Chief Rabbi Rav Kalman Ber: Krias HaTorah Must Be Made Up If Missed Due to Shul Closures

Rav Kalman Bar, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, has issued a psak halachah stating that krias haTorah missed due to shul closures must be completed under specific conditions.

The psak, published following disruptions caused by recent closures due to security concerns, rules that the parsha of Beha’aloscha, which was not read in many communities, should be completed retroactively. The ruling is based on the opinions of both early and later poskim affirming the obligation to make up a missed krias haTorah when the cancellation results from external circumstances such as a security crisis.

However, the obligation to make up the reading depends on how many members of the kehillah missed it. If the majority of the kehillah did not hear the Torah reading, then the missed parashah should be read the following Shabbos alongside that week’s regular parashah.

In contrast, if only a minority missed the reading, there is no obligation to inconvenience the broader community. Still, Rav Ber notes that a separate Torah reading may be arranged for that minority, if feasible.

Regarding how to perform the makeup reading, Rav Ber instructs that three olim should be taken from the missed parashah, and the fourth oleh should continue with the beginning of the current week’s parsha, similar to the practice when two parshiyos are read together. The same principle applies to making up the missed haftarah.

The psak also delves into a broader halachic discussion regarding whether Torah reading is a communal obligation or an individual one. Rav Ber presented various views from leading poskim and concludes that a Torah reading should not be arranged for fewer than ten people unless they are strict about regularly hearing krias haTorah.

{Matzav.com Israel}