Shnayim Mikra

How to do Shnayim Mikra

שְׁנַיִם מִקְרָא וְאֶחָד תַּרְגּוּם — literally, twice Scripture, and once translation.

The formula

מִקְרָאמִקְרָאתַּרְגּוּם

The simplest accepted way is to read each pasuk twice in Hebrew and once in Targum Onkelos. For someone who does not understand Hebrew or Aramaic and prefers not to read Targum Onkelos together with an English translation, some poskim allow reading each pasuk twice in Hebrew, followed by Rashi’s commentary in a language they understand, such as an English translation of Rashi, in place of Targum.

In Settings, you can choose whether to display Targum Onkelos and/or Rashi. You can also set whether English translations appear by default.

By when

  1. EarliestShabbos afternoon, from MinchahWhen the community first reads the start of the coming parsha.
  2. Best startSunday morningMany split it by day to match the aliyot — Rishon on Sunday, Sheni on Monday, and so on.
  3. Best finishFriday, after chatzos
  4. DeadlineBefore the Shabbos day mealIf missed, there is until Minchah on Shabbos.
  5. If you missed ShabbosUntil Tuesday nightThe first three days of the week are still tied to the Shabbos before.
  6. Weeks behindUntil Simchat TorahThe day the community finishes the cycle is the last chance to make up whatever is outstanding.

This app moves to the coming week's parsha once Shabbos is out, and every parsha keeps its own progress — so an older one waits exactly where you left it while you keep up with this week.

This is just a simple description, not a ruling — this app is not a posek. For what your own practice should be, ask your rav.