A question was posed to HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita last week regarding a Sefer Torah that fell at one of the most recognized Yeshivas in Israel, asking whether the Bochurim should fast.
The incident occurred on Shabbos, while the Sefer Torah was being lifted in the air for Hagba’ah after concluding Leining.
The written question added that the Torah was immediately picked up, covered with its Mantle and returned to the Aron Kodesh.
Additionally, the Talmidim were very horrified by the incident, and heard Shiurim on various issues related to Sefer Torah and Kovod Beit Knesset.
However, regarding fasting, they had a number of questions and thus decided to ask Rav Chaim, who ruled that fasting is not required in this case.
Ultimately the deciding factor was since the Torah did not fall on the floor but rather on the Bimah, perhaps leaving room for leniency. Among the Achronim there is a ruling that one only fasts if the Klaf hits the ground, which it did not in this case, as only the Eitz Chaim struck the floor.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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14 Responses
what is the reason that we are being told this
is it to argue with the pesak
that is our problem today
a posek says something , and because we don’t like it we have to argue
What a lousy inaccurate report. First you state that it did NOT hit the floor, but rather landed on the Bima. Then you state it fell “standing” (whatever that means) and only the eitz chaim hit the floor, not the klaf! If it “landed” on the bima, how can the eitz chaim hit the floor? Did the sefer Torah split in half? This article was obviously written by a 3 year old.
First the article says it fell onto the bima then it says the eitz chaim hit the floor. Can someone clarify what happened?
Did it fall on the bima as first stated, or did its atzei chaim touch the ground as stated a few lines later?
It would be a service to your readers if you would translate the Divrei Siach more accurately next time.
We all understand that “the devil is in the details”….however, can we also agree that if a Rav of the stature of R’ Chaim concluded (presumably after resolving the contradictions and getting the same clarifications as the ehrliche YWN readers hve highlighted), that no fasting was required, than that should close the matter. I presume that the comments are more directed at the reporter who provided the tsemisht naarative of the actual occurrence and was not meant to question the rav’s psak.
It fell on the floor of the podium that the bima is on, which is elevated from the regular floor of the shul. I know that was one of the reasons to be meikil, but there were others which I don’t recall right now.
The Sefer Torah did not fall on the ground, but this is what happened. The person who was doing Hagbahah as he was trying to lift up the Sefer Torah he dropped it on the bima because it was very heavy on the left side of the scroll, (because we’re holding in the beginning of the Torah and the right side is very small and light, so the scroll is not balanced) the magbiah is a righty, so he lost balance and the scroll fell on the bima, the lighter side of the scroll on the right rolled off the bima to the ground, there was not enough length of parchment to touch the floor, just the right Etz Chayim did. Rav Chaim paskened sinse the actual klaf did not touch the ground they don’t have to fast.
It would be advisable to gabboim who give out kibuddim to try to find someone who is lefty to do hagbahah for the next few months, until the scroll is more balanced, since now all the weight is on the left side of the scroll.
1 if this had been a peleg-affiliated yeshivah, you can be sure ywn would have mentioned that, so now you know that the “other side” should be making a cheshbon hanefesh
2 the point of course is that the bachurim don’t have to fast. poor, weak, mal-nourished bachurim… (?) why else were they asking the she’ilah?
They’re mal nutritioned because they are busy blocking traffic in the heat of the day with no food or water.
For all those that are wondering, the yeshiva was Yeshivas Ohr Yisrael, headed by Rav Yigal Rosen.
Yehuda26, you got it square on!
And, there’s nothing wrong with being critical of whoever translated this article. If you come to expect a certain standard, you have every right to criticize.
derech eretz kadmah ltorah maybe this would not have happened if the yeshiva bochurim acted properly toward people that are not exactly like them
YWN, why would you publish this comment from Ayeshivishguy stating which yeshivah this happened in? This is either motzi shem ra or lashon hara and there is absolutely no toeles. You moderators should be ashamed! But this comment probably wont be printed anyway.
Ayeshivishguy, that is nonsense. I asked my relatives in Ohr Yisroel and they had not even heard the story. Why spready motzi shem ra?