More Discussions for this daf
1. Isur to Touch Sefer Torah Bare-Handed 2. R. Shefatyah- ha'Golel Notel Shel Kulam 3. Issur to Touch Sefer Torah Bare Handed
4. רש"י ד"ה משה תיקן
DAF DISCUSSIONS - MEGILAH 32

MDeutsch asks:

The tosfos(Riva) on the bottom says that if someone hold the sefer torah "orum"(barehanded) he is not yotzeh the mitzvah he did - namely if he read in it he was not yotzeh, the question was posed today by Mr. Heshy Augenabum in our chaburah, if he leined for a tzibur while holding the sefer barehanded would the others be yotzeh and what would the reason be either yes or no?

Thank You

Moshe Deutsch

Kew Gardens Hills - Queens - New York

The Kollel replies:

1) Tosfos does not write in the name of the Riva that if he reads in it he is not Yotzei. Tosfos writes that he does not receive reward for the reading. It seems that he is Yotzei the Mitzvah but does not receive a Sechar for the act. I want to suggest that if he read a Parshah in the Torah in such a way, he is Yotzei the reading b'Di'eved and is not obligated to read it again. The person who holds the Sefer Torah with his bare hands shows a lack of respect for the Mitzvah and for the Sefer Torah, so he loses his reward but he did read the Parshah and he is Yotzei b'Di'eved. According to this, the Tzibur would also be Yotzei since the reading was effective. The Mishneh Berurah (OC 147:1), when he cites this Halachah, also writes that the person does not receive reward from the Mitzvah, but he does not write that the person has not fulfilled the Mitzvah.

2) I think I have support for this, bs'd, from the Perush of one of the Rishonim here, Rabeinu Avraham min ha'Har, who writes that when the Gemara says that he is "buried naked without the Mitzvah," this means that the Mitzvah does not protect him at all. Usually, Mitzvos guard us. This Mitzvah of reading from the Sefer Torah bare-handed is a Mitzvah that he has done, and he is not obligated to read it again, but the Mitzvah will provide no protection for him after he dies.

Kol Tuv,

Dovid Bloom