Three Torah Scrolls
Question
We did they take out 3 Torah scrolls today? Why not just take out one and roll it to the right places?
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question.
The reason we take out three Sifrei Torah instead of just one Torah and simply roll it to the right place for each reading is based on the Talmud (Yoma 70a) which teaches that it is disrespectful to the congregation to have to make them wait while the Torah is rolled to the right place. As such, we use three Torahs which are prepared in advanced for the required readings.
In the event that the congregation only have one Torah then there is no choice and yes, the Torah would be rolled from place to place for the required readings. (OC 144:3).
It is worth mentioning that one of the shul gabbai’s jobs each week is to ensure that the Torah is rolled to the right place for the weekly reading best would be to do so before the Tefillah rather than have the congregants wait. (Aruch Hashulchan OC 144:6).