Keriat HaTorah Archives | Rosh Yeshiva Responds

27 02, 2026

Navigating Traditional Egalitarian Prayer Spaces

February 27th, 2026|Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Berakhot, Kaddish, Keriat HaTorah, Mechitza, Minyan, Orach Chayim, Shema and Shemoneh Esrei, Tefillah|

Question

NY, NY

I have recently been spending time in “traditional egalitarian” tefillah spaces, largely connected to my work teaching in a pluralistic school setting. I am seeking general halakhic framing and practical guidance.

Specifically:

May I daven b’yechidut (individually) in such a space while the communal tefillah is taking place? Or should I refrain from davening there entirely?
May I accept a kibbud (honor)?
Should I respond to Kaddish,

25 07, 2024

Davening Parts of Shabbat Mincha Before Mincha Gedola to Ensure A Minyan

July 25th, 2024|Keriat HaTorah, Minyan, Orach Chayim, Shabbat, Shacharit, Mincha and Ma'ariv, Shulchan Arukh, Tefillah|

QUESTION

St. Louis Park, Minnesota

In our shul, we currently have Mincha on Shabbat right after Kiddush. I’m trying to keep it going as long as possible because our minyanim are slim, especially if it involves coming back out in the cold to a shul that currently does not offer seudah shelishit.

Due to the time of Mincha Gedola, we have a sizable time gap between Kiddush and Mincha. We have already moved Shacharit as late as possible and I give a small shiur to fill part of the gap, but some congregants are unhappy. We currently begin Ashrei in time to reach Mincha Gedola by the Amidah.

12 03, 2024

Mechitza Construction with Bima in Between the Men’s and Women’s Sections

March 12th, 2024|Keriat HaTorah, Mechitza, Minyan, Orach Chayim, Synagogue, Tefillah, Women|

QUESTION

Washington, DC

Question regarding the construction of a new mechitza:

We have a chapel that seats 115 people. It opens from the back, straight into the middle aisle. The seats are distributed equally on both sides of the aisle, and the bimah is at the front of the room in the center. Our old mechitza for the space was 3 panels; two down the middle aisle, and a third to angle around the bimah so that there was a physical separation between the shaliach

2 09, 2021

Sephardic Haftarah in Ashkenazic Context

September 2nd, 2021|Keriat HaTorah, Orach Chayim, Shabbat|

QUESTION

Baltimore, MD

Can one adopt the Sephardic custom of haftarah reading for one week to accommodate a bar mitzvah?

ANSWER

I think it should be totally fine, based on Iggerot Moshe OH 1:103. Rav Moshe Feinstein lets a bar mitzvah boy who prepared one haftarah say it another week when Sephardim read that same haftarah, as the bar mitzvah boy wasn’t be able to say it the week of due to another boy’s bar mitzvah. Since it at was the appropriate

22 12, 2020

Calling Up a Kohen Married to a Divorcee to the Torah

December 22nd, 2020|Keriat HaTorah, Kohanim, Orach Chayim|

QUESTION

Northwest, USA

If there are a pair of brothers (Reuven and Shimon) who’s father is a kohen and Reuven decided to forego his kohen status to marry someone, is Reuven still called to the Torah as Reuven ben Ploni haKohen, or just Reuven ben Ploni? (Shimon is in the same kehillah and is called up as the kohen he identifies as).

ANSWER

First of all – there IS NO SUCH THING as giving up your kohen status. You can violate your kohen status, but you are still a sinning kohen, not a non-kohen.

14 12, 2020

Projecting Vowels on Torah Scroll for Weekday Reading

December 14th, 2020|Keriat HaTorah, Orach Chayim|

QUESTION

Chicago, IL

My nervous-about-leining 13 year old asked me this theoretical question: On Monday or Thursday (of course this couldn’t be done on Shabbat), could a well placed projector be used to project the nekudot/ta’amim onto the Torah klaf during the leining?

ANSWER

Absolutely. You could also have earbuds on and listening to someone read it and saying it along with them, as long as you were looking at the Torah and actually reading the words. This is my general advice for Purim when someone or a community has

31 10, 2020

Receiving an Aliyah From Your Seat

October 31st, 2020|Keriat HaTorah, Orach Chayim|

QUESTION

New York, NY

When taking an aliyah from one’s seat and not standing next to the ba’al korei, should the oleh read the text from their chumash? Or is it better to just stand there and listen intently?

ANSWER

I don’t see any (halakhic) benefit in reading from the chumash. I actually think it is worse if it disconnects you from the connection to the reading itself.

Not looking in the Sefer Torah is based on the discussions around a blind person, and ultimately relies

24 10, 2020

Conjugating Chazak Chazak veNitchazeik in the Feminine

October 24th, 2020|Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Keriat HaTorah, Orach Chayim|

QUESTION

New York, NY

If calling up a Bat Mitzvah for the maftir aliyah, should you change חזק to חזקי? Is it a command? Or is it an adjective and should be חזקה? Or is it an adverb/exclamation and should just stay חזק?

ANSWER

I’m assuming you mean at the end of a sefer. It’s a command wish, “Be strong!” So yes, it should be חזקי (for those women who read Torah at women’s Torah readings or partnership minyanim), based on the pasuk שמואל ב י:יב,

(יב)

12 10, 2020

Cloth Covering on the Shulchan During Keriat HaTorah

October 12th, 2020|Keriat HaTorah, Orach Chayim, Sefer Torah|

QUESTION

Chicago, IL

Does a shulchan require a cloth covering for when the Torah is being read? Or can the Torah be read directly on wood?

ANSWER

No, a cover is not strictly needed. The Gemara talks about it being put down directly on a chair or the like. See Megillah 26b, Shulchan Arukh YD 282:12 (and the Tur/Beit Yosef there).

To clarify, if it is read directly on the wood, then the bimah becomes a tashmish kedushah, not just a tashmish DeTashmish. This is a larger discussion if it was only used

9 10, 2020

Rolling Sefer Torah on Shabbat in Preparation for Yom Tov

October 9th, 2020|Keriat HaTorah, Orach Chayim, Prohibitions, Sefer Torah, Yom Tov|

QUESTION

Baltimore, MD

Is there an issue with rolling sifrei Torah on Shabbat in preparation for Yom Tov? Would the tircha detzibura override any hachanah or quasi-hachanah concerns?

ANSWER

Well, someone could always get to shul early on Yom Tov morning, so not really tircha detzibura. But if you read (not keriah, just read like from a chumash) from the section you rolled it to, then you are using it on Shabbat. You can even point out to someone some interesting feature, like how the days are each a separate paragraph.

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