Glossary

Key terms used throughout Virtual Tikkun, listed in alphabetical order.

Aliyah (עליה)

A section within a parsha. Each parsha has 7 aliyot, numbered 1 through 7, plus Maftir (M). During the Torah service, each aliyah is read by a different person.

Annual (Full) Kriyah

The reading cycle that covers the entire Torah in one year. Every verse of every parsha is read.

Bookmark

A saved aliyah that you're actively practicing. Bookmarks unlock Study mode features like flashcards and progress tracking.

Chumash

The text view showing Hebrew with vowels (nikud) and trope marks. This is the "answer key" for practice.

Collaboration

A shared learning partnership between two users (owner and collaborator) on a specific bookmark.

Column

A physical column in the Torah scroll. Torah scrolls are written in columns, and Virtual Tikkun navigates column by column.

Hebrew Year

The year in the Jewish calendar (e.g., 5786). Used to determine which parsha is read each week and which triennial year applies.

Kriyah

The reading cycle. Either "Full" (Annual — entire Torah in one year) or "Triennial" (one-third of each parsha per year, rotating over three years).

Maftir

The final short section of a parsha (designated "M"), often read by a bar/bat mitzvah or special honoree.

Nikud

Vowel points (dots and dashes) placed above and below Hebrew letters. The Torah scroll has no nikud; the Chumash text includes them.

Parsha (פרשה)

A weekly Torah portion. There are 54 parshas in the annual cycle, one read each Shabbat (with some doubled in shorter years).

Scroll / Sefer Torah

The handwritten Torah scroll. Virtual Tikkun uses high-resolution images of actual scrolls.

Shabbat

The Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). Torah readings take place during the Shabbat morning service.

Tikkun

(1) A traditional study book with side-by-side voweled and unvoweled text. (2) In Virtual Tikkun, the "Tikkun view" that shows Torah and Chumash side by side.

Torah

(1) The first five books of the Hebrew Bible. (2) In Virtual Tikkun, the "Torah view" showing scroll text without vowels.

Triennial

A three-year reading cycle where approximately one-third of each parsha is read each year. The specific third depends on the triennial year (Year 1, 2, or 3).

Trope / Cantillation

Musical notation marks in the Chumash text that indicate how each phrase should be chanted. Virtual Tikkun can highlight trope phrases with customizable colors.