B"H

Thursday, Sivan 10, 5779 / June 13, 2019

Shalom. I hope you had a very wonderful holiday Shavuot. Coming from the holiday of Shavuot, when we received the Torah at Mount Sinai, here are some Torah Trivia (although Torah is not trivial).

Q. How long did the Jewish people stay at Mount Sinai?

A. One year, less 10 days.  (See Numbers 10:11). They came to Mount Sinai one week before they received the Torah and camped there for close to a year.

Q. Two of the letters engraved in the Tablets were held there miraculously.  Which two letters?

A. Final Mem & Samach. The reason is as follows: The letters were engraved in the Tablets through and through. The two Hebrew letters, final Mem and Samach, are round and had nothing to hold them to the stone. Miraculously they were suspended in the air and didn’t fall out.

Q. Is there a mitzvah to write a Torah? If yes, to whom does this mitzvah apply?

A. One of the 613 mitzvot is that every Jew should write a Torah or commission a scribe to write a Torah. One can also perform this mitzvah by fixing an existing Torah which needs correcting; or contributing to the writing of a Torah together with others. 

Q. Is one allowed to sell a personal Torah?

A. No.  There are a few exceptions, such as to use the proceeds for studying Torah or for marriage.   

Q. A Torah must be hand written on parchment. Can a Torah be written on any parchment?

A. The parchment must be made from the hide of a kosher animal.

Q. Why does the person called up to the Torah (Aliyah) hold the Torah with both hands while reciting the blessing over the Torah?

A. This is in accordance with the words of Proverbs concerning the Torah, "It (Torah) is a Tree of life to those who hold on to her."

Q. Why is it customary that when one's Aliyah is finished they don't leave right away, but wait at the side until the next person's Aliyah is finished?

A. Our sages instituted this custom to avoid giving the impression of, "a child who is impatient to leave the classroom." Staying at the Torah until after the next person's Aliyah is completed is a sign of respect for the Torah.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY