The shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur is known as Shabbat Shuva.

Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 428:8 records two different customs as to what haftarah to read on this shabbat:

  1. Shuva Yisrael (Hoshea' 14:2)
  2. If Rosh HaShanah is on Monday or Tuesday, read Dirshu Hashem (Yesha'yahu 55:6) on the shabbat before Yom Kippur (and read Shuva Yisrael on the shabbat after Yom Kippur), otherwise read Shuva Yisrael on the shabbat before Yom Kippur.

Rema notes that the custom is like the first option.

Within that first option, there are further options about what precisely to read. Mishnah Berurah notes that because Hoshea' ends on something of a sour note, the custom is to add either:

a. Some verses from Michah

b. Some verses from Yoel

c. Both of these

d. One or the other of these, depending on what day of the week Rosh HaShanah fell

[To further complicate things, I think there is some debate about where the selection of verses from Yoel begins - 2:11 or 2:15. Also, within c. you have a choice of Hoshea' - Yoel - Michah or Hoshea' - Michah - Yoel.]

So, who does what?

Anecdotally, I think most (all?) Nusach Ashkenaz place I've been to do 1.c. in either order (Hoshea' - Yoel - Michah or Hoshea' - Michah - Yoel). [The latter seems weird to me as it involves jumping backwards and forwards within Trei 'Asar.]

I've also been to a Nusach Sefard place which always did 1.a. (Hoshea' + Michah).

Are there other common customs? What do the Germans do? Sefardim? Eidot HaMizrach? Yemenites? Italians?

Looking for as comprehensive an answer as possible.

  • 1
    "The shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur is known as Shabbat Shuva." - only because we pick option 1 of the Shulchan Aruch. If we went with option 2 it would only be called that in some years. The name comes from the haftara. – Heshy Aug 23 '18 at 13:06
  • Notably, some have a similar problem regarding ending Hoshea on a bad not for the Haftarah of Vayetzei. (Also just a side point, this represents the only piece of Yoel read in public, making Yoel the only one of the Trei Asar to have a reading from it that isn't a whole Haftarah, and the only one that doesn't have the conclusion of the book read.) – Double AA Aug 23 '18 at 14:12
  • @DoubleAA That may be the subject of a future question. It seems that common practice is not to add any verses after finishing Hoshea for haftarat Vayetzei (although MB recommends doing so). I wonder why common practice is to do so on Shabbat Shuva. (Possibly the respective lengths of the haftarot is a consideration?) – Joel K Aug 23 '18 at 14:24
  • Both Italians and Mizrachim seem to omit Yoel and say Hoshea and Mikhah – Kazi bácsi Aug 25 '18 at 20:19

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