Took out the wrong Sefer Torah from the Aron Kodesh

  One who mistakenly took out the wrong torah that was not rolled to the area of the intended reading should not return it to the Aron Kodesh (ark) in order to take out the other originally intended sefer torah in its place, rather they should roll it to the correct reading area. If one were to return the first torah to the Aron Kodesh before it was even read from, this could be interpreted to the bystanders that there was an invalidation with the first torah.[1]

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[1] Mateh Yehudah (Orach Chayim 282 at the end). Kaf Hachayim (Orach Chayim 144:13). Igros Moshe (Orach Chayim 2:37).

It is told over that this type of mistake happened in the presence of the Rebbe Rayatz and he ruled that they should roll the torah to the place (instead of returning it to the Aron Kodesh). The Rebbe (son-in-law of the Rebbe Rayatz) explained the reasoning, for the honor of the torah pushes the honor of the community.

 It is also told over that the Rebbe would be asked on which Shabboses to take out the Moshiach Sefer Torah in the main shul of 770 for reading, once someone mistakenly took out the wrong torah scroll. The gabai ran to fix the mistake and the Rebbe responded “everything is dependent on Mazel even a sefer torah in the Heichal (ark)”, (see Zohar vol. 3 134a). See Nesivim Bsdei Hashlichus vol. 2 p.197-198.

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Tachnun on the Day of the Torah Dedication

Tachnun on the Day of the Hachnasas Sefer Torah

One does not recite Tachnun (supplication prayers) in the prayer service closest to the siyum ceremony.[1] Therefore, if the siyum will be after mincha, one does not recite tachnun during mincha.

According to Chabad custom one does not recite tachnun the entire day in the same town of where the siyum is to be performed.[2] It seems that this exemption does not extend to an entire large city, since the source for this custom referred to a small town. Therefore only one who will actually participate in the siyum does not recite tachnun.

Questions & Answers

The minyan skipped reciting tachun since there will be a siyum sefer torah in the city today, I and many are not planning to participate at the siyum. Should we still recite tachnun?

 One who is not planning to participate in the siyum should recite tachnun. If the minyan has skipped tachnun one should not make overt signs of saying tachnun in their presence.[3] Therefore, it seems that if one can recite tachnun without drawing attention, this should be done.

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[1] Chasan Torah (Hilchos Tefilah Chapter 4).

[2] See Igros Kodesh (Rayatz) vol. 6 p. 73: “On that day, it was a special day, they did not recite tachnun, all the people of the town came to show respect to the torah. Chassidim and men of great renown immersed in the mikvah before prayers. During prayers, the candles were lit in the synagogue.”

[3] See Igros Kodesh vol. 15 p. 58. This letter was addressed to one who was praying in a minyan who had the custom to skip tachnun on any day of the passing of a tzaddik, (which is not a Chabad custom). The questioner was worried of by saying tachnun this would cause strife. 

Sefer Torah should be commissioned only from clean money. Story with the Bal Shem Tov.

The Money to Purchase a Sefer Torah should come from a Clean Source

The money used to commission a sefer torah should not have any doubt of gezel (theft) or come from unscrupulous places.[1]

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[1] Lev Chayim 2:167 ois 44 sif katan 15. There it also cites a story of a community that the sefer torah would always be found to have a mistake in it, even after fixing it a new mistake would later be found again. The matter was told to the Bal Shem Tov and he said that the torah was written with money from an unscrupulous place and therefore it will never be able to be kosher.

When one finds a psul (invalidation) in a sefer torah, is this a bad sign for the community?

Finding an invalidation in a sefer torah is assumed to be a heavenly sign that the community as a whole should do some introspective and improvement. It is told over that in the summer of 5747 (1987)[1] the Rebbe made such a remark at a public farbrengen when an invalidation in the sefer torah was discovered just before the torah was read from.[2]

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[1] Presumably, this took place on Shabbos Parshas Balak. There were some tragedies in the community around that exact time.

[2] See Igros Kodesh Vol. 14 (p. 529) that suggests that a remedy for someone whose mezuzah was invalid is to learn some chapters of Mishnah by heart. At the very least one should learn a chapter of Tanya by heart and should review it or at least think it in one’s mind when one travels.

May one leave up a pasul mezuzah until it gets switched with a kosher one?

According to a view (the Beis Aryeh 289:4) a mezuzah that got damaged while it was up and invalidated, one should keep it up until a new kosher mezuzah is affixed in its place. This is because of the rule of "kavod habrios" (honor to the creatures). That is, since it would be embarrassing to leave the doorway without a mezuzah altogether, therefore, one may keep the invalidated one up until the new one arrives. There is room to back this based on the gemarrah (Sukkah 48b) that states that when the mizbeach was chipped in the corner, the people took salt to fill in the corner so it should appear kosher, (even though that this does not validate the chipped corner of the mizbeach).
 The Mezuzos Melachim (Halacha Lemoshe 200) prefers that one should take down the invalid mezuzah even though it will not be immediately replaced. The reasoning is, this is different from the case of mizbeach since here the concern is the individual can be lax about this and not end up replacing it altogether, this is unlike the case of the mizbeach in the Beis Hamikdash where there were many to remind each other to fix the problem as soon as possible.