Etz chaim hi l’machazikim bah, vetomcheyha me’ushar…She is a tree of life to those uphold her, and all those who cling to her find happiness. – liturgy
This verse, which we sing in shul every Shabbat morning, refers of course, to Torah. While in its broadest sense Torah is the entire body of Jewish knowledge, we think of Torah most often as the physical scroll, which is more accurately referred to as a sefer Torah, since sefer means book (and our first books were wound not bound).
Still, it can feel plenty challenging to hold up a sefer Torah since its wooden poles, parchment, silver breastplate and crowns can be of substantial weight. So what happens when a sefer Torah is dropped, as was the case here at BIJ on Yom Kippur? As a child I had heard about a required forty day fast with a stipulation that allowed it to be divided among forty individuals. Surprisingly, after extensive research my colleagues and I could not find a source for this broadly assumed requirement. The closest reference was in a rabbinic collection known as otzar dinim u’minhagim, a guidebook on customs and judgments, but it only referred to a one day fast!
Anecdotally, one rabbi wrote of having facilitated a daylight-only fast with forty congregants and observed that it had been a very meaningful experience for the community. Those involved came to fully appreciate how the entire community is responsible for upholding Torah - not just the one who carries it or knocks it over. Their collective fast reinforced the principle of kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh, that every Jew is responsible for his or her fellow.
In a primarily geriatric congregation where a Torah fell out of the ark, each minyan member was assigned 2-3 days on which to study Torah for as many hours as possible. Although they could not fast, everyone’s participation in the healing process allowed them to grow closer as a community. In another congregation every member was recruited in the response by donating a small bit of Tzedakah.
Whatever we choose to do at BIJ, it is important to know that there is something that can be done and that this response is not meant as a punishment. Just as we confess our errors in the plural on the High Holidays, the congregation needs to assume collective responsibility and participate in the response. This prevents the person who was holding the Torah from being unduly shamed or isolated.
What does it mean to uphold the Torah? In this case, I think it best not to be too literal. Rather, our response ought to uphold essential and eternal Torah values, such as tzedek (righteousness), koved (human dignity), or to expand our appreciation of Judaism. One suggestion is to organize a blood-drive with a minimum of forty committed donors since forty is a both a sizable and symbolic number.
A blood drive would certainly emphasize the Jewish value of pikuah nefesh, saving lives. Another suggestion is to raise tzedakah to bring in a sofer (scribe) to educate us about our sifrei Torah and to do some desperately needed repair on our aging and damaged scrolls. Please consider stepping forward and taking part in organizing and participating in this response. Todah Rabbah!