During the month of Adar, there are some additions to the weekly Torah reading. As well as the regular weekly Torah portion read on every Shabbat of the year, on almost every Shabbat of this month an additional portion is read, as detailed below. On these Shabbatot, two Torah scrolls are taken from the synagogue ark. Seven men are called up for the regular reading of the weekly Torah portion, while an eighth man is called up for the second scroll, from which the additional portion is read. This eighth passage is called the maftir, and the one called up for it subsequently reads the haftara. The content of the haftara on these Shabbatot is connected to the extra portion that is read.

The first of these special readings is Shekalim (Exodus 30:11–16), and it is read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hodesh Adar (in a leap year, before Rosh Hodesh of Adar II), or on Rosh Hodesh Adar itself if it occurs on Shabbat. This portion discusses the fixed annual tax that the Israelites would bring for the purchase of communal offerings that were sacrificed in the Tabernacle and the Temple. The portion is read at this particular time of year because the “tax year” for this purpose begins on Rosh Hodesh Nisan, and therefore the public would be given a reminder by means of this public reading thirty days in advance.

The second special reading is Parashat Zakhor (Deuteronomy 25:17–19), which is always read on the Shabbat before Purim. This passage discusses the obligation to always remember the war which the Amalekites instigated against the people of Israel when they had just left Egypt after more than two hundred years of suffering and hard labor.

This portion is read before Purim because the evil Haman was a descendant of Agag (Esther 3:1) the king of Amalek (I Samuel 15:8), and his war against the Jewish people is considered a continuation of the genocidal hatred of Jews that characterized the Amalekites.

In the opinion of many halakhic authorities, it is an obligation by Torah law to hear the reading of Parashat Zakhor from a Torah scroll. Therefore, it is customary to be very stringent regarding this reading. The one who reads from the Torah should make a special effort to read this portion in a loud voice and with especially clear enunciation, while the congregation for its part must listen carefully to every word.

One who was unable to hear the reading of Parashat Zakhor in the synagogue on the Shabbat before Purim should have in mind to fulfill the obligation on the morning of Purim itself, when the description of the war with Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16) is read from the Torah. It is also possible to fulfill this obligation in the summer, when the congregation reads the Torah portion of Ki Tetze, which contains the verses dealing with the duty to remember Amalek and blot out its memory. In such a case, it is best to ask the reader of the Torah to have intent to fulfill the listener’s duty of this particular mitzva.

Further reading: For more on the war with Amalek, see A Concise Guide to the Torah, pp. 176, 490; A Concise Guide to the Sages, pp. 100, 251.

The third special reading is Parashat Para (Numbers 19:1–22), which is read on the Shabbat before the reading of Parashat HaHodesh (see next section). This portion discusses the preparation of the ashes of the Red Heifer, which was used for the purification of one who had contracted ritual impurity through proximity to a corpse (i.e., one who touched or carried a dead body or was together with a corpse under the same roof). This portion is read at this stage, several weeks before Passover, because during the Temple period it was necessary for everyone to undergo a purification process in order to partake of the Passover offering. According to some halakhic opinions, this reading too is required by Torah law, and therefore it is proper to make every effort to go and hear it in the synagogue. However, it is not customary to be as particular with regard to this reading as with the reading for Parashat Zakhor.

The fourth and final special reading is Parashat HaHodesh (Exodus 12:1–20), which is read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hodesh Nisan, or on Rosh Hodesh Nisan itself if it occurs on a Shabbat. This portion discusses the month of Nisan, which is the “first for you of the months of the year” (Exodus 12:2), and the preparations for the festival of Passover and its Pesach sacrifice. This reading is a reminder of the many preparations required for Passover.