Back to the Holy Ark? Facing an Ancient Issue – עמידה עם גב לארון הקודש? שאלה עתיק של כבוד התורה

May one stand or sit with their back to the Aron Hakodesh, the holy ark of a Shul or Beis Midrash? Only under certain conditions? Are there different minhogim and practices with regard to the matter? What about a Rav or Rosh Yeshiva addressing his congregation, his ציבור?

You may have some vague knowledge or recollection related to this. Perhaps you have seen some individuals exiting Shul in a somewhat atypical way, in order not to leave with their back turned, for example. This relates to an old issue discussed by some poskim, but seemingly less or little known today, at least among the masses.

Just as turning one’s back to another person is (at least at times) considered as a gesture of disrespect, so too, turning one’s back in general, even to a seemingly inanimate object, can be seen similarly. Therefore, in our holy and ancient tradition, there has been discussion in rabbinic literature about whether, and under what conditions, one may be with their back to the ארון קודש, the holy ark in the front of a Shul.

I myself didn’t know much about this, though I had a vague knowledge of it. Some years ago I had heard מורנו רבש”ה שליט”א, Rav Binyomin Shlomo Hamburger shlit”a, make a fleeting reference to it in one of his shiurim, but due to the brevity, I still remained largely in the dark about it afterward.

However, recently, ב”ה (thank G-d), I came across a very illuminating article about the subject by Maran Rav Hamburger in an issue of an impressive publication of ק”ק יוצאי אשכנז דלייקוואוד by the name of שומר ציון הנאמן החדש, חוברת ג, which is worth sharing and enjoying.

I will attempt a synopsis of it, to share the general sense, and anyone who is interested in more will be directed to the publication in לשון הקודש in which it appeared, for more details.

Our great rabbis of earlier times, the ראשונים, both of Ashkenaz and Sefarad, viewed this matter with significant gravity. For starters, ספר חסידים of R. Yehudah Hachosid, as well as the משנה תורה of Rambam are cited, followed by more than ten other sources weighed in on the issue, through later generations and centuries, going down to the modern era.

In Ashkenaz this matter was viewed quite seriously. Some rabbis, esp. outside ארץ אשכנז proper, did explicate heteirim, ruling that in certain cases, e.g. when the sifrei Torah were in an elevated space in an aron, they were considered in a different domain (רשות), making the matter easier to handle. Others recommended that a Rav speaking to his congregation should stand somewhat to the side, rather than in the center with his back squarely to the aron.

Interestingly, the revered author, an expert in bringing ancient minhogim and practices alive and making them relevant to us, relates two contemporary examples of gedolim (non-“German” actually too 🙂 that were careful (on the strict side) with regard to this matter, namely Rav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg zt”l, and Rav Avrohom Genechovsky zt”l, who both made it a practice to address their תלמידים while toward the side of the room, rather than right in front center with back toward the aron kodesh.

Whatever version of approved practice is followed, what emerges from this discussion is an important illustration of the great principle of כבוד התורה in action, and the profound concern and care that גדולי ישראל have had for it for so long.

In the זכות (merit) of כבוד התורה, as well as תורה הקדושה itself, may הקב”ה bless us and protect us.

More information about this, in form of selected pages from the cited publication, is shared here for further study.

Tags: Ashkenaz minhogim, Endangered minhogim, German minhogim, Lost minhogim, minhogim