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Kriyat HaTorah: Difference between revisions

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==Standing for Kriyat HaTorah==
==Standing for Kriyat HaTorah==
# It’s permissible to sit during Kriyat HaTorah and such is the minhag, yet some are strict to stand during Kriyat HaTorah (so as to hear it as if one is receiving it from Har Sinai when Bnei Yisrael was standing). During [[Barchu]] and Baruch HaMiverech LeOlam VeEd one should stand, however, many don’t stand and the minhag has what to rely on. <Ref>Mishna Brurah 146:18-20, Piskei Teshuvot 146:6. See Bear Heitiv 146:5 who quotes Magen Avraham that one should stand for brachot hatorah and the Shaar HaTziyun 146:20 who disagrees. </ref>
# It’s permissible to sit during Kriyat HaTorah<Ref> S.A 146:4 </ref> and such is the minhag. Some are strict to stand during Kriyat HaTorah (so as to hear it as if one is receiving it from Har Sinai when Bnei Yisrael were standing).<ref>  Rama 146:4 cites that this was the practice of the Maharam. M.B 176:19 quotes the Bach who explains that even the Maharam agrees that, strictly speaking, standing is not required.</ref> Nonetheless, one who has difficulty standing and therefore cannot focus on the leining should sit.<ref>M.B 146:19</ref>
# The Ashkenazic custom is to stand for Aseret Hadibrot, however, the Sephardic minhag is not to stand for Aseret HaDibdrot. If one is in a shul where the Rabbanim are sitting one should also sit and if one is in a shul that everyone is standing one should stand from the beginning for the parsha or at least the beginning of the aliyah. <ref>Sh"t Rambam 263, Sh"t Igrot Moshe OC 4:22, Yalkut Yosef 145-6:12 and 14, Shu"t Yechave Daat 1:29, Rav Chaim David Halevi in Shu"t Aseh Lecha Rav 6:21, Sh"t Teshuvot Vihanhagot 1:144, Rav Elyashiv in Ashrei Ish page 440 </ref>
#During [[Barchu]] and Baruch HaMiverech LeOlam VeEd one should stand.<ref>M.B 146:18 writes that according to everyone, one must stand at this point because this is a davar she’bekedusha</ref> However, many don’t stand and the minhag has what to rely on. <Ref>Mishna Brurah 146:18-20, Piskei Teshuvot 146:6. See Ba'er Heitiv 146:5 who quotes Magen Avraham that one should stand for brachot hatorah and the Shaar HaTziyun 146:20 who disagrees. One would have thought it would be required to stand for the entire Torah reading just as we stand for any davar sh’be’kedusha (i.e. Kaddish, Barechu, and other parts of the service that require a minyan).  However, Beit Hillel explain that since the Torah says regarding Kriat Shema “uvi’lechtecha va’derech” (Devarim 6:7), one may recite the Shema in any position (in Berachot 10a). By extension, Rav Soloveitchik thought that the same could be applied to any recital of psukim from the Torah and even during the berachot before the kriat ha’torah that one may listen in any position (Rav Schachter on yutorah.org “Inyonei Krias Hatorah” min. 56). Piskei Tshuvot 146:6 quotes from Rav Chayiim Vital who testifies about the Arizal that he would always sit during the leining and the Barechu preceding the leining.</ref>
# One may not stand in a shul where the local rabbi sits because of acting arrogantly (Yuhara). <ref>Rabbi Hershel Schachter in a [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/802935/Rabbi_Hershel_Schachter/Inyonei_Krias_Hatorah# shiur on yutorah.org "Inyonei Krias HaTorah"] (min 55)</ref>
# One may not stand in a shul where the local rabbi sits because of acting arrogantly (Yuhara). <ref>Rabbi Hershel Schachter in a [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/802935/Rabbi_Hershel_Schachter/Inyonei_Krias_Hatorah# shiur on yutorah.org "Inyonei Krias HaTorah"] (min 55) based on Baba Kama 86b where it says that any talmid who observes a midat chasidut which his rebbi doesn’t observe in the presence of his rebbi deserves to be excommunicated. See also Yalkut Yosef 145:12</ref>
===Standing for Aseret Hadibrot===
# Some have the custom to stand for the Aseret Hadibrot.<ref>The Rambam (Sh"t Harambam Siman 46) writes that we should prevent others from following the custom to stand because there is a concern that allowing people stand will lead to a lack of emuna in the sense that people might come to believe that the aseret hadibrot are more significant than the other psukim in the Torah.. The Chida writes that since we read the Torah every Shabbat we demonstrate that the entire Torah is true and we thus need not fear that people might begin to think that the 10 Dibrot are more significant than other psukim in the Torah. Additionally, Rav Hershel Schachter ([http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2010/parsha/rsch_vaeschanan.html The Aseres Hadibros]) writes that the fact that we read the psukim differently (i.e. by stopping after each dibur as if there is a sof passuk) is an indication that we are attempting to reenact maamaad har sinai, thus perhaps also for this reason it would be permitted to stand.</ref>This is the prevalent Ashkenazic custom<ref> Sh"t Igrot Moshe OC 4:22. Siddur Beit Yaakov, Shaarei Ephraiim, and the Chida (all quoted in Dirshu M.B 494:3) had this custom. This custom is based on the idea that we strive to remember and even emulate the manner in which the aseret hadibrot were given at Har Sinai.  Just as at Har Sinai the entire Jewish nation stood in awe and even trembled, so too, when we read the aseret hadibrot in shul many stand in an effort to re-experience Matan Torah. </ref> However, the Sephardic minhag is not to stand for Aseret HaDibdrot. see however R’ Elyashiv (in his shiurim on Berachot 12a) writes  the Rambam is truly correct that one should not stand.<ref>Yalkut Yosef 145-6:12 and 14, Shu"t Yechave Daat 1:29, Rav Chaim David Halevi in Shu"t Aseh Lecha Rav 6:21.  Chacham Ovadia Yosef (Yechave Daat 1:29 and Yalkut Yosef 145:12 writes that one should stop others from standing specifically for  the aseret hadibrot. All the more so, if someone decides to stand in a place where there are many talmidei chachamim who know the halacha who are sitting, one should stop him, as the person standing will otherwise be perceived as haughty. Chacham Ovadia concludes that many poskim who permit standing simply lost the tshuva of the Rambam.</ref>
# If one typically stands for the reading of the Torah throughout the rest of the year, there is certainly no issue standing during the reading of the aseret hadibrot.<ref>The issue the Rambam posed is simply not relevant if one is standing during the leining all year as no one will come to think that certain psukim are more important than others. Also, see Rav Hershel Schachter ([http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2010/parsha/rsch_vaeschanan.html The Aseres Hadibros]) </ref>
# Some hold that in a shul where many are standing one should nonetheless remain seated so as to teach others the proper practice.<ref>R’ Elyashiv (in his shiurim on Berachot 12a) writes  the Rambam is truly correct that one should not stand. Therefore even if everyone is standing, you should remain sitting because everyone else is acting incorrectly.
</ref> Nonetheless, others argue that one should join the practice of others around him and stand even if it is typically his custom to sit.<ref>Dirshu Mishna Brura 494:3 quotes Sh"t Dvar Shmuel and Avuhav 276 that in a place where everyone stands you should not stop this practice, because the intent is clear that people are trying to beautify their mitzvah performance as if they are going to greet the Shechina. Similarly, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach writes that since everyone knows that we are standing as a zecher le’maamad har sinai we should not stop people who stand. Since we also stand for other portions of the Torah such as Shirat Ha’yam we therefore need not be concerned. <br />
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein writes (O.C 4:22) that although logically it would seem to make sense to forbid people to stand, since on a practical level it has never happened that heretics have convinced Jews who are not knowledgeable that some psukim in the Torah are more important than others, we are therefore permitted to stand. Thus, if you are coming from a place where they never stood and you arrive at a place where everyone is standing you should join them.</ref> Some suggest that, in this scenario, he should stand from the beginning of the parsha or at least from the beginning of the aliya so as not to give off the impression that the psukim of the aseret hadibrot are more important than the rest of the Torah.<ref> Yalkut Yosef (145:14) writes that an individual who is in a shul in which they stand and he does not have the ability to change the practice of the shul should ensure to stand from the beginning of the Torah reading or at the very least from the moment the person called up for the aliya of the aseret hadibrot lest he end up sitting amongst everyone else who is standing which will be perceived as a disgrace to the kedusha of the aseret hadibrot.</ref>


==Procedure When Going up to the Torah==
==Procedure When Going up to the Torah==