It is remarkable that we derive the obligation (which some hold is Biblical) to stand for the Sefer Torah, from the requirement to stand before a talmid chochom - and NOT the other way round.

Although there are a various levels of stringencies, the basic requirement is to pay careful attention to each and every word when the Torah is read in public. This extends as far as certainly not talking during this time but also not learning Torah according to many opinions.

We discuss the practice in the time of the Gemorrah where after each verse it was translated into Aramaic so that the people could understand what was said. We no longer do this.

We continue our discussion of under what conditions should we replace a Sefer torah for reading in shul where mistakes are found

We continue with a discussion of what to do when mistakes are found when reading from the Torah at different points in completing the 7 call-ups to the Torah on Shabbos.

We know that to be kosher, a Sefer Torah must not have any mistake in it - even a single letter missing or added will invalidate it. There is an opinion that this is in regards to the mitzvah of writing a kosher Sefer Torah. They hold that if one finds a mistake whilst reading it, one is allowed to continue. Whilst this is a minority view, we can rely on this leniency under some circumstances that we describe in this podcast.

We discuss what to do if there is no kosher Sefer Torah to layn from or if no-one knows how to layn properly.