Unusual Minhagim of Hagbaha

• One of the most visible customs in the synagogue is the lifting of the Sefer Torah - hagbaha. However, in most Ashkenazi shuls this minhag has taken on some unusual contours.
• It is done at the end of the reading, and not (as was the Talmudic custom) at the beginning.
• It is accompanied by the recital of a verse which is not actually a verse at all, but a combination of two verses - normally something that is halachically problematic.
• Many people have the custom to reach towards the Sefer Torah with their little finger, for reasons that most of them do not know.

Delivered 9 Tammuz 5784 / July 15, 2024

Rabbi Manning's series for 2024 has been sponsored לעילוי נשמת ברנה בת בנדית וזליג בן קלמן