Contact with a Sefer Torah מגע בספר תורה

It was asked of them: What is [the halacha regarding] standing for a Sefer Torah? R. Chilkiya and R. Simon and R. Elazar said: Kal va-chomer (a fortiori), we stand for those who learn it, for it– all the more so!

Everywhere, you say that we walk behind the Torah

One’s hands should not be filthy or soiled with mud but rather they should wash their hands and then touch it [the Sefer Torah].

The words that are on the tablets of the covenant, exactly those are in every single Sefer Torah… one may not expose his nakedness before it.

Whoever sits before a Sefer Torah should sit seriously, with dread and fear, for it is the faithful witness to all, as it is said “it shall be there for you as a witness,” and one should honor it as much as one can. The first sages said, “Whoever desecrates the Torah, he himself is desecrated by people, and whoever honors the Torah, he himself is honored by people” (Avot 4:6).

For words of Torah are not susceptible to impurity, as it is said: “Are not my words like fire, said God?” Just as fire is not susceptible to impurity, so words of Torah are not susceptible to impurity.

The zavim and the zavot and the niddot and the yoldot are permitted to read Torah, Prophets, and Writings, and to learn mishna, midrash, halacha and aggada.

All those who are ritually impure and even niddot and even the non-Jew are permitted to hold the Sefer Torah and read from it, for words of Torah are not susceptible to impurity.

All the ritually impure, even niddot, are permitted to hold the Sefer Torah and read from it.

They again asked before Rav Yehudai Ga’on: A nidda, what is [the halacha] of praying or entering synagogue? And he answered that it is perfectly fine.

There are women [in nidda] who avoid entering the synagogue and touching the Sefer Torah. This is a mere stringency, and they act properly.

Now our women are not accustomed to refrain at all from entering the synagogue.

Regarding the women during nidda, in truth I permitted them to go to synagogue on the Yamim Nora’im and the like when many women gather in synagogue to hear prayer and [Torah] reading. I relied on Rashi, who permits in his Laws of Nidda out of ‘women’s gratification’ [nachat ru’ach la-nashim] for [those days] were an anguish of the spirit and heartsickness for them, that everyone would gather to be among the congregation, but they would stand outside.

Rabbi Yosei said: Abba Elazar told me: Once, we had a calf for a shelamim [peace] offering, and we brought it to the women’s courtyard, and the women leaned on it. Not because leaning on a sacrifice applies to women, but in order to give gratification to the women [nachat ru’ach la-nashim].

Rema: There are those who wrote that a woman in nidda during her days of seeing [blood] should not enter the synagogue or pray or utter the name of God or touch a Sefer. There are those who say that she is permitted to do all of this, and thus is the basic [halacha], but the custom in these lands follows the first opinion. In her white days they are lenient. Even in a place where they were accustomed to be stringent, on Yamim Nora’im and so forth, when many people gather to go to synagogue, they are permitted to go to synagogue like other women. For this is a great anguish, that everyone gathers while they stand outside.

In our lands they always practice permissively and recite berachot and pray. But in any case, they should not gaze at the Sefer Torah when they lift it up to show to the people.

For it is a mitzva upon all men and women to see the writing [of the Torah]…

Rema: There are those who write that we bring children to kiss the Torah, in order to educate them and to make them zealous for mitzvot, and this is our practice (Or Zaru’a).