(ה) וַיִּפְתַּ֨ח עֶזְרָ֤א הַסֵּ֙פֶר֙ לְעֵינֵ֣י כָל־הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־מֵעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעָ֖ם הָיָ֑ה וּכְפִתְח֖וֹ עָֽמְד֥וּ כָל־הָעָֽם׃ (ו) וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ עֶזְרָ֔א אֶת־יי הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים הַגָּד֑וֹל וַיַּֽעֲנ֨וּ כָל־הָעָ֜ם אָמֵ֤ן ׀ אָמֵן֙ בְּמֹ֣עַל יְדֵיהֶ֔ם וַיִּקְּד֧וּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲוֻּ֛ לַיי אַפַּ֥יִם אָֽרְצָה׃ (ז) וְיֵשׁ֡וּעַ וּבָנִ֡י וְשֵׁרֵ֥בְיָ֣ה ׀ יָמִ֡ין עַקּ֡וּב שַׁבְּתַ֣י ׀ הֽוֹדִיָּ֡ה מַעֲשֵׂיָ֡ה קְלִיטָ֣א עֲזַרְיָה֩ יוֹזָבָ֨ד חָנָ֤ן פְּלָאיָה֙ וְהַלְוִיִּ֔ם מְבִינִ֥ים אֶת־הָעָ֖ם לַתּוֹרָ֑ה וְהָעָ֖ם עַל־עָמְדָֽם׃ (ח) וַֽיִּקְרְא֥וּ בַסֵּ֛פֶר בְּתוֹרַ֥ת הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים מְפֹרָ֑שׁ וְשׂ֣וֹם שֶׂ֔כֶל וַיָּבִ֖ינוּ בַּמִּקְרָֽא׃ (ס)
(5) Ezra opened the scroll in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; as he opened it, all the people stood up. (6) Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with hands upraised. Then they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD with their faces to the ground. (7) Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Teaching to the people, while the people stood in their places. (8) They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they understood the reading.
ואמר ר' שפטיה אמר ר' יוחנן כל הקורא בלא נעימה ושונה בלא זמרה עליו הכתוב אומר (יחזקאל כ, כה) וגם אני נתתי להם חוקים לא טובים וגו'
And Rabbi Shefatya said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Concerning anyone who reads from the Torah without a melody or studies the Mishna without a song, the verse states: “So too I gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live” (Ezekiel 20:25), as one who studies Torah through song demonstrates that he is fond of his learning. Furthermore, the tune helps him remember what he has learned.
The scroll is carried through the synagogue, as noted earlier, the way some cultures do with monarchs, popes, icons, and idols. In the synagogues of north- and central-European Jews, the scroll is dressed up in a mantle, breastplate, belt, and crown, like a king, and people kiss it as it passes.
(א) שהצבו' לא יצאו מב"ה עד שיצניעו ס"ת ובו ס"א:
אין הצבור רשאים לצאת מב"ה עד שיצניעו ס"ת [מיהו אם אינם יוצאים רק יחיד לית לן בה] (ב"י בשם הר"י בחידושי מגילה) ואם מצניעים הס"ת בבית אחר אם אין לב"ה אלא פתח א' צריכין להתעכב עד שיצא הס"ת וילכו אחריו למקום שמצניעין אותו שם ואם יש לב"ה שני פתחי' יכולים לצאת בפתח אחד קודם שיצא הס"ת בפתח האח' ובלבד שילכו אחר הס"ת וילוהו למקום שמצניעין אותו שם: הגה ובמקומות שמצניעין אותו בהיכל שהוא הארון בב"ה מצוה לכל מי שעוברת לפניו ללותה עד לפני הארון שמכניסין אותו שם [ד"ע ומהרי"ל] וכן הגולל ילך אחר הס"ת עד לפני הארון ועומד שם עד שיחזירו הס"ת למקומה [הג"מ פי"ב מה"ת וכן נוהגין במגביה הס"ת כי הוא עיקר הגולל וכמו שנתבאר סי' קמ"ז ס"ד ויש שכתבו שבאים התינוקות לנשק התורה כדי לחנכם ולזרזם במצות וכן נוהגין [אור זרוע]:
(1) And in the places where they store the Torah in the [...] ark in the synagogue, it is a Mitzva for everyone that [the Torah] passes in front of to accompany it until before the ark in which they will place it. Similarly, the one who wrapped the Torah should walk after it until before the ark and stand there until it they put the Torah scroll back to its place. And such is practiced also by the one who raised the Torah, for that is the main part of the wrapping. And some have written that we bring the young children to kiss the Torah in order to educate them and excite them about Mitzvot, and such is the custom.
(חלק א - כג ס"ק א, מהדורה תשס"א)
As is known, we are obligated to stand for the Sefer torah, and this is learned from the obligation to stand for a torah scholar, for if we stand for those who learn the the Torah, all the more we should stand for the Torah itself. Rashi in Avoda Zara (17a) states that it was the custom when taking leave from the Synagogue, the people would kiss the most honored among them in a sign of respect, following this it would be fitting to kiss the Sefer torah as well, in line with Kal Vechomer the Gemara makes to obligate standing for the Torah from the obligation to stand for the Talmid Chacham.
This would seem to be the source for the custom to kiss the Torah scroll as it passes.
This is the interpretation of the Rema (או"ח קמט), that we bring the children towards the Torah to kiss it on post to encourage and educate them in the observance of mitzvos, that this does not mean only children, rather even adults should kiss it but that there is a value in educating the children to this as well.
The Siddur Yaavetz and other siddurim quote the custom of the Ariza"l to kiss the sefer torah, it is also said that one should kiss with his lips specifically, and not the hands as is the custom of the general public. However the Sha'ar Ephraim (שער י' ס"ד) says that if it is difficult to kiss with the lips one can kiss with his hand.
כל העולין למזבח עולין דרך ימין ומקיפין ויורדין דרך שמאל.
All those who ascend the ramp to the altar ascend via the right side of the ramp toward the southeast corner and circle the altar until reaching the southwest corner and descend via the left side of the ramp.
(ז) העולה למגדל עולה בפתח שהיא לו בדרך קצרה ממקומו וירד מהמגדל בדרך אחר שהיא לו בדרך ארוכה עד מקומו ואם ב' הדרכים שוים עולה בפתח שהיא לו בדרך ימין וירד בפתח שכנגדו (מרדכי הגדול]:
The person receiving an aliyah to the bimah, goes up to the torah by the shortest route from their place. And they go down from the bimah a different way that is the longest route back to their place. And if there are two equidistant routes possible, they go up by the path that is on the right-hand side of the bimah, and go down the opposite side.
ת"ר פותח ורואה גולל ומברך וחוזר ופותח וקורא דברי רבי מאיר רבי יהודה אומר פותח ורואה ומברך וקורא מאי טעמא דרבי מאיר כדעולא דאמר עולא מפני מה אמרו הקורא בתורה לא יסייע למתורגמן כדי שלא יאמרו תרגום כתוב בתורה הכא נמי כדי שלא יאמרו ברכות כתובין בתורה ורבי יהודה תרגום איכא למיטעי ברכות ליכא למיטעי
The Sages taught in a baraita: When a person reads from the Torah, he should open the scroll and see the place from where he will read, furl it so that it is closed, and recite the blessing, and then he should again open the scroll, and read. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda said: He should open the scroll, and see the place from where he will read, and, without closing it again, he should recite the blessing, and read. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for Rabbi Meir’s opinion that the blessing is not recited over an open scroll? The Gemara answers: His reasoning is in accordance with the statement of Ulla, as Ulla said: For what reason did the Sages say that one who reads from the Torah should not assist the translator, but rather the translation should be exclusively said by the translator? In order that people should not say that the translation is written in the Torah. Here too, the scroll should be closed when reciting the blessings, in order that people should not say that the blessings are written in the Torah. And Rabbi Yehuda is not concerned about this, as he claims that with regard to the translation, there is the possibility of people erring in this way, but with regard to the blessings, there is no concern about people erring. People will realize the blessings are not actually part of the Torah’s text because they are recited by each person who reads.
(ד) כל הקורים מברכין לפניה ולאחריה ופותח הספר קודם שיברך ורואה הפסוק שצריך להתחיל בו ואח"כ יברך ולאחר שקרא גולל ומברך: הגה ובשעה שמברך ברכה ראשונה יהפוך פניו אל הצד שלא יהא נראה כמברך מן התורה [כל בו] ונראה לי שיהפוך פניו לצד שמאלו:
(4) Everybody who reads (should) bless before it and after it. They should open the Torah scroll before they bless and see the verse they need to start with and then they bless and then read the Torah and then roll it up and bless (the second blessing). Gloss: and at the time that they bless the first blessing they should turn their heads to the side so that it does not appear that they are reading the blessing from the Torah (The Kol Bo) and it seems to me that they should turn to the left.
Lifting (Before or After),
Pointing (or bowing),
& Furling (not dressing?)
(יג) (ואח"כ מגביה את התורה ואומר אחד אלקינו גדול אדונינו קדוש ונורא שמו לעולם ועד ומתחיל בנעימה ואומר ה׳ הוא האלקים ה׳ שמו ואחריו עונין אותו העם וחוזר וכופלו ועונין אותו פעמים):
(יד) מיד גולל ספר תורה עד שלשה דפין ומגביהו ומראה פני כתיבתו לעם העומדים לימינו ולשמאלו ומחזירו לפניו ולאחריו שמצוה לכל האנשים ולנשים לראות הכתב ולכרוע ולומר (דברים ד׳:מ״ד) וזאת התורה אשר שם משה לפני בני ישראל (או) (תהילים י״ט:ח׳) תורת ה׳ תמימה משיבת נפש והמפטיר נותנו לחזן הכנסת והוא חוזר התורה לכסות ראשי הקרואים שאין כבוד להיות התורה יחידה וכיוצא בו אינו מן המובחר שיעמוד החזן יחידי לפני התיבה אלא שיעמדו עמו אחד לימינו ואחד לשמאלו כנגד אבות (ויש אומרים פורס את שמע שיאמר יוצר אור וקדוש וטעם לדבר על הברכה שמברך על התורה ועל העבודה) כך היו נקיי הדעת שבירושלים עושין כשהיו מוציאין את התורה ומחזירין היו הולכין אחריה מפני כבודה:
(13) (And afterwards one lifts the Torah and says softly "One is our God, Great is our Master, His Name is Holy and Awesome Forever," and the people respond and say "YHWH is God, YHWH is His Name." Then you go back and say both parts again).
(14) Immediately one unwraps the Torah for 3 columns worth and lifts it and displays the writing within for the people who are standing to his right and to his left, and then he turns it in front of him and behind him since the commandment is that all men and women see the written text and bow before it and say "And this is the Torah that God placed with Moses before the people of Israel" (Deuteronomy 4:14) (or) "God's Torah is perfect, renewing life" (Psalms 19:8). And the one reading the Maftir (additional section from the Prophets) gives the Torah back to the Cantor of the assembled and he returns the Torah in order to cover it with the heads/crowns of the guests/readers, since it is not respectful for the Torah to be by itself...
Printed in Ḥakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought
R. Chaim Benvenisti (1603–1673), an important Turkish halakhist, explains in his book Sha’ayarei Knesset ha-Gedolah that the Ashkenazic custom originated because uneducated people thought that seeing the Torah at hagbaha was more important than hearing the Torah reading, so they would walk out of the synagogue right after hagbaha. By postponing hagbaha, people would leave only after the Torah reading.
Printed in Ḥakirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought
It has been suggested that it [the custom of pointing at the Torah] arose from people attempting to kiss the Torah as it is taken from the Ark to the bimah. People who were far away and could not reach the Torah would stick out their hands in the direction of the Torah, sometimes holding tzizit, and then kiss the tzizit or their finger. In Sephardic congregations where hagbaha takes place right after the Torah arrives at the bimah, some people would still be sticking their hands out during hagbaha, leading to the impression that people should point to the Torah during hagbaha. This would explain why all the early references to the custom of pointing appear in Sephardic sources...
There may be another reason for the choice of using the little finger to point to the Torah. Finger pointing sometimes has negative connotations in Tanakh. For example, “If you remove from your midst perversion, finger pointing and evil speech” (Is. 58:9), is explained by Radak as referring to the way of belligerent people to point one finger at each other. In Proverbs 6:13 finger pointing is listed as one of the actions of a lawless man. Among both ancient and modern peoples, in both Islamic and European cultures, many consider pointing at someone with the index finger offensive... Because of this some people bend their index finger down a bit so that they are not actually pointing at the Torah. It may be that once the custom of pointing to the Torah became prevalent, it was considered inappropriate to use the index finger for pointing because of negative cultural connotations, leading to the use of the little finger as an alternative with no offensive connotations.
Yasher Koach was originally intended to be used exclusively for one who had read from the Torah. Scholars explain that in ancient times, the Torah scroll was held upright during its reading so that those surrounding it could follow as it was being read (in pre-printing press days, Synagogues did not have many Chumashim). With this in mind, Sephardi communities made Sifrei Torah in cylindrical cases, which were self-standing. In Ashkenazi Synagogues, however, the Ba'al Koreh required a lot of strength to keep the Torah scroll upright while he was reading from it and often he was helped by those standing alongside him. We can now understand why he, in particular, was blessed with Yasher Koach - may your strength be firm!