Even though the Gemara knows all about the custom of maftir (מפטיר), the last aliyah of the Torah service, and the reading of the haftorah (הפטורה), complementary reading from the prophets), nowhere in the Talmud is is discussed their origins. Let me share with you two possibilities.
“For nearly 28 centuries, a community of people, called Samaritans have lived in Samaria, in the West Bank of the Jordan River (and now also in Holon, Israel-gg). Although the Samaritans are not Jews (according to rabbinic Judaism-gg), they strictly observe the laws in the Torah. They do not, however, believe that the Hebrew Prophets spoke the word of God.
“To Jewish leaders so long ago worried that the people might be influenced by the Samaritan belief that only the Torah is the word of God. These leaders may have started the practice of the Haftorah to show the holiness of the words of the Prophets along with the Torah. Jews would hear a portion from the Prophets read each week after the Torah portion. This practice would show that both portions were God’s word.
“The blessings we chant before and after the Haftorah suggests that this ‘Samaritan theory’ may be correct. The blessing before the reading stresses that the words of the prophets were inspired by God. God chose these Prophets, just as He chose the Torah, Moses and the people Israel…
“After reading the Haftorah, we thank God for honoring us by giving us not only the Torah, Shabbat (or the particular holiday), and the chance to worship Him, but also the prophets… By repeating that God gave us both the Torah and the books of the Prophets, the blessings before and after the Haftorah may have originally reminded the people of the difference between Samaritan and Jewish beliefs.
“According to another story, the practice of reading the Haftorah may have begun during the time of the Syrian king Antiochus. Antiochus wanted all his subjects to worship the Greek gods. On Hanukkah we recall how he mistreated his Jewish subjects. He forbade them to read or study the Torah.
“But the Jews found a way to get around this cruel law. Instead of reading the forbidden Torah portion of the week, they read a selection from the Prophets that reminded them in some way of the Torah portion.
“By the time the Jews had defeated
Antiochus, they become used to reading the Haftorah. This practice has
continued through the ages to her own time. (Basic Judaism for young people Volume
2: Torah, pages 20-22)
"The one who concludes with a reading from the Prophets may not read fewer than twenty-one verses, corresponding to the seven who read from the Torah. Each one who reads from the Torah must read at least three verses, for a total of at least twenty-one verses." Nevertheless, we know that there are several haftarot much shorter than 21 verses. The Gemara explains the rationale of this deviation. "Rava strongly objects to this baraita (the disagreement isn’t important for my blog’s point) : But there is the haftara that begins with the words: “Add your burnt offerings” (Jeremiah 7:21–28), which does not have twenty-one verses, and nevertheless we read it. The Gemara answers: There it is different, as the topic is completed in fewer than twenty-one verses, and it is not necessary to begin another topic merely to complete the number of verses " (Sefaria.org translation)
Back on TB Megillah
21b we learn that a Torah reading cannot have less than 10 verses . There tosefot ד"ה אין פוחתין raises the problem that the Torah reading on Purim
day, Exodus 17:8-16, has only nine verses. That’s one shy of the minimum. Their
answer is based on today's haftorah's legnth rationale. Because the topic is completed in fewer than ten verses, it is not necessary to
begin another topic merely to complete the number of verses. Consequently, we
have three aliyot
of three verses each on Purim day.
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