<P> Most important are the verse endings . According to the Talmudic tradition, the division of the text into verses is of ancient origin . In Masoretic versions of the Bible, the end of a verse is indicated by a small mark in its final word called a silluq (which means "stop"). Less formally, verse endings are usually also indicated by two horizontal dots following the word with a silluq . </P> <P> The Masoretic textual tradition also contains section endings called parashot, which are usually indicated by a space within a line (a "closed" section) or a new line beginning (an "open" section). The division of the text reflected in the parashot is usually thematic . Unlike chapters, the parashot are not numbered, but some of them have special titles . </P> <P> In early manuscripts (most importantly in Tiberian Masoretic manuscripts, such as the Aleppo codex), an "open" section may also be represented by a blank line, and a "closed" section by a new line that is slightly indented (the preceding line may also not be full). These latter conventions are no longer used in Torah scrolls and printed Hebrew Bibles . In this system, the one rule differentiating "open" and "closed" sections is that "open" sections must always start at the beginning of a new line, while "closed" sections never start at the beginning of a new line . </P> <P> Another division of the biblical books found in the Masoretic text is the division of the sedarim . This division is not thematic, but is almost entirely based upon the quantity of text . For the Torah, this division reflects the triennial cycle of reading that was practiced by the Jews of the Land of Israel . </P>

What is considered a passage in the bible