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Communications

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Conservative Judaism's current Torah-reading practices have become more ritualistic than meaningful, creating an urgent need to reimagine how modern congregations engage with sacred text. A five-year cyclical approach to Torah reading emerges as a compelling alternative to both the traditional annual cycle and contemporary pseudo-triennial system. Through critical analysis of existing liturgical practices and their effectiveness in modern congregational settings, this research reveals how current approaches fail to address fundamental challenges: volunteer readers struggle to prepare extensive material, while congregants grapple with limited Hebrew proficiency and biblical knowledge. The proposed five-year cycle would dedicate each year to a single book of the Torah, requiring redistribution of portions, new haftarah selections, and publication of revised Hebrew-English editions. While the pseudo-triennial cycle has devolved into "mere formal ritual, devoid of content," and the traditional annual cycle no longer meets contemporary needs, implementing a five-year cycle would enable more focused study of shorter portions rather than perfunctory reading of lengthy passages. This solution aligns with Conservative Judaism's philosophical commitment to evolutionary development of Torah-centered practice while better serving modern Jewish communities' educational and spiritual needs.

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    Published 1975

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