Parashat Masei
מַסְעֵי · Numbers 33:1 to 36:13, portion 10 of 10 in the book of Numbers.
Next reading
The year after
What happens in Masei
The portion lists the forty-two stops on Israel's journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab. It sets the borders of the land, names the leaders who will divide it, and gives the Levites forty-eight towns, six of them cities of refuge for someone who caused a death by accident. It ends, and the book of Numbers with it, with a rule that the daughters of Zelophehad marry within their tribe so the land stays with it.
אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְצִבְאֹתָם בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן
“These are the stages of the children of Israel, by which they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
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Reading this Shabbat?
Candle-lighting and havdalah times for every major city in Israel are on the Shabbat times pages, and the festival calendar lives under Jewish holidays.
Frequently asked questions
When is Parashat Masei read in 2027?+
On Shabbat 31 July 2027 (26 Tammuz 5787), in Israel and in the Diaspora alike. The year after, it is read on 22 July 2028.
What is Parashat Masei about?+
The portion lists the forty-two stops on Israel's journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab. It sets the borders of the land, names the leaders who will divide it, and gives the Levites forty-eight towns, six of them cities of refuge for someone who caused a death by accident. It ends, and the book of Numbers with it, with a rule that the daughters of Zelophehad marry within their tribe so the land stays with it.
Why is Masei sometimes read together with Matot?+
Most years have fewer free Shabbatot than portions: a festival that falls on Shabbat takes that Shabbat's reading, and a year without a second month of Adar is about four weeks shorter. So some neighbouring portions are read together, and Masei with Matot is one of those pairs.