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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.
What this seif says:
- Why is a second sefer Torah not taken out on an ordinary Shabbos, for the פרשת המוספין?
- The reason is arithmetical: שאין בה אלא שני פסוקים — it holds only two verses.
- And one does not call an oleh for fewer than three. The whole siman rests in that constraint.
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 22a. 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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