Megillah, Daf Lammed Bet, Part 3

 

Introduction

Today’s section contains a series of rules about the Sefer Torah transmitted by R. Sheftiah in the name of R. Yohanan.

 

אמר רבי שפטיה אמר רבי יוחנן: הגולל ספר תורה צריך שיעמידנו על התפר.

 

R. Sheftiah said in the name of R. Yohanan: One who rolls up a Sefer Torah, he should make it close at a seam.

 

When closing up the Sefer Torah he should do so close to the seam which will enable him to close it as tight as possible.

 

ואמר רבי שפטיה אמר רבי יוחנן: הגולל ספר תורה – גוללו מבחוץ ואין גוללו מבפנים, וכשהוא מהדקו – מהדקו מבפנים, ואינו מהדקו מבחוץ.

 

R. Shefatiah further said in the name of R. Yohanan: One who rolls together a Sefer Torah should roll it from outside and should not roll it from within, and when he fastens it he should fasten it from within and should not fasten it from without.

 

Rashi explains this as follows. When an individual is rolling a Sefer Torah and it is in his lap, and he wants to roll it up he should roll it towards him because if he rolls it away from him it might fall on the ground. And when he wants to close it he should hold the inner part of the scroll and close it tight to the outer side, this way his arms don’t cover the writing and we want people to be able to see the writing.

This interpretation is based on Tractate Soferim, a medieval composition of rules related to Torah reading.

 

ואמר רבי שפטיה אמר רבי יוחנן: עשרה שקראו בתורה – הגדול שבהם גולל ספר תורה. הגוללו נוטל שכר כולן, דאמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: עשרה שקראו בתורה – הגולל ספר תורה קיבל שכר כולן. שכר כולן סלקא דעתך? אלא אימא: קיבל שכר כנגד כולן.

R. Shefatiah further said in the name of R. Yohanan: If ten have read in the Torah, the greatest among them rolls up the Sefer Torah. He who rolls it up receives the reward of all of them, since R. Joshua b. Levi said: If ten have read from the Torah, the one who rolls it up receives the reward of all of them.

The reward of all of them, do you really think? Rather say he receives a reward equal to that of all of them.

 

This last section says that the one who rolls the Sefer Torah (gelilah) receives the greatest reward. While today we think of this as a minor honor, in the time of the Talmud it was the greatest. Perhaps because it was last.