Who Should Do Hagbahah
- Halacha Moment
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
The Daily Halacha Moment - Who Should Do 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:
Who Should Do Hagbahah?
Answer:
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.
Because of its importance, the honor of Hagbahah should ideally be given to the most distinguished Talmid Chacham present. Honoring someone well-versed in Torah with this mitzvah reflects the value we place on Torah scholarship[1].
However, if someone purchased the honor, such as through a synagogue auction or donation the custom is to give precedence to that individual, as they have acquired the rights to the mitzvah through their contribution. In such cases, the person who bought the honor retains first rights to perform Hagbahah, even over a more learned individual [2].
That said, it is crucial that the person given the honor be physically capable of performing it safely and respectfully. If someone is weak, elderly, or has shaky hands and cannot properly lift and turn the Sefer Torah, he should humbly decline the honor of Hagbahah for the sake of preserving the dignity of the Torah and avoiding any risk of it falling. Likewise, the gabbai (the synagogue coordinator) should be mindful not to assign Hagbahah to someone who lacks the physical strength or steadiness required for this task [3].
Sources:
[1]. Gemara, Megillah 32a, Tur and Shulchan Aruch O.C. 147:1. Even though the Shulchan Aruch writes that the honor should be given to the greatest of those who got an aliyah today, the Mishna Brurah 147:6 writes that the minhag today is to give the Hagbahah to the greatest in the shul.
[2]. Shulchan Aruch O.C. 147:1, Mishna Berurah 147:8
[3]. Mishna Berurah 147:7
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