haftarah

/ˌhɑːftɑːˈɹɑː/

Etymology

From Hebrew הַפְטָרָה (haftará), also through Yiddish הפֿטרה (haftore). The alternative spellings with -or- and pronunciations with /ɔːɹ/ – which may appear even outside of Ashkenazi pronunciation traditions – may possibly be strengthened due to influence from Torah or reanalysis to half + Torah, as the haftarah follows the reading of the Torah and is of secondary importance.

Why this word is great

HAFTARAH — [Noun] A selection from the books of Nevi'im and Ketuvim of the Tanach, read in synagogue after the weekly Torah portion. From Hebrew הַפְטָרָה (haftará, "parting, taking leave"), from the verb פָּטַר (patar, "to dismiss, release"), possibly influenced by Yiddish הפֿטרה (haftore). Unlike "parashah" (the Torah's measured cadence) or "sermon" (the rabbi's improvisation), the haftarah is a bridge—ancient voices answering ancient text. It is the rasp of Isaiah's rebuke still hanging in the air after Leviticus' meticulous rites, the comfort of Jeremiah's promise following Deuteronomy's stern warnings, or the ache of Hannah's whispered prayer lingering like incense after the scroll is rolled shut. A reminder that every ending carries the weight of what comes next.

noun

A selection from the books of Nevi'im and Ketuvim of the Tanach, usually corresponding to the week's parashah, publicly read in synagogue following the parashah.“Recent scholars, on the other hand, without much show of reason, as it would appear, variously hold the Haftarah to have sprung from the sermon or homiletic exercise which accompanied the reading in the Pentateuch, and took its exordium (as Haftarah, by an extraordinary linguistic passage, adapted in a manner to the Mosaic text under consideration; or, again, they imagine the Haftarah to have take”