Each week congregations worldwide celebrate the giving of the Torah (HaShem’s Divine instructions, His will, His Word) with a joyful “Torah Walk” around the sanctuary.
As it passes, worshipers kiss the Torah mantle with a shawl or bible out of veneration for His word and loyalty to Adonai.
In Judaism there’s a lot of kissing of holy objects!
• The tefillin are kissed when taken out and returned to their bag.
• The tzitzit (fringes) are kissed at the end of Baruch she-Amar and during the recitation of the Shema.
• The curtain of the ark (parochet) is kissed before opening and after closing (when the Torah is taken out and then returned).
• The Torah mantle is kissed when it passes by in procession in the synagogue.
• The Torah scroll is kissed before one recites the blessings over it, either with the intermediary of the edge of the tallit or the sash used to tie the scroll together, but never with the bare hand.
• A siddur (prayer book) and Chumash are kissed before putting them away; they also are kissed if accidentally dropped on the floor.
• The mezuzah on the doorpost is kissed when entering or leaving a house.
In fact, when men are carrying the Torah and marching around the sanctuary, it means that the leaders of their homes are committing to follow G-d’s word, Yeshua, and the Shekinah (Divine Presence/Glory) of G-d. They are committing to taking the burden of carrying Torah and Yeshua to their homes, congregation, areas of influence and to the nations.
In Judaism, the word of G-d is far more than mere words. And the Torah scroll itself is far, far more than mere ink written on paper.
No, the moment the Divine name was inscribed upon it, it became a holy object. Not a “god” to be sure, but holy nonetheless. As a result, Torah scrolls (or any publication with the written Word and Divine Name), are treated differently than a common book. The Torah is a holy object which has inscribed upon it the very essence of G-d is as He revealed Himself to mankind. It is in fact, according to the Apostles, the Living Word. The Torah procession is reminiscent of the Ark coming up to Jerusalem. Do you recall the scene of David dancing before the Ark as it was being brought to Jerusalem? The King (the man that G-d said was a man after his own heart) ordered the blowing of shofars, the Levites to play instruments and sing and the multitude of sacrifices. Do you recall the extravagant worship? This was a celebration that was apparently so joyful and free that it embarrassed the King’s wife… and she became barren…unable to be fruitful and bear children.
When the Ark would travel, Moses would say ‘Arise Adonai!’. But think about what Moses said….Arise Adonai???….about a box? About wood and gold? About an object made with human hands? To Moses, the Ark (which equals covenant and Torah) spoke of HaShem, His glory, His covenant and His essence. It was figurative and yet holy. So it is with us. This is why we celebrate with such joy every Sabbath when we remove the Torah from the Ark. and circle the sanctuary. And because the written Word IS the Living Word, and Yeshua IS the Word made flesh, we say “behold the Torah, behold Yeshua!”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing made had being.” Yochanan (John) 1:1-3
Adapted from the Jewish Virtual Library and “The Torah Walk”, from http://rabbimordecaisdrash.blogspot.com
