Aliyah (Torah)

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An aliyah (Hebrew ‫עליה‬, or aliya and other variant English spellings) is the
calling of a member of a Jewish congregation to the bimah for a segment of Torah
reading.

The person who receives the aliyah goes up to the bimah before the reading and
recites a blessing for reading of the Torah. After the portion of the Torah is
read, the recipient then recites another blessing. In many congregations, the
recipient will also stand to the side of the bimah during the following reading.

Contents
1 Process
2 Number of aliyot per day
2.1 The first aliyah
3 Simchat Torah
4 Including women
5 COVID 19 Response
6 References
7 External links
Process
A synagogue official, called a gabbai, then calls up several people (men in
Orthodox and some Conservative congregations,[1] men and women in others), in turn,
to be honored with an aliyah (Hebrew: ‫ ;עליה‬pl. ‫עליות‬, aliyot; "ascent" or "going
up"), wherein the honoree (or, more usually, a designated reader) recites a
blessing over the Torah, between each verse. Each reads a section of the day's
Torah portion. There are always at least three olim (people called to read the
Torah) unless a Kohen is present and no Levite is present, in which case the Kohen
is called for the first and second reading:

Initially, the Torah was read on the Sabbath or special occasions by the king, a
prophet, or a kohen. In time, distinguished people were called to read portions of
the Torah. The Torah was on a platform to which the reader ascended, hence the
Hebrew term aliyah ("going up"). Eventually, the rabbis ordained that a
professional reader do the reading to avoid embarrassing those who were unable to
read the Torah script (Shabbat 11a). There are seven aliyot on a Sabbath (Megillah
21a). Bet Yoseph quotes a geonic source in explanation of this number (Ein
Pochasim, Tur, Hilchot Shabbat 282). In the event that someone missed an entire
week's services and as a result had not responded to the reader's daily invocation
of Barechu, he may make up for it by responding to the Barechu of the seven
blessings of the aliyot. A more acceptable reason is the midrashic explanation for
the seven benedictions on the Sabbath (in place of the eighteen). The seven
benedictions correspond to the seven voices of God (kol) mentioned in the Twenty-
ninth Psalm and again in connection with the giving of the Torah (beginning with
Exodus 19:16, Midrash Yelamdenu). This explanation is equally applicable to the
seven aliyot. The first aliyah is assigned to a kohen and the second to a levi.
This order was ordained to avoid public competition for the honor of being first
(Gittin 59b). Babylonian Jewry completed the reading of the Torah within one year.
Palestinian Jewry adopted a triennial cycle (Megillah 29b). The reading of a
selection from the Prophets originated in the time of the Mishnah (Megillah 24a).
This practice probably began after the canonization of the Bible and the ensuing
effort to highlight the Prophets.[2]

Number of aliyot per day

Number of aliyot Occasion
3 Mondays and Thursdays, Shabbat afternoon, fast days, Hanukkah, Purim, Yom
Kippur afternoon
4 Rosh Chodesh, Chol HaMoed
5 Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah
6 Yom Kippur morning
7 Shabbat (Saturday) morning
On Saturday mornings, there are seven olim, the maximum of any day, but more may be
added if desired, by subdividing these seven aliyot or repeating passages
(according to the custom of some communities). When a festival or Yom Kippur
coincides with Shabbat the readings are divided into seven aliyot instead of five
or six.

In most congregations, the oleh does not himself read the Torah aloud. Rather, he
stands near it while a practiced expert, called a ba'al k'ri'ah ("one in charge of
reading"; sometimes ba'al ko're), reads the Torah, with cantillation, for the
congregation. In some congregations the oleh follows along with the expert, reading
in a whisper. In Yemenite communities, the oleh reads the portion himself, while
another person, usually a young boy, recites the Targum after each verse.

The first aliyah

According to Orthodox Judaism, the first oleh (person called to read) is a kohen
(see The Mitzvah of sanctifying the Kohen#The first Aliyah) and the second a levi;
the remaining olim are yisr'elim — Jews who are neither kohen nor levi. (This
assumes that such people are available; there are rules in place for what is done
if they are not.) The first two aliyot are referred to as "Kohen" and "Levi," while
the rest are known by their number (in Hebrew). This practice is also followed in
some but not all Conservative synagogues. Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have
abolished special ritual roles for the descendants of the Biblical priestly and
levitical castes.

Each oleh, after being called to the Torah, approaches it, recites a benediction, a
portion is read, and the 'oleh' concludes with another benediction. Then the next
oleh is called.

The gabbai recites a Hebrew verse upon calling the first person to the Torah. After
that, men are called with: "Ya'amod (Let him arise), [Hebrew Name] ben (son of)
[Father's Hebrew name] [Ha-Kohen (the Kohen) / Ha-Levi (the Levite)] (the name of
the Aliyah in Hebrew)." In synagogues where women may receive aliyot, women are
called with "Ta'amod (Let her arise), [Hebrew Name] bat (daughter of) [Father's
Hebrew name] [Ha-Kohen (the Kohen) / Ha-Levi (the Levite)](the name of the Aliyah
in Hebrew)."

These aliyot are followed by half-kaddish. When the Torah is read in the afternoon,
kaddish is not recited at this point, but rather after the Torah has been returned
to the Ark.

Simchat Torah
On Simchat Torah, the tradition is that all members of the congregation are called
for an aliyah during the Shacharit service. There are various ways in which this is
accomplished. In some congregations, this is done by repeating the first five
readings of V'Zot HaBerachah until everyone receives an aliyah. In others, this is
done by reading each section only once while calling groups for each aliyah. The
final regular aliyah is known as Kol HaNe'arim, in which minor children (under
Bar/Bat Mitzvah age) are called for a joint aliyah.

Including women
In 1955, the CJLS of the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism issued a
decision that allowed women to have an aliyah at Torah-readings services.[3]

COVID 19 Response
In order to practice social distancing to limit the number of individuals on the
bimah during the reopening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orthodox Union
guidelines suggest that the person reading the Torah take all three aliyot.[4]