10 Jun 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.
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.