banu mikol ha'amim v'nosan lanu es toraso. Baruch atah Adonai, nosayn hatorah. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, king of all existence, Who chose us from among all nations and who gave us your Torah. Blessed are You, O Lord, who gives the Torah. [Congregation: ] Amen. The concluding benediction The portion of the Torah is then read. If a more skilled person is doing the recitation, the oleh will follow the reading (using the scroll or a printed book) in a subdued voice, as will the members of the congregation. When the portion is finished, the oleh then says the concluding benediction: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם׃ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָנוּ תּוֹרַת אֶמֶת׃ וְחַיֵי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵנוּ׃ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ נוֹתֵן הַתּוֹרָה׃ Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha'olam. Asher nosan lanu Toras emes. Ve'chayay olam nota besohaynu. Baruch atah Adonai, nosayn ha-torah. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, king of all existence, Who has given us the Torah of the truth, and life everlasting within us. Blessed are You, O Lord, who gives the Torah. [Congregation: ] Amen. At this point, if the oleh has recently been in danger of death (such as serious sickness or surgery or an airplane flight or captivity), he will add the Birkhat HaGomel – a blessing of thanks to God "who has dealt kindly with me". The officiant may add a benediction for the oleh's good health, and there are some other blessings that may be added depending on the situation. The oleh will kiss the scroll again, and may shake hands with the oleh of the previous portion, who now returns to his seat, and if there is another portion to be read, the oleh steps aside for the next oleh, stands beside the desk while the next oleh reads his portion, shakes his hand and offers felicitation, thanks the officiant and the actual scroll reader for the honor he has received, and then returns to his seat – but slowly, as if reluctant to leave the scroll, and probably will pause on the way to accept the felicitations of various members of the congregation. In North America, and elsewhere, many congregations extend the honor of an aliyah to visitors or new members, to members who have recently attained a major life event, and to the relatives of the bar mitzvah boy. Refusing an aliyah is regarded as an insult