Q. During the reading of the Torah on Shabbat, sometimes I loose concentration and miss hearing or paying attention to some words and even psukim of the leinning (reading). Was I yotze (complied with) the reading? Should I then try to listen again to the Kerias Hatorah at a later minyan? Should I also better read together with the Baal Koreh from a chumash? Would that help?
A. Shulchan Aruch (O.H. 137; 3) rules that if on the Kerias Hatorah of Shabbos one missed one posuk, one must repeat the reading. Mishna Berura (8) explains that even a part of a posuk or even if one single word was not read complete, one must go back and repeat the complete posuk.
However, most Poskim maintain that the above applies only to the reading of the Baal Koreh done for the whole congregation and not to the listening of the individuals attending to the minyan. (Minchas Shlomo 2: 14, Tzitz Eliezer 18: 5, Teshuvos Vehanhogos 1: 148 - 3: 65, and others).
The reason being, is that the reading of the Torah is the obligation of the tzibur or community and not of the individuals.
However, there are some Poskim who are stringent (Sheloh, see Piskei Teshuvos 137: n. 25) and they would require that the individual listens again to the complete reading.
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that after the fact one can be lenient. However, the Rov stresses that one should do every effort to pay attention and listen to the whole Kerias Hatorah. And indeed. if reading quietly with the Baal Koreh helps, one should do so.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit'a
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