Dear Gaabai, Please make sure that Hagba during these weeks is performed in a way that is proper kavod haTorah and shouldn't give anyone in shul, heart failure. There's been too many close calls where people near the bima end up catching the sefer.
As we read the parshios of Breishis the sefer Torah is rolled that the left side is heavier making it harder for a righty to lift up during Hagbah. The newer sifrei Torah are lighter but older sifrei torah are heavier.
The Mishna Berura writes that Hagbah should be given to someone who has the strength to lift and turn the Torah without needing to sit immediately. If one knows they do not have the strength to do it properly they should decline the honor. Although generally one should not turn down an invitation for an Aliyah, we don’t find this with Hagbah, albeit the greater honor.
A Few important tips:
1) Please whoever is performing Hagbaa ask them if they have the strength and technique to lift the sefer Torah. Try giving to lefty's or able bodied men.
2) Gelilah should also be given to someone with knowledge to immediately secure the atzei chaim and begin rolling the sefer Torah
3) Very important for the Gabbai to stand nearby within an arms length until after gelilah is done.
Thank You
K. H.
As we read the parshios of Breishis the sefer Torah is rolled that the left side is heavier making it harder for a righty to lift up during Hagbah. The newer sifrei Torah are lighter but older sifrei torah are heavier.
The Mishna Berura writes that Hagbah should be given to someone who has the strength to lift and turn the Torah without needing to sit immediately. If one knows they do not have the strength to do it properly they should decline the honor. Although generally one should not turn down an invitation for an Aliyah, we don’t find this with Hagbah, albeit the greater honor.
A Few important tips:
1) Please whoever is performing Hagbaa ask them if they have the strength and technique to lift the sefer Torah. Try giving to lefty's or able bodied men.
2) Gelilah should also be given to someone with knowledge to immediately secure the atzei chaim and begin rolling the sefer Torah
3) Very important for the Gabbai to stand nearby within an arms length until after gelilah is done.
Thank You
K. H.
Yamod h'lefty!
ReplyDeleteDo u think u will have heart failure?
Do u think u will hit the ceiling?
Do u do work outs?
How big are your abs?
The person in the picture is doing Hagbah improperly. The Sefer should only be opened 3 Amudim.
ReplyDeleteWrong. That's the minimum.
DeleteMinimum of 3 can be more
ReplyDeleteThe M'A clearly says - 'kefi koach hamagbiah' . . . .
DeleteOpening 3 is showing the Torah. More than 3 is showing off your strength and a distraction to the showing of the Torah
DeleteNot supposed to be more and in most cases when someone does more they can't hold it so wide so someone has to hold the klaf for gelila making a bizayon. Hagba is not your daily workout and not a time to show how strong you think you are.
ReplyDeleteMB says as much as you can. Bigger kavod.
DeleteTruth is, you don't have to go to the gym to do it right.
If a torah is dropped why do we ALL have to fast?? Let the shmegegi who dropped it fast.
ReplyDeleteTeretz:
Since we all have a chiyuv to ‘see the letters, if we would all gather around to do this then the torah wouldn’t fall.
There are Many rules for Glilah as well, which most are not aware of especially 'the young tzatzkelach' who are watching their father do Glilah for them.
ReplyDeleteThey should learn how to do it on the school bus, cause the yeshiva won't teach them
DeleteBy the way, if the school board is paying for the school bus, they have the right to regulate it.
We should all wear see through shirts, so the Gabbai can see your abs.
ReplyDeleteIf we wait till a boy is Bar Mitzvah before honoring him with Gelilah, it will be more Choshuv and he will learn how to do it right. It will therefore be more Kovod HaTorah than some 8 year old kid who is clueless.
ReplyDeleteMishna Berurah begs to differ.
Deleteומצות גלילה אף כי רבה היא נהגו לכבד אף לקטנים שיש בהם דעת להבחין ענין דבר שבקדושה בכדי לחנכם במצות. [שערי אפרים]
Key phrase being שיש בהם דעת להבין ענין דבר שבקדושה. Today, a 13 year old בקושי chaps the whole ענין and it a terrible lack of קדושת ספר תורה to have the מגביה struggling to hold tha Sefer after sitting down and some shy rosy cheek zeeskite struggling to do גלילה. Also it’s a lack of כבוד הציבור as well. Imagine how choshuv it would become if we waited till after the בר מצוה. Like how they all beg the Gabbai to Daven Maariv for the amud during the week.
DeleteWhy do gaboim too often lose their senses and give hagbah to someone who can't do it. Too many times I've seen it and caught the top of the sefer to steady and hold it as the klutz who got it couldn't hold on to it.
ReplyDeleteOnce while sitting in back of a large shul and I saw the Gabbai give hagbah to someone who clearly would not be able to do it. I ran to the Bimah from the back and had the unfortunate privilege of catchimg the sefer Torah as it was horizontal and half way to the floor.
Why do people who clearly can't do it accept it? There's nothing wrong with telling the gabbai to give it to someone else.
DeleteIn my Shul, there's this guy who buys a Hagbah every year on the Yomim Noro'im, and he can't do it. He opens it to one and a half amudim, stands up, and sits promptly down.
ReplyDeleteIf needed to decline Hagbah, ask for Gelilah in its place, not to say no to a Sefer Torah. (Maran R’ Chaim Brisker z”l was wary to say no even to holding a Sefer for Hakafos.)
ReplyDeleteIs this hagbah thing in the Gaabbays handbook?
ReplyDeleteIf yes why the timely here he already knows this
If not then this is all debating betailim…….🤓
Why do they give gelila to little kids who can’t reach the sefer torah and pull it away from the one doing hagba? Give bochurim or men.
ReplyDeleteIn one shul they can’t give the kids gelila because there are no kids there as the mafia doesn’t let them build a bigger shul so their kids are at home waiting by the window for their father to come home from shul.
ReplyDeleteHuh?
ReplyDeleteWhen doing the Hagba turn a full 360 circle. "all the way around"
ReplyDeleteLefty power
ReplyDelete