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May one perform Nefilas Apaim opposite a Sefer Torah? I began saying Tachanun and doing Nefilas Apayim after the Sefer Torah was placed on the Bima for Keria and someone told me that it is forbidden to do Nefilas Apaim opposite a Sefer Torah. Is this correct?
The above is incorrect and can be added to the list of halachic rumors which have no source in Jewish literature and are not accurate. Amongst all of the hundreds of detailed laws of Tachanun, including a list of detailed laws relating to Nefilas Apayim, and the laws are showing honor to a Sefer Torah, nowhere is such a restriction recorded. On the contrary, the law is that one may only perform Nefilas Apayim in a synagogue that has a Torah scroll, and the original wording of the Rokeiach who is the source of this law states, “one may only perform Nefilas Apayim in front of a Torah scroll.” The exact opposite of the above unsourced rumor. Furthermore, the law is that when one performs Nefilas Apayim it should be performed tilting towards the Aron. Furthermore, there is also no logic to prohibit such a thing. However, as is usually the case, false halachic rumors spread as a result of getting confused with a similar halachic concept that relates to something else. Perhaps the confusion that people have in this matter is due to the fact that it is forbidden to remove the head tefillin in front of a Sefer Torah, and people replaced the restriction of removing the head tefillin with putting the head down in front of the Torah scroll. Whatever the case, it is not the job of rabbis to perform search and rescue investigations into how the false halachic rumors spread, and the main thing is to enlighten the people with the true halachic accurate ruling.
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