Thursday, April 26, 2018

Multiple Scrolls

Q:  Why do we use and read from more than one Torah on Shabbat?

A: We use two (sometimes three) Torahs on occasions when they coincide with holy days or specific calendar events when we read from two entirely different Torah portions.  Examples are Rosh Hodesh (New Moon), the weeks that lead up to Pesach as they demarcate specific remembrances, Shavuot, Hanukkah, etc..  
The reason we read from different scrolls, and not just roll the same one backward or forward is because of the principle of Kavod Tzibbur (the dignity of the congregation).  It would seem disrespectful to make the congregation wait while the Torah was shifted from place to place.

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