Hagbahah - Lifting The Torah
- Halacha Moment
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
The Daily Halacha Moment - Hagbahah
״כל השונה הלכות בכל יום - מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא״ (נידה עג ע״א, מגילה כח:)
“Anyone who studies Halachot every day is guaranteed that he is destined for the world-to-come” (Megilla 28b, Niddah 73a)
Question:
What is Hagbahah?
Answer:
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 [1].
Among Ashkenazim, Hagbahah is typically done after the Torah reading, once the reading is complete the Torah is lifted high for all to see [2]. However, the Sephardic custom differs: Sephardim perform Hagbahah before the Torah reading, opening and lifting the scroll immediately after removing it from the Aron Kodesh, before placing it on the Bimah [3].
Within the Sephardic world, customs vary even further. In some communities, the Sefer Torah is carried from the Aron to the Bimah while open, so that more people can see the script and engage visually with the Torah as it moves through the synagogue. In other Sephardic communities, the custom is to carry the Sefer Torah closed until it reaches the Bimah, and only then is it opened and displayed.
Regarding the Sefer Haftarah( the scroll used for the Haftarah reading) it is not treated in the same way. There is no Hagbahah performed with it, and it should not be opened when being brought to the Bimah. The Haftarah does not carry the same halachic status as the Torah scroll and is thus handled with different customs [4].
After the reading is complete, the return of the Sefer Torah to the Aron also varies by tradition. In some Sephardic communities, the Sefer Torah is carried back closed.[5]. In other communities, the Torah is carried back open, continuing the theme of visibly honoring the Torah throughout its journey [6]
Sources:
[1]. Masechet Sofrim 14:14.
[2]. Shulchan Aruch and Rama O.C. 134:2
[3]. Vayisbor Yosef 5:9 cites the Halachot Ketanot 2:255 and Rav Shmuel Meyuchas (Tefillah 12:5) as saying that minhag Yerushalayim was to carry the Sefer Torah to the Bimah with it open so that more people could see it. Vayisbor Yosef quotes many sources regarding this minhag and establishes that this was the minhag in Israel and Syria but not in Egypt. Similarly, Ben Ish Chai (Shana Sheniya, Toldot no. 16) writes that the minhag Baghdad was to carry it open and then do another hagbah when the Sefer Torah got to the Bimah. Yabia Omer OC 7:16 writes that this was the minhag of Yerushalayim.
[4]. Yabia Omer OC 7:16 explains that the reason we perform Hagbah is so that everyone can see the letters in the Sefer Torah. There is no need for this by the Haftarah, so we don't carry the Sefer Haftarah while it's open. Rav Ovadia concludes that if there is a community with a minhag to carry out the Sefer Haftarah while it's open, if they won't listen to stop their minhag, then they can continue to follow their practice.
[5]. Ben Ish Chai, Toldot 2:16.
[6]. Yaskil Avdi 8:24:5:3, Yabia Omer 7 OC 16.
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