How to Chant the Haftarah
The Haftarah is a passage from one of the Books of the Prophets which is chanted in Hebrew in synagogues on the Sabbath and festivals. It is chanted using special melodies called "tropes" which evolved to indicate phrasing and punctuation to listeners who could not read the text. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah usually is the first time that a young man or woman chants the Haftarah and the accompanying prayers.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Selected passage to chant
- List of the text markers for the tropes
- Tape or audio file with the tropes
- Tape or audio file of the passage as it should be chanted
- Tape or audio file of the prayers that precede and follow the Haftarah
- Time to practice
Instructions
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1
Begin by reading the passage aloud without the melody until you can do it fluently. Pay attention to which syllable gets the emphasis.
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2
Listen to the first trope and sing it over again until you are comfortable. Sing it using the words of the first phrase until you can do it smoothly. Go to the text and find all the places where it appears. Mark the text so you can find the places easily.
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3
Sing each phrase slowly using the indicated tropes. Make sure you are putting the emphasis on the correct syllable.
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4
Practice until you can chant it fluently.
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5
Repeat for each successive trope until you have completed the passage. Practice connecting each phrase with the one that goes before and after.
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6
Practice the prayers that are sung before and after the Haftarah.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are a beginner, get a tutor or teacher to help you.
There are different tropes for reading from the Torah (Hebrew Bible).
Depending on your skill level with the Hebrew and with the melodies it can take a year or more to learn how to do this.
In choosing your passage, make sure there is no Bar or Bat Mitzvah that day or someone else will already be scheduled to do it.
