Shabbos Bulletin Parshas MIshpatim 5776

Tefilla Halacha

The scheduling of this week’s haftarah is both infrequent and sporadic. In most years, we read a different haftarah for Shabbos Mishpatim, and, occasionally, there is a gap of many years between one reading of Hadavar (what we are reading this year) and the next. The reason for this is not as complicated is it sounds. Parshas Mishpatim almost always falls on the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh Adar. In non-leap years, on that Shabbos we read parshas Shekalim for maftir and, therefore, we read the special haftarah for Shabbos Shekalim which is in sefer Melachim. As a result, almost the only time we read Hadavar is in a leap year, when Shekalim is read on or immediately before Rosh Chodesh of the second Adar – since it is the month immediately preceding Nissan – and Mishpatim falls before the first Adar. (There is a very occasional common year, such as 5785, when parshas Terumah falls on Rosh Chodesh Adar and is therefore the Shabbos on which we read Shekalim. In those years, we indeed read Hadavar on Mishpatim in a common year.)

Even in a leap year, when Shekalim never coincides with Mishpatim, there are years when Shabbos Mishpatim falls either on Rosh Chodesh or on Erev Rosh Chodesh. In these instances, we read the special haftaros for Rosh Chodesh or for Erev Rosh Chodesh. As a result, at times, many years go by until we again read Hadavar.

Below is a schedule of the Haftarah reading for Parshas Mishpatim for the next few years:

• 14 February 2015 – Shabbat Shekalim
• 06 February 2016 – Hadavar
• 25 February 2017 – Shabbat Shekalim
• 10 February 2018 – Shabbat Shekalim
• 02 February 2019 – Hadavar
• 22 February 2020 – Shabbat Shekalim
• 13 February 2021 – Shabbat Rosh Chodesh
• 29 January 2022 – Hadavar
• 18 February 2023 – Shabbat Shekalim
• 10 February 2024 – Shabbat Rosh Chodesh
• 22 February 2025 – Hadavar
• 14 February 2026 – Shabbat Shekalim
• 06 February 2027 – Shabbat Machar Chodesh
• 26 February 2028 – Shabbat Shekalim