DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 608 KB)
Should a Mourner be Called for an Aliya if He is the Only Kohen in Attendance?

A mourner who is observing Shib’a should not be called for an Aliya to the Torah, since it is forbidden for mourners to study Torah.

An interesting question arises in a case where a mourner who is a Kohen does not have a Minyan in his home, and prays in the synagogue, instead, where no other Kohanim are in attendance. Normally, if there is a Kohen present, he must be given the first Aliya to the Torah, as otherwise people might question whether he is in fact a legitimate Kohen. In light of this Halacha, should we perhaps allow a mourner to receive the first Aliya if he is the only Kohen, in the interest of protecting his reputation?

The answer is that even in such a case, the mourner should not receive an Aliya, and he does not need to be asked to leave, either. It can be assumed that the people in the congregation realize that this Kohen is in mourning and is therefore unable to receive an Aliya, and therefore, nobody will question his status as a valid Kohen. This case resembles a case where the only Kohen in the synagogue is in the middle of Shema or the Amida prayer when the Torah reading begins. Since he cannot be called for the first Aliya – as waiting for him to finish his prayer would inconvenience the congregation – and it is clear to everyone present that he cannot receive the Aliya because he is praying, and not because he is not a valid Kohen, he does not receive the Aliya. Likewise, if the only Kohen in the synagogue is a mourner, he does not receive an Aliya, because everybody knows the reason why he cannot be called to the Torah.

The exception to this rule is Shabbat, when a Kohen who is a mourner should be called for the first Aliya if no other Kohanim are present. Public displays of mourning are forbidden on Shabbat, and if the only Kohen in the synagogue does not receive an Aliya because he is in mourning, or if he is asked to leave so a Yisrael can be called, this would publicly display his status as a mourner. Therefore, if it happened on Shabbat that the only Kohen in the synagogue is a mourner, he should receive the first Aliya. This is the ruling of Hacham David Yosef, in his Halacha Berura.

Summary: If the only Kohen in the synagogue is a mourner observing Shib’a, the first Aliya is given to a Yisrael, unless this occurred on Shabbat, in which case the mourner should receive the first Aliya.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
The Depth of the High Holiday Liturgy
Rosh Hashana: If One Forgot Ya’aleh V’Yavo in Birkat HaMazon
Using Material From a Non-Kosher Animal for the Shofar
Rosh Hashanah – If One Forgot to Recite Ya’aleh Ve’yabo in Birkat Ha’mazon
Why Rosh Hashanah Can Fall Out on Only Certain Days of the Week
Rosh Hashanah – The Reciting of “Ayeh Mekom Kebodo” in “Keter”
Fasting on Ereb Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah – Eating Pomegranate
Rosh Hashanah – The Meaning of “U’dbarcha Emet Ve’kayam La’ad”
Rosh Hashana- Men Dipping In Mikveh On Erev Rosh Hashana
Customs Relevant to Food and Drink on Rosh Hashanah
The Reasons for the Misva of Shofar
Rosh Hashanah – The Proper Way to Blow the Shebarim and Shebarim-Teru’a; Kavanot During the Shofar Blowing
Rosh Hashana- Reciting "She'hecheyanu" on Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah – Changing the Parochet; Customs of the Night of Rosh Hashanah
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found