[Avodah] Shul Practices

[Ben Bradley via Avodah]

As I understand it, the purpose of reading the brachos from a card is
to make it clear that one is not reading them from the Torah.

I believe that's the reason for turning one's head to the side, haven't seen that as the reason for using a card. And that's only according to the opinion that the oleh leaves the Sefer Torah open while making the brachos. The opinion that the Sefer Torah should be closed is for the same reason if memory serves, and then of course no card would be needed at all.  So I presume the reason for the card is simply for people who need it.
Given that the whole reason for having a designated baal koreh in the first place was to save the embarassment of those who can't read their own aliya, I'm bemused by the permission for someone to decide they'd like to read their own aliya.
Unless you say that a well known talmid chacham, or a guest of honour, would not embarrass the other olim by reading his aliya since he's known as a scholar.

It does seem that avoiding the chashash of embarrassment was more important to chazal than to many contemporary kehillos. Maybe it needs some chizuk.

Ben
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