Closed Parsha

בראשית כח,י: וַיֵּצֵּא יַעֲקֹּב מִּבְאֵּר שָּבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָּרָּנָּה
The Baal HaTurim writes that there are those that say that this Parshiya is “closed” because Yaacov left in secret and fled under the cloak of disguise.

The commonly used system of chapter numbers is not a masoric origin or from any Jewish source. Rather the chapter numbers were invented by gentile Bible scholars.

There are two types of "parshiya" divisions according to the masorah:

• פתוחות = open (indicated in the printed Chumash by a large פ)
  [A gap of blank spaces until the end of a line; the next 'parshiya' begins at the start of the next line.]
• סתומות = closed (indicated in the printed Chumash by a large ס)
  [A gap of at least nine spaces; the next parshia can begin on that very same line.]

As a rule of thumb, a "parshiya pesucha" usually indicates a major change of topic, while a "parshiya stumah" indicates a more subtle one.

As you from the above example, the first verse ends with a large פ Then, after two more pesukim, that section ends with a large ס