Daily Life

Hi Rabbi: I have the following question: Are non-Jews permitted to read portions of Torah (or other honors) during services? I have a friend who goes to Shabbat services nearly every Saturday (for many, many years). He wants to covert to Judaism but hasn't gone through all the steps. (He's actually more observant than most Jews). During services, he is often asked to step-up to the Bema to read a portion of the Torah, hold the Torah, or perform other honors. He politely declines because he's not sure if he's allowed to perform these honors because he is not "technically" Jewish. The temple we go to is very inclusive, on the reform side, and extremely welcoming to all. Also, the number of people who attend on Saturday is usually small -- we barely have a minyan most Saturdays. So, my question is: May a non Jewish person perform the above honors during services? Do different temples have different rules on this subject? Do reform synagogues have different rules on this subject than more orthodox temples? Thank you.

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