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Why don't the last eight verses of the Torah (תורה) require a minyan to read? The shiur develops a fundamental chiddush in the Rambam (רמב"ם): Simchas Torah has two distinct takanos of Kriat HaTorah — Zot HaBracha is read from the din of Yom Tov (inyan hayom), while VaYom Moshe is read from the din of Shabbos (שבת) (siyum haTorah). This explains why a new minyan is required for the last eight verses, and why the Raavad's minhag of having the oleh read (not the baal koreh) signals that the final aliyah is purely Talmud (תלמוד) Torah, not shemiat dvar Hashem (ה׳).
This shiur analyzes Rambam (רמב"ם) Hilchot Tefillah Perek 13, Halacha (הלכה) 6, which discusses the unique law that the last eight verses of the Torah (תורה) (Shemonah Pesukim ShebaTorah) may be read with less than ten people. The Raavad questions this ruling, asking what happened to the requirement of tzibbur for Kriat HaTorah, and the Kesef Mishneh also expresses difficulty understanding the Rambam's position. Rabbi Zweig develops an intricate analysis that ultimately reveals a fundamental understanding of the structure of Kriat HaTorah on Simchas Torah. The shiur begins by presenting the Keren Orah's question: if the normal halacha is that once you start a davar shebikedusha with ten people, you can finish even if people leave, what is novel about the Rambam's statement regarding the last eight verses? The Keren Orah suggests that the chiddush must be that even if only one person remains, the reading can be completed. However, Rabbi Zweig shows that this answer doesn't resolve the Raavad's fundamental question.
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Hilchot Tefillah 13:6, Megillah 31a
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