Hagbahah and Gelilah
Hagbahah ( Hebrew הגבהה ' Exaltation , exaltation' ) and Gelilah ( Hebrew גלילה 'Wrapping' ) are two related functions in Jewish worship .
After each Torah reading , after the last Aliyah , the Torah scroll with the five books of Moses is lifted up and opened, shown to the congregation and then wrapped. In addition to a little strength, lifting requires caution. According to tradition, anyone who drops a Torah must fast for 40 days - this to commemorate the 40 days in which the Torah was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai .
While the Torah scroll is being picked up, the congregation recites the Bible verse: Vesot ha-torah ascher sam Moshe lifnei bnei Yisrael al pi Adonai bejad Moshe ("This is the teaching that Moses presented to the children of Israel ...", Deut. 4 , 44 EU ).
In Sephardic communities, the hagbahah does not take place after reading the Torah, but before.
The wrapping takes place in five stages: first a pennant ( Mappa ) is placed around the roll of parchment , then the Torah cloak , the Torah shield (Tas) - often with an image of the Ten Commandments -, the Jad (pointer) and finally the two with Rimonim with bells (literally: "pomegranates") or the Torah crown placed on the bars.