What Does The Congregation Do During Hagbahah? During Hagbah, it is customary for the entire congregation to look at the script of the Sefer Torah as it is lifted and turned for all to see. At that moment, everyone should recite the verse: "וזאת התורה אשר שם משה לפני בני ישראל"—“This is the Torah that Moshe placed before the Children of Israel”

Who Should Do Hagbahah? The honor of performing Hagbahah (the lifting of the Sefer Torah after the reading) is considered extremely significant. Our Rabbis and poskim emphasize that the spiritual reward for Hagbahah is immense, to the point that it is said to be equal to the combined reward of all those who received aliyot to the Torah that day. 

During Hagbah, the Sefer Torah should ideally be opened wide enough so that three columns of text are visible. However, this depends on the strength of the Magbiyah (the one performing Hagbah). If he is strong, he may open it wider than three columns; if he is weaker, he may open it less. In Sephardic communities, the custom is simply to open the Sefer Torah as much as it naturally opens generally about one full column and this is considered to fully fulfill the requirement.

What is Hagbahah? There is a special mitzvah when taking out the Sefer Torah for Kriyat HaTorah to open it and show it to the entire congregation. This is based on the principle of exalting and honoring the Torah, allowing the community to see the sacred text and be inspired by its presence.