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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman רפ"ג · 1 Seif
Why we don't take out 2 sifrei Torah on Shabbos — to discover and understand
סימן רפ"ג
לָמָה אֵין מוֹצִיאִין שְׁנֵי סִפְרֵי תוֹרוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת
🌱 Introduction Level · Beginners
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First approach to Siman רפ"ג: full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, fluent English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases and a summary.
Topic: Why we don't take out 2 sifrei Torah on Shabbos
Source: Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim Siman רפ"ג (1 seif)
Compilation: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study Plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the one seif of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. Key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Breakdown of the seif — piece by piece
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rema — Ashkenazi vs Sefardi differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical summary and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman רפ"ג contains 1 seif of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) which codifies the rules relating to why we don't take out 2 sifrei Torah on Shabbos.
Seif א — A single sefer Torah on a regular Shabbos
למה אין מוציאין ב' ספרי תורה בשבת. ובו סעיף אחד:
מַה שֶּׁאֵין מוֹצִיאִין בְּשַׁבָּת סֵפֶר שֵׁנִי לִקְרוֹת פָּרָשַׁת הַמּוּסָפִין — מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ אֶלָּא שְׁנֵי פְּסוּקִים.
Translation: the reason that we do not take out a second sefer Torah on a regular Shabbos — to read the parshas hamussafin (the pesukim of the mussaf korban for Shabbos — Bamidbar 28:9-10) — is because it contains only 2 pesukim. But to call up an oleh, one needs at minimum 3 pesukim (the rule of "3 pesukim per oleh"). Therefore it is impossible to call someone up on these 2 pesukim alone. These pesukim are therefore recited by heart in the tefillah of Mussaf (the paragraph "וביום השבת") and are not read from a second sefer.
Overview: a very short siman that answers a precise practical question: why no second sefer Torah on Shabbos? Technical answer: the parshas mussaf of Shabbos has only 2 pesukim — not enough to call up an oleh.
2. The general context
The days when we take out several sefarim
On certain days, we take out 2 or 3 sifrei Torah for the public krias haTorah. For example:
- Rosh Chodesh that falls on Shabbos: 2 sefarim — one for the weekly parshah, one for the pesukim of Rosh Chodesh.
- Chanukah that falls on Shabbos: 2 sefarim — parshah + Chanukah pesukim.
- Pesach: 2-3 sefarim depending on the days.
- Yom Kippur morning: 2 sefarim.
But on a regular Shabbos, we only take out a single sefer Torah, even though the pesukim of mussaf Shabbos exist in the written Torah (Bamidbar 28:9-10).
The fundamental question of the siman: why this exception? Why not read the 2 pesukim of mussaf Shabbos in a second sefer, as we do for Rosh Chodesh (which has 5 pesukim)? Answer: a technical constraint of halachah — minimum 3 pesukim to call up an oleh.
Place within Hilchos Shabbos
Siman רפ"ג is short and didactic — it answers a precise question in the "krias haTorah" sequence (282-285). It follows 282 (the structure of the olim) and precedes 284 (haftarah).
3. Key halachic concepts
Concept 1 — פָּרָשַׁת הַמּוּסָפִין (Parshas HaMussafin): the pesukim of the Torah relating to the additional korban of the day. For Shabbos: Bamidbar 28:9-10 (2 pesukim). For Rosh Chodesh: Bamidbar 28:11-15 (5 pesukim). For Yom Tov: 10+ pesukim depending on the days.
Concept 2 — שְׁלֹשָׁה פְּסוּקִים לְכָל עוֹלֶה (3 pesukim per oleh): a codified rule — each oleh must read at least 3 pesukim of the Torah. Source: Megillah 21b. Consequence for Shabbos: the 2 pesukim of mussaf Shabbos are not sufficient to call up an oleh.
Concept 3 — וּבְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת (Mussaf paragraph): part of the Mussaf Amidah where the pesukim of Bamidbar 28:9-10 are quoted by heart. Compensation for the lack of public reading: we recite them in the individual tefillah instead of reading them from a sefer.
Concept 4 — Rosh Chodesh / Yom Tov-Shabbos: if Shabbos coincides with Rosh Chodesh or Yom Tov, we take out a second sefer for the pesukim of the additional day — because these pesukim are more than 3.
4. The seif broken down
| Element | Reading | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| "מה שאין מוציאין" | Rhetorical question — why we don't take out | A didactic siman — answers a reader's expectation |
| "בשבת ספר שני" | Regular Shabbos (non-Rosh Chodesh) | The exception applies only to a regular Shabbos |
| "לקרות פרשת המוספין" | Pesukim of Bamidbar 28:9-10 | Specifically the "korbanos mussafin" |
| "שאין בה אלא שני פסוקים" | Only 2 pesukim | Insufficient to call up an oleh (3 minimum) |
5. The Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah has 4 entries on this brief siman.
משנה ברורה (א) — פרשת המוספין: של שבת היא בפרשת פנחס "וביום השבת" — שני פסוקים בלבד.
Explanation: specifies the biblical reference. The pesukim are in parshas Pinchas (Bamidbar 28:9-10), beginning with "וביום השבת".
משנה ברורה (ב) — שני פסוקים: ואין יכול לקרות לפחות שלושה פסוקים מן הסידור הקבוע — כי השני פסוקים האלה הם פנים לעצמם, נושא נפרד מפרשת השבוע.
Explanation: the 2 pesukim are a topic of their own (Shabbos korbanos) — distinct from the weekly parshah. Therefore it is impossible to "complete" by reading 1 pasuk from another parshah to reach 3.
For all 4 complete entries: Mishnah Berurah 283.
6. The position of the Rema
The Rema adds no hagahah — the siman is unanimous.
Unanimous practice: all minhagim (Sefardim, Ashkenaz, Chabad) follow the same rule — only one sefer for a regular Shabbos.
7. Modern practical cases
| Situation | Conduct in practice |
|---|---|
| Regular Shabbos | Only one sefer Torah. The pesukim of Mussaf are recited in the Amidah. |
| Shabbos-Rosh Chodesh | 2 sefarim: (1) weekly parshah; (2) Rosh Chodesh (5 pesukim, sufficient for 1 oleh). |
| Shabbos of Chanukah | 2 sefarim: (1) parshah; (2) Chanukah pesukim (corresponding to the day of Chanukah). |
| Shabbos of Rosh Chodesh that falls on Chanukah | 3 sefarim! (1) parshah; (2) Rosh Chodesh; (3) Chanukah. |
| Shabbos of Yom Tov (Pesach, Sukkos, Shavuos) | 2-3 sefarim depending on the days. |
| Small minyan without 2 sefarim | Roll to the next passage (can take time on Shabbos). But do not omit. |
8. Practical summary of the siman
The 3 rules to remember from Siman רפ"ג:
- Regular Shabbos = 1 sefer Torah. No 2nd sefer for the pesukim of Mussaf.
- Reason: only 2 pesukim — insufficient for an oleh (minimum 3).
- Compensation: the pesukim are recited in the Mussaf Amidah ("וביום השבת...").
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- How many pesukim does the "parshas hamussafin" of Shabbos have?
- What is the rule of "3 pesukim per oleh"? Source?
- Why can't we complete with other pesukim?
- Where are the pesukim of mussaf Shabbos recited?
- When do we take out 2 sifrei Torah on Shabbos?
- When do we take out 3 sifrei Torah on Shabbos?
- What is the additional justification given by Tosfos (the uniform haftarah)?
To go further
If you want to delve deeper into this siman:
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