10 Jan RESPECTING A SEFER TORAH

The Mishnah in Pirkei
Avos states “anyone
who honors the torah
will be honorable in
the eyes of the world,
and if one does not
honor the torah, he
will be disgraceful in
the eyes of the world.”
A person is obligated
to show great honor to a sefer torah. It is
a mitzvah to keep it in a designated place.
One may not spit before it, and one may
not treat it in a disrespectful manner. The
mitzvah to show the proper respect for a
sefer torah is d’oraisa.
Standing Before The Sefer Torah
One who sees a sefer torah in transit is
required to stand (refer below how long).
This is derived from a kal v’chomer of a
talmid chachum. Just as one is required
to stand before a talmid chachum, how
much more so, one must stand when a
sefer torah is in transit. All people are
obligated in this mitzvah to stand for the
sefer torah.A weak or old person may sit.
How Many Times A Day
The obligation to stand for a sefer torah
is twice a day. Some poskim are of the
opinion that one has to stand every
time he sees the sefer torah in transit.
The reason being that those people first
entering a shul or bais medrash, will not
have known that the person previously
stood for the sefer torah.
How To Stand
The Mishnah Berurah is of the opinion
that one has to stand his full height
when standing for the sefer torah. Others
maintain this is not necessary. Some say
that if one is standing and sees a sefer
torah in transit, he should sit, and then
stand up again, to show the proper honor
to the sefer torah.
Until When Does One Have To Stand
The obligation to stand before a sefer
torah is up until the sefer torah reaches
its designated place or until one cannot
see it anymore.[16] When a sefer torah
is being brought to a bimah that is on a
high platform, one may sit when the sefer
torah reaches the platform, before being

placed on the bimah, since the bimah is
in its own property. If one wants to do a
hiddur and stand, he may do so.[When a
sefer torah is being brought to a bimah
that is not on a platform, then one may
sit when the sefer torah is placed on the
bimah.If one does not see the sefer torah,
one should remain standing.
If One Hears The Bells Of The Sefer
Torah
One should be stringent and stand for the
sefer torah even if one does not see the
sefer torah, but hears the bells.This seems
to be the accepted custom.
Which Sefer Torah Is One Obligated
To Stand For
Many poskim maintain that one has to
stand for a posul sefer torah just as one
must stand for a kosher one. The minhag
seems to be lenient, that one does not
have to stand for any nach, even if it is
written on parchment.
When Busy With Other Mitzvahs
One who is in middle of learning must
nevertheless stand for a sefer torah. If one
is in midst of learning, and he is unaware
that a sefer torah is in transit, there is
no obligation for someone else to alert
him. One who is holding a sefer torah
in his hand, does not have to stand when
another sefer torah is in transit. When one
is reciting tachnun and the sefer torah is
in transit he should stand.
Standing During Hakafos
Many poskim maintain that one does not
have to stand when the sifrei torah are
being held by people who are dancing
with them. The following is some of the
reasons. The obligation to stand is when
the sefer torah is in transit, however, in
this situation the entire area where the
sefer torah is being held, is considered
its place.Furthermore, the people dancing
around are a division between the person
sitting and the sefer torah. Some poskim
say that one should stand unless he is
weak. Others say if one wants to sit, he
should take a chair or shtender and place
it before him. Horav Shlomo Zalman
Aurbach zt”l maintains that one should
stand for the first hakafa, since the first
one is an obligation, and the others are
a minhag. During the mizmorim that is

recited between hakafos, one may
sit, according to all poskim.
Standing When The Aaron
Kodesh Is Opened
According to the basic premise of
the law, there is no obligation to
stand while the aaron kodesh is
opened (if the aaron kodesh is 4 by
4 tefachim wide and 10 tefachim
high),nonetheless, it is common
practice that when the aaron kodesh
is opened one stands.When the
aaron kodesh is opened for the purpose
of taking out the sefer torah and reading
from it one must stand.A weak or old
person does not have to stand when the
aaron kodesh is opened.
Ones Back To The Sefer Torah
One is not allowed to turn his back to a
sefer torah, unless the sefer torah is in
its proper place (at least ten tefachim
high).This would explain how a Rav is
able to speak to his mispallalim with his
back towards the aaron kodesh.The same
reasoning applies when the kohanim
duchin with their backs to the sefer torah.
Some reason that it is permitted because
the speech is an honor of the torah,
therefore, the Rav’s back to the sefer
torah, is not a disgrace.When reading the
haftorah, the one who performed hagbah
should move to the side of the bimah. By
doing this, the one reading the haftorahs
back is not directly in the direction of the
sefer torah.During hakafos it is common
for one to dance in front of someone who
is holding a sefer torah, thus his back
is towards the sefer torah, however, the
poskim maintain this is permitted.
A Sefer Torah Which Falls Chas
V’sholom
There is a minhag yisroel that if a
person chas v’sholom drops a sefer
torah, even if it’s in its case one must
fast. Some say even those people that
were present at the time the sefer torah
fell must fast, while others maintain
that this is not necessary. If a sefer
torah falls in the aaron kodesh itself, no
fasting is necessary.Some poskim say
that one does not have to fast when the
sefer torah falls rather one should give
money to redeem his fasting.Women
do not have to fast.If fasting will cause

one not to learn as well, one does not have
to fast. Some poskim maintain that every
Rav should decide on his own whether or
not his kehilla should fast.
Placing A Sefer Torah In A Bench With
Holes
In order to prevent a sefer torah from
falling out of one’s hands a bench with
holes was brought into many shuls. There
is a disagreement among the poskim
whether or not one may place a sefer
torah in a bench that contains holes to fit
the atzei chaim in.Horav Moshe Feinstein
zt”l maintained that it is not permitted.
Some say if a situation arises whereby
there is no one available in the shul to
hold the sefer torah, then one may place
the sefer torah in the bench with holes.
Giving A Sefer Torah To A Child
Giving a sefer torah to a young child to
hold is a disgrace to the sefer torah and
should not be done.Some poskim do not
agree with the practice of giving the sefer
torah to a young child at hakafos, even if
an adult holds onto the top of it.