Q: Why do we walk around, through the congregation, on
Shabbat morning with the Torah?
A: The tenor of the morning service is one of great
seriousness. This day, Shabbat, is the day when the Torah was given. Our Sages taught us that that on this day God
chose to make His Will known to the people. Therefore every time Shabbat comes
we will recall the event at Mount Sinai when our ancestors were forged into a
chosen nation. We recall this anniversary each week.
During the Shabbat morning service, the davenning gets more
and more intense as we advance through the siddur. The words, sounds and ideas
comes more engaging as we become more meditative and expansive. The
spirituality become stronger as the congregation reaches the Shma and the Amida,
which comes at the end of Shacharit. At that point, because of the deliberate
structure of the service, the community members reach their highest spiritual
level and are receptive to the deep and ethereal message from Above.
Just then we are ready to hear God’s voice through the words of the
Torah. The scroll is removed from the ark and brought down to the people
where we physically see and feel God's message and Presence. Similar to Moses
coming down from Mount Sinai bringing the Holy One’s words we bring those
same words to the community of Israel on the anniversary of its giving.
We walk through the congregation so that each person
personally witnesses and take part in the ongoing revelation. It is customary
to kiss the Torah as it passes by with our tzitzit or siddur. Traditionally, the siddur or tzitzit lightly touch the Torah before retrieving it to kiss it. It is as if a holy spark emanating from the
Torah is transferred to us. The reverence for Torah is evident for God’s sacred word as we display our love for it.
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