The Torah, that is the Pentateuch, in the Jewish tradition is not divided into chapters and verses, but rather into 54 parashot, which is the plural of parashah, meaning the subdivisions of the sacred text in accordance with the synagogue reading cycle, which provides for the completion of the entire Pentateuch over the course of the year. Each parashah has a title that defines the subject matter or is based on the opening words of the passage in question. The term is of uncertain origin, and probably derives from the Hebrew root parash, which means either "to explain", "to unfold" or "to separate".
Source: "Gli ebrei questi sconosciuti" by Elena Loewenthal