There is one exceptional aspect of Judaism that never ceases to amaze me - that every practice or custom that we observe has a meaningful rationale behind it. There are no arbitrary deeds. Even the minute details have a wealth of reasoning and logic behind them. Our discussion today will focus on some of the reasoning behind the various practices and customs associated with getting called up to the Torah for an aliyah.
   
    The Shulchan Aruch writes that when a person is called up to the Torah for an aliyah he should take the shortest path from his seat. Taking the most direct route to the Torah accomplishes to objectives.  First, it shows respect for the congregation by not keeping them waiting any longer than is necessary.  Secondly, it demonstrates that the Torah is beloved to this individual in that he rushes towards it by the shortest route.  If he has two paths of equal distance, he should take the one that is to the right, as the right side always takes precedence in Judaism.

    Upon reaching the bimah, he is shown the place in the Sefer Torah so that he knows what portion he is to make a bracha on. At this time, many people have the custom to kiss that spot using their tallit. Although kissing the Sefer Torah after the aliyah is a recorded custom, I have not found the custom of kissing before the aliyah anywhere in writing.
 
    There is much discussion about where the oleh, the person getting the aliyah, should look when he makes the bracha. Some say he should turn his head to the side so that it doesn’t look like the brachot are written in the Torah. Others say that turning to the side looks like he is not making a bracha on the Torah. The Mishnah Berurah rules that one should look in the Torah and close his eyes. In this way he can observe the best of both opinions:  making it clear that he is making the bracha on the Torah and also making it clear that he is not reading the words from inside the Torah. Of course, if closing one’s eyes will cause a person to make a mistake in the words, it is better to read them from a siddur.

    While making the bracha the oleh should hold on the eitzei chaim, the wooden handles of the Torah scroll. There are two sources for this. The first is a pasuk in Sefer Yehoshua, where Yehoshua is told by God, “This book of the Torah shall not leave your mouth.” Because the pasuk says this it teaches us that Yehoshua was holding a Sefer Torah at the time God was speaking to him. The second reason has its source from the Gemara that says that the men of Yerushalayim would leave their houses with their lulavim in their hand and only put them down to read the Torah. Hence, from both of these sources we learn that we also hold onto the Torah when blessing it.
   
    Sephardim have the custom that the oleh announces “Rabbanan” before saying borechu. This is based on the statement in the Gemara that after the Levi is called up, a Torah scholar takes precedence in getting the next aliyah. Thus, it is customary to request permission from the Torah scholars who are present when getting an aliyah. After the Torah is read, the oleh kisses the Torah. This is to show one’s love for the Torah.
   
    The oleh does not go back to his seat, rather he waits until the next person finishes. Once again, there is logic and meaning behind this. We show the Sefer Torah honor by waiting for the next oleh to arrive. Since it will be difficult to concentrate on the reading while returning to his seat, the first oleh waits until the Torah is finished being read. Many walk back to their seat by taking the longer route in order to show that they are reluctant to leave the Torah.
   
    As we see, the practice of being called to the Torah for an aliyah, just like all the other practices in Judaism, is imbued with meaning and purpose.  Our job is to acknowledge and appreciate the meaningful rationale inherent in these relatively small actions and thereby use them as a means to elevate ourselves in our Avodas Hashem, our service of God.