Question: If a person was ill on Shabbos and unable to go to shul to hear Keri’at haTorah, must he have someone read it to him in shul upon his recovery?
Sincerely,
Isaac Greenberg
Answer: My late dear friend, colleague, and Jewish Press columnist HaRav Yaakov Simcha Cohen zt”l was asked (Prayer: The Proper Way, p, 177): “Is it necessary to have a minyan present for Keriat Ha’Torah? What is the purpose of Keriat Ha’Torah?”
He responded: “Yes. The Mishnah rules that Keriat Ha’Torah may not take place unless a minyan (quorum of ten Jews) is present, The Gemara provides the rationale by contending that Keriat Ha’Torah is a form of kedushah (sanctification of the holy Name) and there is a general rule that all matters of kedushah require a minyan (Megilla 23b). What is not immediately apparent is why Keriat Ha’Torah is categorized as a form of kedushah, while the personal study of Torah is not vested with such status. One may assume that even if a Rabbi taught Torah to a thousand students, this would not transform the Torah study to a status of the same type of kedushah. At issue is the fine distinction between Keriat Ha’Torah and the mitzvah of Talmud Torah.”
The Tur (Orach Chayim 47) discusses the various berachot that must be recited prior to Torah study each day. He notes: “There is another berachah over Torah, namely “asher bachar banu – who has selected us [the Jewish people].” When reciting this blessing one should keep in mind the revelation on Mount Sinai when He selected us from all the nations, brought us to Mount Sinai, and made His words heard…and gave us His Holy Torah, which is our life and treasure.”
The Bach contends that the Tur is actually providing a solution to a major halachic question, namely: Why does Torah study require saying more than berachah when every other mitzvah requires only one berachah to be said beforehand. The Bach suggests that:
“The first berachah [“la’asok b’divrei Torah”] is a typical birkat hamitzvah recited before the observance of a mitzvah. The second berachah [“asher bachar banu”] is not a birkat hamitzvah. It is a form of thanksgiving and praise for receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. Scripture states, ‘Only take heed to thyself lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart thy heart all the days of thy life. Bring them to the knowledge of thy children and thy children’s children – the day that thou stood before G-d at Choreb…’ (Deuteronomy 4:7-10).”
Thus, concludes the Bach, the second berachah is a means of observing the Biblical mandate of never forgetting the revelation at Mount Sinai (Orach Chayim 47).
(To be continued)
