Siman 149

In siman 132 it was explained that a person should not leave the beit knesset until after "Ashrei"-"U-va Le-Tzion," and behold, according to our custom, we return the Torah before "Ashrei"-"U-va Le-Tzion." However, the custom of Sefarad is to return the Torah to the aron on a day of Torah reading after the full Kaddish of "Ashrei"-"U-va Le-Tzion," and therefore it is forbidden for a person to leave the beit knesset until after they return the sefer Torah to the aron. And thus they said in Sotah (39b): The congregation is not permitted to leave until the sefer Torah is taken and placed in its location. And such is the wording of the poskim. Our teacher, the Rema, wrote: However, if not the congregation but only an individual leaves – we have no concern regarding it. Thus far his words. That is to say: one by one, provided that the majority do not leave (Magen Avraham, subsection 2). And I wonder greatly about this: for granted that there is one who says so (see Beit Yosef in the name of the Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah), nevertheless, Rashi explicitly explained otherwise. This is the wording of Rashi there: And a person shall not leave through the entrance before the sefer Torah. Thus far his words. And from the Gemara itself there, throughout the entire sugya, it is explicitly proven that every single individual is included in the term "congregation," for we say there: The congregation is not permitted to answer "Amen" until the blessing is finished from the mouth of the Kohanim; the congregation is not permitted to answer "Amen" until the blessing is finished from the mouth of the reader, see there. And it refers to every single individual, and here too it is so. Therefore, it appears in my humble opinion that this prohibition applies to every individual. (And also the Tosafot of Rabbeinu Yonah only said this because people are not careful in this, see Beit Yosef. And none of the Rishonim said this. And our proof is compelling.)

And this is in places where they sequester the sefer Torah in the aron kodesh in the beit din itself as is our practice. However, in ancient times there were places where they would sequester the sefer Torah in another house, as I wrote in the previous siman, for then the law is as follows: if the beit knesset has only one entrance – they must delay until the sefer Torah exits, and they shall walk after it to the place where they sequester it there. And a hint to this: "After the Lord your God shall you walk" (Gemara ibid.). And if the beit knesset has two entrances – they may exit through one entrance before the sefer Torah exits through the second entrance, provided that afterward they walk after the sefer Torah and escort it until the place where they sequester it there.

Our teacher, the Rema, wrote: In places where they store it in the Heikhal, which is the Aron in the beit knesset—it is a mitzvah for anyone before whom it passes to escort it until before the Aron where they bring it in. Similarly, the golel should follow the Sefer Torah until before the Aron where they bring it in, and stand there until they bring the Sefer Torah into its place. And so they practice regarding the one who performs hagbah on the Sefer Torah, for he is the primary golel as I wrote in siman 147. And some have written that the children come to kiss the Torah in order to train them and encourage them in mitzvot, and so they practice. Thus far his words. And some have written that also when they take the Torah out from the Aron, one should escort it until the bimah (Magen Avraham, subsection 3). And there are those, on the contrary, who refrain from this because it appears like yuhara, as he shows himself as being worthy of being among the escorts of the Torah. This is not the case upon the return, when they walk from the bimah after the Sefer Torah, for one must necessarily walk after it and it does not appear like yuhara. According to this, it appears that everyone may do as they wish, provided that their intention is for the sake of Heaven.