The Year of Portions
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The five books of the Torah go once around a ring, the way they are read through one year in the synagogue. The ring is cut into the 54 weekly portions. Each stroke is one verse, as long as its Hebrew words.
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.Nehemiah 8:8 (ASV)
How this picture was made
The portions
The 54 weekly Torah portions and their verse ranges, from Hebcal. Each portion runs from the first verse of its first reading to the last verse of its seventh. The names are spelled as Hebcal spells them.
What was counted
The Hebrew words in every verse of the Torah, from the Leningrad Codex: 5,853 verses and 79,982 words.
How it was drawn
The ring runs clockwise from the top. Stroke length is on a true scale: twice the words, twice the length. Each book has its own colour, and neighbouring portions take two shades of it. In this picture the colours mark the five books, not the sections used in the other pictures. One numbering fix: the Hebrew text numbers the Ten Words in Exodus 20 as more verses than the list does, so Exodus 20:24-26 are read with Yitro, where they belong.
What it shows
- The largest portion is Nasso: 176 verses and 2,266 words, including the long, repeated offerings of Numbers 7.
- The portion with the fewest verses is Vayeilech (30). The one with the fewest words is Vezot Haberakhah (512).
What it does not show
It does not show the years when portions are joined together, or the readings from the Prophets read with each portion.