Our shul has a small ark. There is room for 4 Sifrei Torah with 2 on each row.
As a Ba'al Kri'ah / Gabbai, I find it difficult, sometimes, to shuffle Sifrei Torah between the front and back row, esp. when there are different Torah readings in a short time span. Rosh Hashannah and the days following will prove to be a real challenge.
I need 2 for Rosh Hashannah up front. Shabbat afternoon, I need the regular parsha reading; Sunday - a fast day Torah and Monday the weekday parsha again. A lot of juggling around, and usually I am the only one doing it.
I was wondering if it is permissible to install a "lazy susan" to hold the Sifrei Torah, so that we can just revolve the platform until the Sefer Torah we need is accessible?
Each Torah has its own "cage" or backrest so that they can lean against something. The entire series of cages is nailed down to a large circular platform and the platform rotates. Note, that obviously, because the platform rotates, not all the Sifrei Torah will be facing the same way, and, actually, a few will be facing the back of the ark.
Is there any halachic problem with having Sifrei Torah in the ark facing different directions, or, in this case, since the platform rotates, some of them will be facing the back of the ark.
I know it sounds like a crazy idea, and I've never seen this done anywhere. But, is there any halacha forbidding doing this? It would make things much easier for so many people. I'm sure I'm not the only person with this challenge!