Ha Rav Riskin mentioned the following, in regard to a somewhat different question on women's minyanim.
There are some authorities - including my teacher and mentor, Rav Soloveitchik ztz"l - who maintain that since a Sefer Torah cannot become "tamei" (ritually impure), a woman may also read fr...
@DoubleAA I don't know, but why would it matter? The scroll can't become tamei, so it can have a tamei cover on it. In any case, we see that men aren't required to immerse in a mikvah before holding or touching a Torah, covered or not.
Maybe it's degrading to the Torah? (Im not saying it is or isnt, just that would seem to be the primary concern and this answer hasnt addressed it at all)
@DoubleAA If not for issues of tumah, why would a woman touching a Torah scroll "degrade" it? The OP specifically mentions tumah as the presumed issue, which RJBS and others ruled is not a problem.
No, she mentioned "Niddah" not Tumah. All kinds of things can be degrading for little sensible reason (why is spitting insulting?); it's up to you to prove one way or another.
I brought a source which allows women to read from the Torah, in a women only minyan. If a woman can read from the Torah , certainly she can carry it to/from the aron kodesh, which perforce involves touching it. Remember, it's a women only minyan. There are no men around to carry the Torah to/from the aron. Therefore, according to the source already presented, women touching / carrying / reading from a Torah scroll is permitted.
The question was about Niddot not women. And did you mean to say a group-of-women-reading-out-of-a-Torah-scroll-for-no-particular-halachic-reason instead of a "women's minyan"?
My poskim do not endorse women's minyanim. However, that was the phrase used by Rav Riskin, l'shem RJBS, when discussing women touching / carrying / reading from the Torah. It's a valid psak, and your last comment was offensive and out of line. Just because your poskim or mine don't endorse the practice, doesn't mean we need to belittle it.
@Jake RJBS is not quoted as using that term in this context.
@Jake I'm not belittling it. It is little. If you want me to belittle it (make it seem littler than it is) I certainly could, but I agree this isn't the place.
In any event, you are correct that there is a school of thought in Judaism that permits Niddot to touch a Torah. I don't know that you've provided great evidence of its existence.
Rav RIskin said, in the source cited in my answer, that women can get together and pray, not saying anything that requires a minyan, and can read from the Torah, not saying the brachos or calling aliyos.
and he quoted his teacher, RJBS, to substantiate that women could read from the Torah, which perforce means they can touch the Torah, which was the OP's question.
@Jake That is a charitable read of his position. R Riskin sounds more along the lines of what josh waxman once pretended R Hershel Schachter said: Don't be a schnook.
"When the Torah comes around in shul, is it preferable for women to touch it with their hand (and then kiss their hand) or with their prayer book (and then kiss their prayer book)?" That was the question. The rest was a guess as to why it might be a problem.
In fact, the OP made no distinction between niddot and married woman who were currently permitted to their husbands.
@Jake No. His logic was in a different case. You are applying it here.
@Jake Maybe he was just approaching the issue qua gender?
@Jake RJBS is only quoted as permitting reading. R Riskin is the one who applied that to a context where that would perforce involve women touching the Torah (assuming your understanding is correct).
In any event, you are correct that there is a school of thought in Judaism that permits Niddot to touch a Torah. I don't know that you've provided great evidence of its existence.
Since you are using implications from non-primary sources, you should be extra clear about who said what and what you are inferring on your own.
Discussion between Jake and Double AA
Discussion between Jake and Double AA