Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Other

The direction the lectern faces during the reading of the Torah:
When the Torah is read in a place which is not designated for prayer, and it is difficult to arrange that it should take place on the eastern side, is it obligatory to make extraordinary efforts to arrange it, or is it ‘forgivable’?
Answer: The Halacha does not insist that the Reading of the Torah must take place on the eastern side specifically, and it is permissible to do it on another side, but the Kaddish that is recited after the Reading of the Torah should be recited on the eastern side.

There are no hard and fast rules about white shirts. In general, a white shirt is considered to be a modest but respectable garment, and a person should wear clothing that is respectable.


Also, part of the day is spent standing in prayer in front of the Creator, and this certainly warrants respectable attire.


In any case, the main thing is not the external garments, but rather the spiritual ones, namely, a person’s thought, speech, and deed. Physical clothing is only a means to the end, the goal being purity of spiritual garments.

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