Rabbi Shmuel Rabinotch, the rav of the Kotel, said yesterday that in light of what happened in the morning, with the Women of the Wall taking the Torah and treating it like a random object, anybody who was present at the Kotel at the time should fast as if it had fallen to the floor.
I am curious as to the source of this necessity to fast. If you know, please comment.
I am also not sure why what they did was considered treating it like a random object. People pass the Torah to others fairly regular in our regular services. The person removes the Torah from the aron kodesh and passes it to the chazzan. On simchas torah people holding the Torah during the dancing pass it to the next person assigned to holding it.
Why is one person passing the Torah to the women yesterday any different than the normal passing of the Torah from person to person?
These questions do not take any stand on whether or not the Women of the Wall should be reading from the Torah at the Kotel or not. I just don't understand Rav Rabinovitch's ruling.
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