Refusing an aliyah

Hi,

If someone is called to the Torah and he refuses the aliyah, they should try to persuade him to take the aliyah. If he still refuses, they may call another person; the sin of refusal is his own.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:104:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An aliyah for a kohen who isn't davening

Hi,

If a kohen is not davening with the minyan in which he is present, such as where he has already davened and now he remains in the room to learn Torah, there is no obligation to call him for the first aliyah.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:103)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An interruption during an aliyah

Hi,

If the oleh (person who ascends to the Torah for an aliyah) recites the opening berachah, and then speaks before the reading begins, then he must recite a new opening berachah.

If the baal keriah (person reading the aliyah aloud) speaks after the opening berachah and before beginning the reading, there is no need for a new opening berachah.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:102)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Missed "Barchu"

Hi,

Normally, one who is called up for an aliyah to the Torah calls the congregation to bless G-d, saying "Barchu et HaShem hamevorach," and then, after the congregation responds, he continues with the berachah for the aliyah (asher bachar banu). If he forgets to begin with Barchu, then once he says HaShem's Name in the berachah for the aliyah, he does not go back to say Barchu.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:101)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Covering one's head when called to the Torah

Hi,

Am I required to cover my head when receiving an aliyah, or when serving as Baal Keriah?

The Rama wrote that one may not read the Torah with "an uncovered head." This statement seems odd, since we require a yarmulka for all of davening!

The Mishneh Berurah explained that the Rama was referring to a child, saying that he is exempt from the standard yarmulka requirement but he must wear one when reading from the Torah. On the other hand, the Aruch haShulchan understood that the Rama required a hat. Customs vary in this regard, and one should follow local practice.

It is worth noting that some authorities rule that an unmarried man should never cover his head with a tallis.

(Rama Orach Chaim 282:3; Magen Avraham 8:3; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 282:10; Mishneh Berurah 282:16; Biur Halachah 14 sha'alah; Shaarei Ephraim 3:18; Tefillah l'Hilchasah 16:34; www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/726345)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Calling a Yisrael instead of a Kohen

Hi,

[I've never seen this done, but:]

On Mondays and Thursdays in a shul with sparse minyan attendance, one may call a Yisrael for the first aliyah even with a Kohen present, assuming the Kohen permits it. This will not apply for Shabbat and Yom Tov, though.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 3:20)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Aliyah without a berachah

Hi,

There may be no public Torah reading without a berachah; each aliyah is required to have a berachah. Shuls which read the "tochachah" [portions of Parshat Bechukotai and Ki Tavo which predict horrible punishments for the Jewish people when they sin] without a berachah are mistaken, and should change their practice.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:35)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A kohen who married a divorcee

Hi,

If a kohen marries a divorcee, he no longer receives the first aliyah to the Torah, but he may receive other aliyot despite his sin.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:33)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The blessings for Torah reading and the Haftorah

Hi,

The person who recites the blessings for the Haftorah (as well as all of the Aliyot) should make sure to recite the blessings aloud, such that everyone will be able to hear and respond 'Amen.' When the congregation replies 'Amen' it is as though they had recited the blessings themselves.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:3; Mishneh Berurah 284:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

After an aliyah

Hello,

One who receives an aliyah should not descend from the bimah after the aliyah until the next person has come up, so as to preserve the honor of the Torah and not leave it unattended.

However, it is also inappropriate to descend during the ensuing aliyah, lest one miss part of the Torah reading.

Therefore, people customarily wait until after the following aliyah, during the inter-aliyah gap, to descend from the bimah and return to their seats.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:7; Mishneh Berurah 141:26)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Ascending and Descending the bimah

Hi,

One who receives an aliyah should ascend the bimah via the shortest possible route, both to show his desire for the mitzvah and to respect the time of the waiting community.

However, after the aliyah one should return to his seat via a longer route, to show he is not in a rush to leave the mitzvah.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:7; Mishneh Berurah 141:22-23)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Family members in sequential aliyot

Hello,


We avoid calling up two brothers, or a father and son, for sequential aliyot, due to concern for the jealous evil eye of others who are present. If the shul does not call people up by name, though, so that the relationship is not publicized, then this is permitted.

This aversion applies even to a sequence of shvii and maftir, unless maftir will be from a different Sefer Torah.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:6; Mishneh Berurah 141:20-21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Baal Keriah's "Amen"

Hi,

Many readers are probably familiar with the traditional, extended "Ah-maaaay-ayn" sung by the baal keriah before beginning to read the aliyah.

There is a halachic purpose for this tuneful response to the pre-aliyah berachah: The baal keriah is not permitted to begin the aliyah until all "Amen" responses are done, so that people will be able to listen, so this warns the congregation that the aliyah is about to begin.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:5; Mishneh Berurah 141:17)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Who stands with the baal keriah?

Hi,

Our practice is to have two people stand with the person reading from the Torah, even if he is the one receiving the aliyah.

This is supposed to reflect what happened on Mount Sinai: One person, usually the gabbai who calls people to the Torah, represents HaShem. The baal keriah then represents Moshe, and the third party represents the Jewish people receiving the Torah.

(Mishneh Berurah 141:16)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reading along with the Baal Keriah

Hi,

The person who is called to the Torah for an aliyah must read, preferably from the Torah itself, along with the baal keriah. He should not read so loudly that he drowns out the baal keriah, though.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Posture during an aliyah

Hello,

The baal keriah (Torah reader) and the person who receives an aliyah must stand during the Torah reading. They may not even lean on anything.

One who is ill or infirm may lean on something, but he should not lean on the table on which the Torah rests. That table is dedicated solely for use with the Torah.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 141:1; Mishneh Berurah 141:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Holding the Torah during an aliyah

Hi,

One who receives an aliyah to the Torah should hold on to the Torah's roller during both the berachah and the aliyah.

We also customarily kiss the Torah after the aliyah, generally by kissing tzitzit of a tallit and touching them to the spot. One should be careful, though, not to scrape the letters of the Torah when doing this.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 139:11; Mishneh Berurah 139:35-36)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The berachah after an aliyah

Hi,

After each aliyah, the oleh (person who received the aliyah) recites a blessing thanking Gd for giving us תורת אמת, a Torah of truth, and for planting within us חיי עולם, eternal life. The former phrase refers to the written Torah, and the latter refers to the Torah's verbal explanation, passed down through the ages.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 139:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The berachah before an aliyah

Hello,

The berachah before an aliyah should be recited loud enough for at least a minyan to hear, but the community has fulfilled its obligation to hear the Torah reading even if no one heard the berachah.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 139:6; Mishneh Berurah 139:23-25)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The berachah before an aliyah

Hello,

One who is called to the Torah recites a berachah before the aliyah. One should make sure to look away from the Torah's text, or to close his eyes, lest it appear that the blessing itself appears in the Torah.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 139:4; Mishneh Berurah 139:19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai