Is last least?
It is customary when calling up the last speaker at a simcha or function to say "אחרון אחרון חביב".
It is customary when calling up the last speaker at a simcha or function to say "אחרון אחרון חביב".
It is also customary to
honour special people with ברכה אחריתא.
It's done so, as to suggest that this כיבוד is a חשובע כיבוד
Is last, more of a כיבוד than the ones before?
The phrase אחרון אחרון חביב comes from Rashi in Parshas וישלח .
Yakov placed his family to stand in front of Eisav , in the order
of his love for them. Hence, first
the Shfochos & their children then Leah & her children and אחרון
אחרון חביב Rochel & Yosef. ( distanced farthest from
Eisav) They were placed there for greater protection and has nothing
to do with כבוד.
It is very likely that the
last כיבוד is the least of the כיבודים and the phrase is used, when calling up the last one, just to appease him for getting the
last (least) כיבוד.
The Gemoro in Gittin 60a & Shulchan Aruch O.Ch. 136 lists whom to call up
to the Torah after Kohen
& Levi. The Gemoro says you start with the most חשובע person (Talmid
Chacham & Parnes ) until you get to the last two עליות
(שישי* & שביעי) where everyone
can be עולה. According to the Gemoro and Shulchan Aruch ,
last עליות are the least כיבוד.
The Mishna Verurah (136 sk5) writes in the name of the Achronim ,
"Today the Minhag Is for the
Godol Hatzibur (The Rov etc.) to be mesayem the sidrah" (takes
Achron.)
There might be two reasons for this practice. a) אין המצוה נקראת אלא על מי שגומרה
b) The Rabonim who are עולה אחרון are practicing humility. (Praven
Anivus)
For this reason שישי became a חשובע עליה. Being the Gemoro says that
From שישי and on everyone may be עולה, there were Rabonim who were
humble
and asked to be called up for שישי . Eventually, it became
the חשובע עליה to
be given to Rabonim.
*The Zohar disagrees with the Bavli and considers Shishi
as a Chashuva Aliya.
