[Mesorah] Fw: New Shtick

[R. Rich Wolpoe]

FWIW I emailed several S'phardic colleagues 

Here are their responses

1 
Front. That is the common Minhag as far as I know.

2
I haven't seen it done on the side in any of the Sephardic Batei Kenesset that I have attended.

3
There is a minhag from the side for the haftorah but it practiced in the shul of my youth and nowhere else. What seems to be the explanation was the haftorah was immediately followed by the drasha and the rav would deliver it at the side.

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I also had an offline debate about the Sha"tz davening from the side
  
It stands to reason that since the Sha"tz is facing front due to k'vod hatzibbur or due to the Aron Kodesh, that no disrespect to the Torah should attach.  Would it be correct [or incorrect]  to say it is an "error" to view facing forward as disrespectful to the Torah? Or is this a judgment call and therefore this is debatable and no "error" attaches?


Shalom and Regards, RRW