimon) are mentioned. The names are to be repeated a third time in the Aramaic translation even though these names are not translated.
Your question is timely as we have concluded the yearly cycle of Torah readings and begin the cycle anew on Shabbat Bereishit. You mention that such reading is a segula for long life. This refers to the statement of R. Huna bar R. Yehuda (Berachot 8a-b), which is the basis of the above-cited halacha: “R. Huna bar R. Yehuda states in the name of R. Ami, ‘A person should always complete his parashiyot, the weekly Torah readings, with the congregation, reading the verse twice [in the Hebrew text] and once in the Targum [the Aramaic text], even Atarot VeDivon because whoever completes his parashiyot with the congregation will have his days and years lengthened.'”
I assume that when you speak of a lack of understanding a verse, you are referring to the Aramaic translation. However, some are also not familiar with the Hebrew text, which explains the popularity of translated Chumashim, such as the Yiddish Teitch Chumash and the Beit Yehuda Chumash, which provide a Yiddish translation.
Today, of course, there is a wealth of English translations, such as the Hertz Chumash, the Metzudah Linear Chumash, the ever-popular ArtScroll Stone Chumash, and the Gutnick Chumash, all of which make it easy for the English-speaking reader to comprehend the text.
Thus, if one reads the original text twice and the English translation once, perhaps this, too, satisfies R. Huna’s statement, and one will have fulfilled the obligation as cited in Orach Chayyim above.
It is interesting that the Mechaber (Orach Chayyim 285:2) notes that some might not understand the (Aramaic) Targum Onkelos, and so reciting the verse with Rashi’s commentary, which is also in Hebrew, would suffice. However, one who is a Yarei Shamayim, a G-d-fearing person, should read Targum Onkelos as well as Rashi for comprehension.
One of the obvious problems that the Mechaber refers to is the fact that not every verse has a Rashi explanation. Thus, reading the verse twice and Rashi once will only satisfy the requirement for the verses that are explained by Rashi. Targum Onkelos, on the other hand, translates every single verse in the Torah.
From this, it would seem that if one does not understand Aramaic, an English translation of every verse would satisfy the requirement. Yet we find that Tosafot (Berachot 8a-b s.v. “Shenayim mikra ve’echad Targum“) note as follows: “There are commentators who state that translation into languages common to the people [in their place and time] is equivalent to the [Aramaic] Targum [Onkelos], which, at times, serves as an explanation [and not merely a translation]. For just as the Targum was geared to amei ha’aretz, the simple folk, so will these [simple] folk understand the text translated into their local language.”
Tosafot discard this argument: “This is scarcely plausible, for the Targum explains [at times] that which is not to be found in the [original] Hebrew text in many instances, as R. Yosef states (Megillah 3a) that were it not for the Targum of this verse [Zechariah 12:11], we would not even know what the verse is referring to.”
In this example the verse states: On that day the mourning will become intense in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon [and the mourning] at the valley of Megiddon.” Without the benefit of the Targum, we wouldn’t know which events are meant. The Targum explains it as mourning over Ahab ben Omri, King of Israel, who was killed in battle, and the mourning over Josiah, King of Judea, who was killed in the Valley of Megiddon.
Thus, we see the importance of reading the Aramaic Targum, and if one reads and studies it constantly, he will surely become acquainted with the language and will comprehend it.
(To be continued)
