Megilla 32 Torah Rituals Then and Now

Masechet Megilla ends with a conversation about rituals around Torah reading.  Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda disagree about stringency.  Rabbi Meir believes that when reading from the Torah, the reader should touch the spot where the reading starts with an intermediary (a cloth; a yad).  Then the reader should state the blessing.  Following this, he should begin the Torah reading.  Rabbi Yehuda believes that when saying the blessing, the Torah should be covered.  This stringency ensures that the congregation understands the translator's intention and does not believe that the blessing on the Torah is written in the Torah.  Rabbi Meir says that this is obvious, for the blessing is repeated before each parasha is read.

Steinsaltz provides us with numerous versions of these practices in his notes.  I was delighted to understand the "why" of another ritual that I have witnessed and not fully understood.

The sanctity of the Torah and items that come into direct contact with the Torah are considered to have the greatest sanctity.  We learn about how to properly furl, unfurl, close and dress the Torah.  Most of these practices help to ensure that the text of the Torah is not damaged should, G-d forbid, the scroll fall and/or rip.  Again, having dressed the Torah numerous times, it is deeply satisfying to understand why these rituals have become carved in stone, so to speak.

At the end of today's daf we are reminded of what we are to do on the Festivals.  Leviticus 23:44 tells us that "Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord".  Thus we are to read the portions that describe each Festival on that Festival.  Further, the Sages taught in a Baraita that we are to use each Festival to learn the halachot of that Festival.

Learning the origins of customs and rituals is terribly significant.  There is a joke of the woman who cut off the corner of her roast before putting it into the oven.  She learned this from her mother, who learned it from her mother.  But why was this done?  It would feel wrong to prepare a roast with the corner attached, but did its removal come from Torah?  or was it based on a health concern?  or something else?  Asking her grandmother about this ritual, the woman learned the origin of the removal: her great-grandmother's roasting pan was too small for the full roast.

We ascribe meaning as a matter of course.  Learning about the origins of our rituals helps us to understand what was meaningful to our ancestors.  We can then add that meaning to our own experience of practice.