Ten Minute Non-Halacha: Pointing At The Torah During Hagbah

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz - Ten Minute Halacha

(ב) מראה פני כתיבת ס"ת לעם העומדים לימינו ולשמאלו ומחזירו לפניו ולאחריו שמצוה על כל אנשים ונשים לראות הכתב ולכרוע ולומר וזאת התורה וכו' תורת ה' תמימה וכו': הגה ונהגו לעשות כן אחר שקראו בתורה אבל כשמוציאין אותו אומר הש"ץ גדלו והקהל אומרים רוממו כו' אב הרחמים הוא ירחם עם עמוסים וכו' וי"א לומר על הכל יתגדל [מ"ס פי"ד וטור ומהרי"ל] וכן נוהגין ביו"ט ובשבת ויש להחזיק התורה בימין (מהרי"ל) וכשעולה הראשון לקרות אומרים ברוך שנתן תורה וכו': [כל בו]:

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 134:2

(2) One shows the writing of the Torah scroll to the people standing to his right and to his left, and then turns it to those before him and those behind him, for it is a mitzvah for all the men and women to see the writing and to bow and to say "Ve'zot Hatorah... Torat Hashem Temima etc." ("And this is the Torah... Hashem's Torah is Perfect etc."). Rem"a: And the custom is to do this after they read from the Torah, but when they remove it [from the Ark] they prayer leader says "Gad'lu" and the congregation answers "Romemu... Av Harachamim Hu Yeracheim Am Amusim etc."("Exalt... May the Father of mercy have compassion on the people borne by Him etc."). And some say to say "Al Hakol Yit'gadal [Masechet Sofrim - chapter 14, and the Tur and Mahari"l] and this is the custom on Shabbat and Yom Tov. And one [who carries the Torah] should hold the Torah on his right (Mahari"l). And when the first one goes up to read, they say "Baruch She'natan Torah etc." (Blessed is the One who gave the Torah etc.") [Kol Bo]

משנה ברורה ס׳׳ק י׳׳א בשם המג׳׳א

לראות הכתב – וטוב שיראה האותיות עד שיהיה יכול לקרותם כי כתבו המקובלים שעי׳׳ז נמשך אור גדול על האדם.

פסקי תשובות הערות, סימן קלד

ויש נוהגין להצביע באצבע הזרת לעבר הס"ת כשאומרים וזאת התורה ולנשקה, ומקורו קדמון (בס' מעם לועז פ' כי תבוא (כ"ו, כ"ז) ד"ה וכמה מנהגים, וכן מובא מנהג זה בספר החיים למהר"ח פאלג'י זצ"ל סי' ג' אות ו').

ילקוט מעם לועז, כי תבא

יש נוהגין לומר ׳׳וזאת התורה אשר שם משה לפני בני ישראל על פי ה׳ ביד משה,׳׳ ועף על פי ששני פסוקים נפרדים הם, אחד בפרשת ואתחנן והשנית בפרשת בהלותך, אבל רמז יש לתורה שבכתב ובתורה שבעל פה. ונהגו לומר עד פסוקים, כגון ׳׳עץ חיים היא,׳׳ ׳׳דרכיה דרכי נעם,׳׳ –– הכל לפי מנהג המקום. ונהגו להצביע באצבע הזרת לאבר הכתב ולנשקה.

The reason to point: Often when the Torah says "zeh" or "zos" it is referring to something that is right in front of you and that you can point to.

שמות י״ב:ב׳

(ב) הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם רֹ֣אשׁ חֳדָשִׁ֑ים רִאשׁ֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם לְחׇדְשֵׁ֖י הַשָּׁנָֽה׃

Exodus 12:2

(2) This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.

רש"י על שמות י״ב:ב׳:ב׳

(ב) הזה. נתקשה משה על מולד הלבנה, באיזו שעור תראה ותהיה ראויה לקדש, והראה לו באצבע את הלבנה ברקיע ואמר לו כזה ראה וקדש (מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל י״ב:ב׳:ב).

Rashi on Exodus 12:2:2

(2) הזה THIS [STAGE OF RENEWAL] — Moses was in perplexity regarding the Molad of (the exact moment when begins) the new moon — how much of it must be visible before it is proper to consecrate it as new moon: He therefore pointed it out to him in the sky with the finger and said to him, “Behold it like this, and consecrate it” (i. e., when you see the moon in a stage of renewal similar to this which you now behold you may proclaim that a new month has begun). But how could He point it out to him, for did He not conserve with him only by day, as it is said, (Exodus 6:28) “And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake [unto Moses]”; (Leviticus 7:38) “On the day when he commanded”; (Numbers 15:23) “From the day that the Lord commanded and henceforward”? But the explanation is: This chapter was spoken to him close to sunset and He pointed it out to him at nightfall (more lit., near darkness) (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:1).

שמות ט״ו:ב׳

(ב) עׇזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃

Exodus 15:2

(2) יהוה is my strength and might;
He is become my deliverance.
This is my God and I will enshrine Him;
The God of my father’s [house], and I will exalt Him.

רש"י על שמות ט״ו:ב׳

(ב) זה אלי. בכבודו נגלה עליהם והיו מראין אותו באצבע, ראתה שפחה על הים מה שלא ראו נביאים (מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל ט׳׳ו:א׳:ו):

Rashi on Exodus 15:2

(1) עזי וזמרת יה — Onkelos translated this by “my might and my praise”, taking עָזִּי the same as עֻזִּי, and וְזִמְרָת the same as וְזִמְרָתִי. But I wonder at the wording of the text if this translation is correct, for you will find no similar example of its punctuation (i. e. of עָזִּי) in the Scriptures except in three passages where it is, in each case, followed by וזמרת. In all other passages it is punctuated with שורק (i. e. our Kibbutz); e. g., (Jeremiah 16:19) ה' עֻזִּי ומעזי (Psalms 59:10) עֻזּו אליך אשמרה So, too, every word of two letters that is punctuated with a Melopum (our חולם) when it is lengthened by the addition of a third letter (i. e. when it has a pronominal suffix as in the examples given below), and the second has not a Sheva (חטף), the first is punctuated with a שורק (Kibbuts) — as, for instance, עֹז and עֻזִּי; ‎רֹק and ‎רֻקִי ; ‎חֹק and ‎חֻקִי ; ‎עֹל and עֻלִי as in (Isaiah 14:25) “then shall his yoke (עֻלּוֹ, from עֹל) depart from him”; — כֹּל and כֻּלּוֹ, as in (Exodus 14:7) “and captains over each of them (כֻּלּוֹ) — from כֹּל. But these three examples of עָזִּי וְזִּמְרָת, viz., that occuring here and that in Isaiah (12:2) and that in Psalms (118:14), are punctuated with short Kametz, whereas the translation of Onkelos would require עֻזִּי and not עָזִּי. Then further, in not one of them (these three passages) is it written וזמרתי, as Onkelos translates, but וזמרת and remarkably enough all of them are immediately followed by ויהי לי לישועה. — Therefore I say in explanation of the wording of the text that עָזִּי is not the same as עֻזִּי and וְזִמְרָת is not the same as וְזִמְרָתִי, but עָזִּי is a noun without a suffix of any kind, as we find in (Psalms 123:1) “The one who sits (הַיֹּשְׁבִי) in heaven”; (Obadiah 3:3) “The one who dwells (שֹׁכְנִי) in the cleft of the rock”; (Deuteronomy 33:16) “He that dwelleth (שֹׁכְנִי) in the bush” (where the syllable at the end of the word is part of the noun and is not the pronominal suffix denoting “my”). The praise, therefore, proclaimed in these words is this: The עז and the זִמְרָת of God, this was to me as a help. The word וזמרת is a noun in the construct state to the word which expressess the Divine Name (יָהּ), in the same sense as (Judges 5:23) “to the help of (לעזרַת — const.) the Lord”; (Isaiah 9:18) “through the wrath of (בעברת — constr.) the Lord”; (Ecc. 3:18) “because of (דברַת — const.) the sons of man”. The expression וזמרת has the meaning of the root which we find in (Leviticus 25:4) “thou shalt not prune (תזמר)” and in (Isaiah 25:5) “the cutting down (זמיר) of the terrible ones”, both of which have the meaning “lopping off” and “cutting down”. Thus the verse signifies: “The strength and vengeance of our God has become to us a help”. Do not be puzzled by the expression ויהי — that it does not state היה — for we have other verses also that use this idiom, and the following is an example of such a construction: (1 Kings 6:5) “round about the wall of the house, both of the temple and the most holy place, he made (ויעש) a side structure”, and it should have said (instead of ויעש etc.) עשה לו צלעות סביב. Similarly in Chronicles, (2 10:17) “But as for the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned (וימלך) over them”, where it should have said מלך עליהם. Other examples are: (Numbers 14:16) “Because the Lord was unable etc…. He slaughtered them (וישחטם)”, where it should have said שחטם; (Numbers 14:36, 37) “And the men whom Moses sent … they died (וימתו)”, where it should have said מתו; (Exodus 9:21) “And he that regarded not the word of the Lord left (ויעזב) his cattle, etc.”, where it should have said עזב‎. (2) זה אלי THIS IS MY GOD — In His glory did He reveal Himself to them and they pointed to Him — as it were — with the finger exclaiming “This is my God!” (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 3:15) A maid servant beheld at the Red Sea what even the prophets never saw (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2). (3) ואנוהו Onkelos translates this in the sense of a dwelling (viz., I will build Him a temple) as in (Isaiah 33:20) “a peaceful habitation (נוה)” and in (Isaiah 65:10) “a dwelling (נוה) for flocks”. Another explanation of ואנוהו is that it has the sense of נוי, “beauty”, and the meaning is: I will relate His splendour and praiseworthiness to the inhabitants of the world as, for example, was actually done by Israel: (Song 5:9, 10) The nations of the world ask, “What is thy beloved more than another beloved?” … and Israel replies, “My beloved is white and ruddy”, and thus you will find it in that whole section (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2). (4) אלהי אבי MY FATHER’S GOD is this וארממנהו AND I WILL EXALT HIM. אלהי אבי He is not merely my God but He was MY FATHER’S GOD also — I am not the beginning of the sanctity (i. e. I am not the first to hallow Him by proclaiming Him God), this hallowing of Him and the proclamation of His Godship over me is something that has been held by me and has remained mine since the days of my fathers.

שפתי חכמים, ויקרא י״א:ב׳:ב׳

(ב) אוחז. פירוש, משום דמלת זאת מורה באצבעו על הרמוז אליו, וכשדבר עמו ה' לא היה שם שום טמא. רא"ם האריך וקצרתי:

Siftei Chakhamim, Leviticus 11:2:2

(2) Hold. Meaning: [Rashi adds this explanation] because the word זאת [implies] one points with his finger to the subject about which he is hinting, but when Hashem was speaking to him there was nothing impure there. Re’m wrote at length [but] I made it brief.

There are many more sources that indicate that zeh/zos indicate pointing with the finger.

Which finger to use:

1) The Hebrew word for pinkie is "zeres" which is also said by the urim vetumim. Just like the urim vetumim were consulted when they needed a guide so too the Torah is our guide.

2) The pinkie represents humility, since it's the smallest, and if one wants to learn Torah he has to have humility. Similar to how Har Sinai was "the humblest of mountains" and Moshe Rabbeinu was also the humblest of men (R' Sheinburg)

3) R' Chaim Pulagi (quoted in source 3): You should use the index finger because in tehilim there are several phrases, starting with "Toras Hashem temimah" have 5 words, corresponding to the 5 fingers of the hand, and the second word of each phrase is "Hashem." Therefore, when we point with our second finger we are saying that the whole Torah is Shem Hashem.

4) The 5 fingers correspond to the 5 senses and the pinkie corresponds to the sense of hearing, so we point with the pinkie to show that we want to here Torah (Rabbeinu Bechayai).

Summary:

It is not really a Halacha. It is a tiny bit of a minhag for Sefardim, and not at all for Ashkenazim.

-Rav Shlomo Zalman, R' Elyashiv, and all the other Ashkenazic gedolai yisrael did not point.