Why Should Nefilas Apayim Depend Upon a Sefer Torah?

Q. In a previous Halacha Yomis, we mentioned that Tachanun is only recited with nefilas apayim in the presence of a Sefer Torah (or according to some, even when there are other seforim). What is the reason for this?

A. The Mishnah Berurah (131:11) writes that there is an allusion to falling on the face in Sefer Yehoshua (7:6): “And Yehoshua… fell on his face to the ground in front of the Aron of Hashem.” This implies that one only falls on their face in front of an Aron.

Sefer Shulchan Tahor offers another reason why there is no nefilas apayim without a Sefer Torah. Falling on one’s face is an intense and intimate form of Tefillah, and special merits are required to do so. When one davens in front of an Aron Kodesh (or other seforim), the tefillos have extra merit, and nefilas apayim is justified.

Rav Yechiel Michal Tukichinsky (Sefer Eretz Yisrael 1:9) and Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igeros Moshe, YD 3:129) write that the minhag in Yerushalayim is to recite nefilas apayim even if there is no Sefer Torah, since the city is holy and standing in Yerushalayim is inherently a state of standing before Hashem.

Although the Rama (OC 131:2) writes that the custom is to only recite Tachanun with nefilas apayim in front of an Aron Kodesh, the Shulchan Aruch (Rav Yosef Karo) makes no mention of this. The implication is that the Shulchan Aruch is not in agreement with the Rama. Typically, Ashkenazim follow the Rama who resided in Krakow, while Sefardim follow Rav Yosef Karo who lived in Tzfas. The Birkei Yosef (131:1) writes that his custom is to recite Tachanun with nefilas apayim in all situations even without any seforim as per the plain reading of Shulchan Aruch. He concludes that he has heard that there is a Kabbalistic basis for this as well. 

Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zt”l also recited Tachanun with nefilas apayim regardless of whether seforim were present (Nefesh HaRav, p. 134). This was the minhag of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, zt"l as well. Rabbi Genack believes that the basis for this is an inference in the words of the Rambam. The Rambam (Hilchos Tefila 5:1) lists bowing as one of the components of tefilah. Later (Halacha 5:13), he writes, when do we bow? As soon as we finish shemoneh esrei, we do nefilas apayim. It can be inferred from the Rambam that nefilas apayim is a component of tefilah, and therefore should not be omitted, even if there is no Sefer Torah.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.