<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">.</div><div dir="ltr">Y'all had some pretty good ideas, but MY Current Futile Life Project is to find a Chumash publisher who will give reasonable instructions for unusual haftaras. I'm just a guy in shul. I might remember whether this is a leap year or not, but without a luach in my hand, I have no idea whether *next* week is a double parsha or not. <div><br></div><div>There's no such thing as "Haftara for Parshas Mattos". If Divrei Yirmiyahu would be labeled as "Haftara for the first Shabbos of the Three Weeks", it would not need any other instructions at all. But if you look in your Chumash you'll probably find several sentences describing leap years, and whether Matos and Masei are read together or not.</div><div><br></div><div>Likewise, "Haftara for Pinchas" should be renamed as "Haftara for Pinchas when it is before 17 Tammuz" or "... before the Three Weeks".</div><div><br></div><div>Similarly for Vayelech and Haazinu. Even if someone is a Mechalel Shabbos, if his Judaism is strong enough to bring him to shul on Shabbos morning, then he almost surely knows whether Rosh Hashana was last week or next week. Rename "Shuva" as "Haftara for the Shabbos between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur", and be done with it.</div><div><br></div><div>There are many other instructions which can be similarly simplified. I'd gladly produce a full list - for free! - if I thought any publisher would actually use it.</div><div><br></div><div>Akiva Miller</div></div>
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