Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim Siman 139

Siman 139

Presented here for study, not as a practical ruling. The Shulchan Aruch rules by Sephardi custom, the Rema's glosses by Ashkenazi custom, and the Kitzur follows Ashkenazi custom. For a practical question, ask your rabbi.

א בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ שֶׁהָעוֹלֶה עַצְמוֹ קוֹרֵא בְּקוֹל רָם, אִם לֹא סִדֵּר תְּחִלָּה הַפָּרָשָׁה פַּעֲמַיִם שָׁלֹשׁ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין עַצְמוֹ, לֹא יַעֲלֶה; וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁהַחַזָּן קוֹרֵא הוּא צָרִיךְ לְסַדֵּר תְּחִלָּה (בֵּית יוֹסֵף).
1 The Order of Reading the Torah and its Blessings. Containing 11 S'ifim. In a place where the custom is that the one who goes up [to get an aliyah] oneself reads out loud - if one did not first review the parasha two or three times to oneself, one should not go up. Rema: and in a place where the chazzan reads [the Torah], [the chazzan] needs to review first. [Beit Yosef]
ב מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִקְרוֹת, צָרִיךְ לִמְחוֹת בְּיָדוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲלֶה לְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה; וְאִם צְרִיכִים לְזֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִקְרוֹת, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא כֹּהֵן אוֹ לֵוִי וְאֵין שָׁם אַחֵר זוּלָתוֹ, אִם כְּשֶׁיִּקְרָא לוֹ שְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר מִלָּה בְּמִלָּה יוֹדֵעַ לְאָמְרָהּ וְלִקְרוֹתָהּ מִן הַכְּתָב, יָכוֹל לַעֲלוֹת; וְאִם לָאו, לֹא יַעֲלֶה.
2 One who does not know how to read should be discouraged from going up to the Torah. If he is needed, being a Cohen or Levi, and there are no others: if, when the Shaliach Tzibbur is reading for him word for word, he is able to say it [along with him] and read it from the writing, then he may go up to the Torah. Otherwise, he should not.
ג אֲפִלּוּ רֹאשׁ הַכְּנֶסֶת אוֹ חַזָּן, לֹא יִקְרָא עַד שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ: קְרָא; וְנָהֲגוּ שֶׁשְּׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר כְּשֶׁרוֹצֶה מְבָרֵךְ וְקוֹרֵא בְּלִי נְטִילַת רָשׁוּת, מִשּׁוּם דְּהָוֵי כְּאִלּוּ מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁמִנּוּהוּ לְשַׁ"ץ הִרְשׁוּהוּ עַל כָּךְ. הַגָּה: וּבִמְדִינוֹת אֵלּוּ אֵין נוֹהֲגִין כֵּן, וְאֵין הַחַזָּן עוֹלֶה רַק כְּשֶׁהַסְּגָן אוֹמֵר לוֹ לַעֲלוֹת, אֲבָל אֵין קוֹרִין לוֹ בִּשְׁמוֹ כְּמוֹ שְׁאָר הָעוֹלִים שֶׁקּוֹרְאִים אוֹתָם בִּשְׁמָם פְּלוֹנִי בַּר פְּלוֹנִי; וּמִי שֶׁאָבִיו מוּמָר לַעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים, קוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ בְּשֵׁם אֲבִי אָבִיו, אֲבָל לֹא בִּשְׁמוֹ לְבַד, שֶׁלֹּא לְבַיְּשׁוֹ בָּרַבִּים (תְּרוּמַת הַדֶּשֶׁן סי' כ"א וְס' הַחֲסִידִים). וְדַוְקָא שֶׁלֹּא עָלָה מִיָּמָיו בְּשֵׁם אָבִיו, אֲבָל אִם הוּא גָּדוֹל וְהֻרְגַּל בְּאוֹתוֹ הָעִיר לַעֲלוֹת בְּשֵׁם אָבִיו, וְהֵמִיר אָבִיו, קוֹרְאִים אוֹתוֹ בְּשֵׁם אָבִיו כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֻרְגַּל, שֶׁלֹּא לְבַיְּשׁוֹ בָּרַבִּים; וְכֵן אִם אִכָּא לְמֵיחַשׁ לְאֵיבַת הַמּוּמָר (מַהֲרַ"ם פַּאדוֹוָאָה סי' פ"ז); וַאֲסוּפִי וּשְׁתוּקִי קוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ בְּשֵׁם אֲבִי אִמּוֹ, וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָדוּעַ קוֹרִין אוֹתוֹ בְּשֵׁם אַבְרָהָם, כְּמוֹ לְגֵר (דִּבְרֵי עַצְמוֹ). סוּמָא אֵינוֹ קוֹרֵא, לְפִי שֶׁאָסוּר לִקְרוֹת אֲפִלּוּ אוֹת אַחַת שֶׁלֹּא מִן הַכְּתָב, (וּמַהֲרִי"ל כָּתַב דְּעַכְשָׁיו קוֹרֵא סוּמָא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ מַקְרִין בַּתּוֹרָה לְעַם הָאָרֶץ).
3 Even the head of the community or the Chazan should not read until he's told to read. And the custom is that the prayer leader may, if he wants to, make the blessing and read without taking permission; because it's as if when he was appointed prayer leader, he was given permission for this. Rema: And in these countries, this is not the custom; and a Chazan should only go up [to the Torah] if the assistant calls him up. However, he is not called up by his name like all the other "olim" (ie. those who get called up to the Torah) who are called by their name, "Ploni Ben Ploni" (So and so, the son of so and so). Someone whose father is a transgressor through idol worship, should be called by his father's father's name (ie. the grandfather), but not with his name alone, in order to not shame him in public [Trumat Hadeshen - siman 21 and 68]. And this is only when this person has never been called up to the Torah with his father's name; but if he is an adult and accustomed in that city to be called up by his father's name, and then his father became an apostate, he should be called up to the Torah by his father's name as they are accustomed to, in order to not to embarrass him in public. And so too, if there is as a chance of hostility by the apostate [Mahara"m Paduah - siman 87]. [Regarding] an Assufi (ie. someone who was collected from the marketplace and doesn’t know the identity of his parents) and a Shtuki (ie. someone who knows the identity of his mother but does not know the identity of his father): we call him by his mother's father's name, and if he doesn't know even that, then we call him up with the name "Avraham", just like a convert. [His (ie. the Rem"a's) own opinion]. A blind person is forbidden to read, for it is forbidden to read even one letter by heart. [The Mahari"l wrote that nowadays, we may call up a blind person just like we call up an illiterate person.]
ד כָּל הַקּוֹרִים מְבָרְכִים לְפָנֶיהָ וּלְאַחֲרֶיהָ, וּפוֹתֵחַ הַסֵפֶר קֹדֶם שֶׁיְּבָרֵךְ וְרוֹאֶה הַפָּסוּק שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל בּוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ יְבָרֵךְ; וּלְאַחַר שֶׁקָּרָא, גּוֹלֵל וּמְבָרֵךְ. הַגָּה: וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּבָרֵךְ בְּרָכָה רִאשׁוֹנָה יַהֲפֹךְ פָּנָיו עַל הַצַּד, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא נִרְאֶה כִּמְבָרֵךְ מִן הַתּוֹרָה (כָּל בּוֹ); וְנִרְאֶה לִי דְּיַהֲפֹךְ פָּנָיו לְצַד שְׂמֹאלוֹ.
4 All who read [should] bless before it and after it. He should open the Torah scroll before he makes the blessing and see the verse he needs to start with and then recite the blessing; and after it was read, he rolls it up and recites the [second] blessing. Rema: And at the time that one recites the first blessing, he should turn his head to the side so that it does not appear that they are reading the blessing from the Torah [Kol Bo]. And it seems to me that he should turn his face to the left.
ה נָהֲגוּ לְכַסוֹת הַכְּתָב בְּסוּדָר, בֵּין גַּבְרָא לְגַבְרָא. וּבִמְדִינוֹת אֵלּוּ נָהֲגוּ שֶׁהִיא מְגֻלֶּלֶת בֵּין גַּבְרָא לְגַבְרָא, וְכֵן עִקָּר.
5 The custom is to cover the Torah with a scarf between person to person (aliyah to aliyah). (In these countries, the custom is to roll up the Torah between person to person, and this is the main [opinion].)
ו אוֹמֵר בָּרְכוּ וְהַבְּרָכוֹת בְּקוֹל רָם; וְהָאוֹמְרָם בְּלַחַשׁ טוֹעֶה. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לַחֲזֹר וּלְבָרֵךְ בְּקוֹל רָם; הַגָּה: כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּשְׁמְעוּ הָעָם וְיַעֲנוּ: בָּרוּךְ ה' הַמְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד (טוּר). וְאִם לֹא שָׁמְעוּ הַצִּבּוּר אֶת הַמְבָרֵךְ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ הַחַזָּן עוֹנֶה, לֹא יַעֲנוּ עִמּוֹ אֶלָּא עוֹנִין אָמֵן עַל דִּבְרֵי הַחַזָּן (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם הר"י וְאָרְחוֹת חַיִּים וְכָל בּוֹ).
6 One should say "Bar'khu" and the blessings out loud; and those who say it in a whisper are making a mistake. Some say [in that case] that one must repeat it out loud. Rema: so that the people will hear and answer “Barukh [HaShem] haM'vorakh l'olam va-ed” ("Blessed is the Lord, who is blessed for ever and ever.") (Tur). And if the congregation did not hear the one reciting the blessing [i.e., Bar'khu], even though they heard the chazzan answering, they do not answer him [i.e., to the one who whispered[, rather they answer “amen” to the words of the chazzan [i.e.. his response to the one reciting Bar'khu] (Beit Yosef in the name of Ri, Orchot Chaim, and Kol Bo).
ז אַחַר שֶׁעָנוּ הָעָם: בָּרוּךְ ה' הַמְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, חוֹזֵר הַמְבָרֵךְ וְאוֹמֵר: בָּרוּךְ ה' הַמְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, כְּדֵי לִכְלֹל הַמְבָרֵךְ עַצְמוֹ בִּכְלַל הַמְבָרְכִים.
7 After the people answer to “Bar'khu et [haShem] haM'vorakh” ("Bless the Lord, the blessed One"), the one making the blessing repeats and says “Barukh [HaShem] haM'vorakh l'olam va-ed” ("Blessed is the Lord, who is blessed for ever and ever.") in order to include the one making the blessing among all those who are blessing [Hashem].
ח אֲפִלּוּ בֵּרַךְ בִּרְכַּת הַתּוֹרָה לְעַצְמוֹ וְתֵכֶף קְרָאוּהוּ לִקְרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה, צָרִיךְ לַחֲזֹר וּלְבָרֵךְ: אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ, כְּשֶׁקּוֹרֵא בַּתּוֹרָה, דְּמִשּׁוּם כְּבוֹד הַתּוֹרָה נִתְקְנָה כְּשֶׁקּוֹרֵא בְּצִבּוּר.
8 Even if one blessed one's Torah blessing for oneself [i.e., as part of the morning blessings], and right afterwards they called [that person] to read from the Torah, one must repeat and bless “...asher bachar banu...” ("...who has chosen us...") when one reads from the Torah; because it was for the honor of the Torah that [this recitation of a blessing] was decreed when people read [from the Torah] in public.
ט אִם קְרָאוּהוּ לִקְרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה קֹדֶם שֶׁיְּבָרֵךְ בִּרְכַּת הַתּוֹרָה לְעַצְמוֹ, כְּבַר נִפְטַר מִלְּבָרֵךְ בִּרְכַּת אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ, דְּלֹא גָּרַע מִמִּי שֶׁנִּפְטַר בְּאַהֲבָה רַבָּה.
9 If a person was called to read the Torah before blessing one's personal Torah-blessing [in the morning blessings], one is then exempt from having to recite the blessing of “...asher bachar banu...” ("...who has chosen us..."), since it is no worse than one who is exempted by the blessing Ahava Rabba [which is said before the Sh'ma].
י בְּרָכָה אַחֲרוֹנָה: אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָנוּ תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת, זוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב; וְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵנוּ, הוּא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה.
10 [In] the blessing [that is made] after [reading from the Torah], [the words] “asher natan lanu Torat emet” (“Who gave us the true Torah”) refers to the "Torah Shebikhtav" (Written Torah), and [the words] “v’chayyei olam nata b'tokheinu” (“and who planted eternal life within us”) refers to the "Torah Shebe-al Peh" (Oral Torah).
יא הַקּוֹרֵא בַּתּוֹרָה צָרִיךְ לֶאֱחֹז בַּסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה בִּשְׁעַת בְּרָכָה. הַגָּה: וְסָמְכוּ מִנְהָג זֶה עַל מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר בִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא יָמוּשׁ סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה מִפִּיךְ חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ א, ח ט) וּמִזֶּה נָהֲגוּ לוֹמַר לַמְסַיֵּם לִקְרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה בְּכָל פַּעַם חֲזַק (בֵּית יוֹסֵף בְּשֵׁם אֹרַח חַיִּים).
11 The one reading the Torah must hold the Sefer Torah at the time one makes the blessing. Rema: And they base this tradition on the verse from Joshua: "Do not let this Book of Teaching cease from your lips... Be strong and resolute" (Josh. 1:8-9). And from this we have the tradition to say to the person who finishes reading from the Torah, each time: "Chazak" ("Be strong"). (Beit Yosef in the name of Orach Chayyim)