From the Rav’s Desk: Transporting a Sefer Torah Between Synagogues – Halachic Guidelines for the Shabbos before Yud Shevat and Gimmel Tammuz (Monday, 8th shevat)

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Transporting a Sefer Torah Between Synagogues – Halachic Guidelines for the Shabbos before Yud Shevat and Gimmel Tammuz

 Question

Is it permitted on the Shabbos before Yud Shevat or Gimmel Tammuz for a shul to bring a Sefer Torah from another shul in order to have more than one reading, so that everyone can receive an aliyah, as is customary on these special Shabbosim?

Answer

In principle, there is nothing wrong with doing so, provided that the established halachic guidelines for moving a Sefer Torah are followed. These include:

  • The Sefer Torah should be brought before Shabbos, ideally on Erev Shabbos, and placed in the Aron Kodesh of the shul where it will be used.
  • It should remain there for at least two days (Friday and Shabbos).
  • It is proper to arrange that the Sefer Torah be read from three times, such as in different minyanim or for Mincha, if possible.

What is not permitted is to decide in the before, or in middle, of davening on Shabbos morning to walk over to another shul and bring a Sefer Torah simply so more people can receive aliyot. This falls directly under the prohibition of moving a Sefer Torah without sufficient reason. In such a case, the correct approach is to bring the minyan to the location of the Sefer Torah and conduct the reading there, rather than moving the Sefer Torah elsewhere. While giving aliyot on the Shabbat before Yud Shevat is an important custom, it certainly does not override basic halachic principles of Kevod Sefer Torah, and hence either advance arrangements must be made, or Minyanim should take place in the areas of the available Sifrei Torah when doing so last minute.

Sources:

See regarding the general prohibition against moving a Torah scroll: Michaber 135:14; 584:3; Yerushalmi Yuma 7:1, brought in Beis Yosef 135 “In all places we say one must go to the Sefer Torah and not have the Sefer Torah come to him”; Mordechai Rosh Hashanah 710; Maharam Merothenberg 23; See Piskeiy Teshuvos 135:23-29

See regarding allowance to move If the Sefer Torah will remain in a set up Aron for a few days: Rama 135:14; Darkei Moshe 135:10; Maharam Padvah 88; See Piskeiy Teshuvos 135:25

See regarding reading three readings in the Sefer Torah: Aruch Hashulchan 135:32; Toras Chaim Sofer 135:16; Siach Yitzchak 1:77 that so was custom in Preshburg; Menuchas Moshe 16 that so is custom; Toras Yekusiel Tinyana 87; Igros Moshe 5:2-13; Pnei Baruch 10:24 that so is custom; See Poskim in Nitei Gavriel 97:2 footnote 5; See Shulchan Menachem 5:153 footnote 17 for different accounts of the Rebbe regarding Aveilus and that the Rebbe gave an option of how to circumvent the issue of the three readings; In Toras Menachem 1988 1:349 this custom of reading the Sefer Torah on three occasions is mentioned, however not with regards to Beis Havel; See Chikrei Minhagim 4:120;  Yalkut Avraham 135; Shaareiy Rachamim on Shaar Ephraim 9:22; Kinyan Torah 4:18; Nitei Gavriel 97:2 that from the letter of the law it is not required; There is no source in the Poskim [earlier than the Poskim mentioned in next footnote] that require reading from the Sefer Torah on three different occasions-Shaareiy Rachamim 9:24; Halichos Shlomo 12:38 in name of Rav SZ”A

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.