Taanis Chapter 4, Mishnah 3: The Mamados and the Reading of Maaseh Bereshit

Krias HaTorah Fast Days The Temple and its Service

Listen0:00 / 0:00

Taanis, Chapter 4, Mishnah 3. This mishnah describes the routine of the anshei maamad: who they were, and what they would do during the days of their maamad.

The fast days of the anshei maamad:

The anshei maamad would fast four days a week, from Monday through Thursday. Two days were excluded:

Erev Shabbos - out of respect for Shabbos, so that they should not enter it hungry.
Sunday - so that they should not go straight from rest and delight into hardship and fasting, since their bodies could not withstand so extreme a change from physical enjoyment to a fast, and they were liable to fall ill or to endanger themselves.

The order of reading the account of Creation:

The mishnah spells out how the Torah reading of the parshiyos of Creation was conducted. Each day two short parshiyos were read, with the last parashah of the previous day read again at the beginning of the next day:

On Sunday: "Bereishis" and "Yehi rakia".
On Monday: "Yehi rakia" and "Yikavu hamayim".
On Tuesday: "Yikavu hamayim" and "Yehi me'oros".
On Wednesday: "Yehi me'oros" and "Yishretzu hamayim".
On Thursday: "Yishretzu hamayim" and "Totzei ha'aretz".
On Friday: "Totzei ha'aretz" and "Vayechulu hashamayim".

Dividing the parshiyos among the readers:

Among the parshiyos listed, some are long and some are short: the long ones contain more than three verses, and the short ones contain only three verses. Since anyone called up to the Torah must read at least three verses, the rule was established: "hagedolah bishnayim vehaketanah beyachid" - a long parashah is divided between two people called up, and a short parashah is read by a single person.

For example, in a parashah of five verses the practice is like our practice on Rosh Chodesh: the first person called up reads three verses, and the one after him repeats the last verse that was read and adds the next two verses. In this way, even though the total number of verses in the two parshiyos is only eight, three aliyos can be drawn from them.

The times of the reading:

At Shacharis - at the time of the morning prayer.
At Mussaf - on the days that have a Mussaf prayer.
At Minchah - "nichnasin vekorin al pihen": they would gather in the synagogue and read by heart, without taking out a Torah scroll, "kekorin es Shema" - the way one recites Shema by heart.

On Erev Shabbos, at the time of Minchah, they would not gather in the synagogue for this reading at all - out of respect for Shabbos, and because of the need to prepare for it.

In summary: in this mishnah we learned the routines of the anshei maamad - the four fast days from Monday through Thursday, refraining from fasting on Erev Shabbos and on Sunday, the order of reading the parshiyos of Creation over the six days of the week, dividing a long parashah between two readers and a short one to a single reader, and the times of the reading at Shacharis, at Mussaf and at Minchah - including the reading by heart at Minchah, and its cancellation on Erev Shabbos out of respect for Shabbos.

Original maamar

אות תענית ד:ג

וְאַנְשֵׁי הַמַּעֲמָד הָיוּ מִתְעַנִּין אַרְבָּעָה יָמִים בַּשָּׁבוּעַ, מִיּוֹם שֵׁנִי וְעַד יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי. וְלֹא הָיוּ מִתְעַנִּין עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת, מִפְּנֵי כְבוֹד הַשַּׁבָּת. וְלֹא בְאֶחָד בַּשַּׁבָּת, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יֵצְאוּ מִמְּנוּחָה וָעֹנֶג לִיגִיעָה וְתַעֲנִית וְיָמוּתוּ. בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, בְּרֵאשִׁית, וִיְהִי רָקִיעַ. בַּשֵּׁנִי, יְהִי רָקִיעַ, וְיִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם. בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם, וִיְהִי מְאֹרֹת. בָּרְבִיעִי, יְהִי מְאֹרֹת, וְיִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם. בַּחֲמִישִׁי, יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם, וְתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ. בַּשִּׁשִּׁי, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ, וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם. פָּרָשָׁה גְדוֹלָה, קוֹרִין אוֹתָהּ בִּשְׁנַיִם, וְהַקְּטַנָּה בְּיָחִיד, בַּשַּׁחֲרִית וּבַמּוּסָף. וּבַמִּנְחָה נִכְנָסִין וְקוֹרִין עַל פִּיהֶן, כְּקוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע. עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בַּמִּנְחָה לֹא הָיוּ נִכְנָסִין, מִפְּנֵי כְבוֹד הַשַּׁבָּת: And the members of the non-priestly watch, who represented the entire community that week, would fast four days a week, from Monday until Thursday. And they would not fast on Shabbat eve, in deference to Shabbat, as they did not wish to start Shabbat while fasting. And they did not fast on Sunday, so as not to go from rest and delight immediately to exertion and fasting, and run the risk that they might die as a result of the abrupt change. Which portions of the Torah would the members of the non-priestly watch read on each day? On Sunday they would read the portions starting with: “In the beginning” and “Let there be a firmament” (Genesis 1:1–8). On Monday they would read: “Let there be a firmament” and “Let the waters be gathered” (Genesis 1:9–13). On Tuesday they would read: “Let the waters be gathered” and “Let there be lights” (Genesis 1:14–19). On Wednesday: “Let there be lights” and “Let the waters swarm” (Genesis 1:20–23). On Thursday: “Let the waters swarm” and “Let the earth bring forth” (Genesis 1:24–31). On Friday: “Let the earth bring forth” and “And the heaven and the earth were finished” (Genesis 2:1–3). A long passage, consisting of six verses or more, is read by two people, and a short passage is read by one, as one cannot read fewer than three verses from the Torah together. They read from the Torah in the morning prayer and in the additional prayer. In the afternoon prayer the members of the non-priestly watch enter the synagogue and read the daily portion by heart, just as one recites Shema every day. On Shabbat eve at the afternoon prayer, they would not enter the synagogue for the communal Torah readings, in deference to Shabbat.