QUESTION

Washington, DC

A local production of Fiddler on the Roof features what appears to be a real Torah scroll, which, at one point in the show, is lifted and carried. I am trying to ascertain if this was a real Torah or a “prop Torah.” But, if it is real, would there be an obligation to rise upon seeing it lifted and carried by actors performing on stage?

ANSWER

So, there are three questions here:

1. Can one use a pasul Sefer Torah for such purposes (you are not asking, or being asked, this question, but it should be clarified)?
2. Must one rise when a Sefer Torah is being used in this dance context?
3. If the answer to (2) is yes, would this also apply to a pasul Sefer Torah?

(1) Use of a Pasul Sefer Torah
At the core of this discussion is the scope of kavod Sefer Torah (the obligation to show honor to a Torah scroll), and specifically whether those obligations apply at all to a pasul Sefer Torah. To that point, the obligations of kavod Sefer Torah, which would clearly be violated by using a Torah scroll as a stage prop, apply only to a kosher Sefer Torah. A pasul Sefer Torah does not retain the full sanctity of a valid scroll. As the Taz (YD 282:12:) writes:

אם חסר אות אחת או שייתר אות אחת כיון שהוא פסול אין בו קדושת ס”ת והוא כחומשין

If even one letter is missing or extra (in a Torah), it is invalid, has no sanctity of a Sefer Torah, and is like printed chumashim.

Similarly, the Arukh HaShulchan emphasizes that the special sanctity and honor apply only to a kosher Sefer Torah:

ס”ת כשר נוהגין בו קדושה יתירה וכבוד גדול

A kosher sefer Torah is treated with elevated sanctity and great honor.

He therefore rules explicitly that there is no obligation to stand before a pasul Sefer Torah or printed chumashim:

מפני ס”ת פסולה א”צ לעמוד וכן מפני חומשים

One need not stand before an invalid Sefer Torah, nor before chumashim.

(2) Standing for a Sefer Torah in This Context

Me’ikar ha’din (as a matter of baseline halakha), there is no obligation to stand in this case.

First, the actors carrying the Torah are on a stage, which is presumably more than 3 feet off the ground. This would be considered a separate reshut (distinct halakhic domain) from that of the audience. This is analogous to a Sefer Torah that is situated in an Aron (ark), for which there is no formal obligation to stand while it is stationary in its place (See Rema SA YD 242:18, Taz 242:13 – of course, the common custom is the stand).

What analogous cases might we have in Halakah?

Many poskim address the common practice of people not standing during the hakafot of Simchat Torah. Although the Arukh HaShulchan (YD 282:5) maintains that one should stand, other authorities are more lenient. Rabbi Shternbuch (Teshuvot v’Hanhagot OḤ 319), for example, strongly disagrees and argues that once initial kavod is shown by standing initially, there is no requirement to remain standing continuously (this is not relevant to our case).

More to the point, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halikhot Shlomo 12:13; see also Minchat Shlomo 33) explains that the obligation to stand applies only when a Sefer Torah is being transported to its makom (designated place or destination). When the Torah is being carried in circular motion, such as during dancing, that movement itself constitutes its makom.

Said another way, as heard from Rav Aharon Lichtenstein: the obligation to rise for a Torah applies specifically to a Sefer Torah that is being transported – meaning being moved from one place to another, which represents its destination. Movement of a Torah that lacks a destination does not trigger the obligation to stand.

This is implied by the specific context in YD 282:2, where the Mechaber writes that one must rise for a torah “until it reaches its destination”:

הרואה ס”ת כשהוא מהלך, חייב לעמוד לפניו, ויהיו הכל עומדים עד שיעמוד זה שמוליכו ויגיענו למקומו.

One who sees a Sefer Torah being carried must stand before it, and all must remain standing until it reaches its destination

(3) Standing for a Pasul Sefer Torah

Even if one were to reject the arguments in section (2), there would still be no obligation to stand in this case if the Torah is pasul. As noted above, a pasul Sefer Torah does not carry the halakhic requirements of kavod that apply to a kosher scroll, and the Arukh HaShulchan applies this explicitly to the obligation to stand.

In summary, there is no obligation to stand for a Torah scroll (whether kosher or pasul) carried as part of a theatrical performance. The obligations of kavod sefer Torah apply only to a kosher Sefer Torah and do not extend to a pasul Torah. Moreover, even where a kosher Sefer Torah is involved, the requirement to stand applies only when it is being transported toward a defined destination. Movement that is circular, performative, or confined to a separate reshut does not trigger an obligation to stand.

N.P. If a posek feels that this use of a Torah is a bizayon (disgrace), then it is assur, even according to the above arguments. Just because you don’t have to stand, does not mean that the Torah in question does not deserve basic kavod. It is for the posek to judge whether the use in this context is in line with proper kavod (i.e. it is serving possible chinukh and kirruv goals), or completely violating them (it is being used as a form of popular entertainment).