Simchat Torah Celebrating Commitment Second Time’S a Charm
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12. Simchat Torah Celebrating Commitment Second Time’s a Charm In honor of our dedicated colleague Rabbi Zalman Levitin on the occasion of his birthday on Tishrei 23. May he go from strength to strength and enjoy good health, happiness, nachat from his loved ones, and success in all of his endeavors. [ 210 ] HOLIDAY OVERVIEW Sukkot For forty years, as our two aravot (willow twigs). ancestors traversed the On each day of the festival Sinai Desert, following the (except Shabbat), we take Exodus from Egypt, mi‑ the Four Kinds, recite a raculous “Clouds of Glory” blessing over them, bring surrounded and hovered them together in our hands, over them, shielding them and wave them in all six from the dangers and directions: right, left, for‑ discomforts of the desert. ward, up, down, and to the Ever since, we remember back. Our sages in the Mi‑ G‑d’s kindness and reaffirm drash tell us that the Four our trust in His providence Kinds represent the various by dwelling in a sukkah—a types and personalities that hut of temporary construc‑ comprise the community of tion with a roof covering of Israel, whose intrinsic unity branches—for the duration we emphasize on Sukkot. of the Sukkot festival (on Sukkot is also called “the the Jewish calendar Tishrei time of our Joy”; indeed, 15–21). For seven days and a special joy characterizes nights we eat all our meals the festival. Nightly water‑ in the sukkah and other‑ drawing celebrations, wise regard it as our home. reminiscent of the evening‑ Another Sukkot observance to‑dawn festivities held in is the taking of the Four the Holy Temple in prepa‑ Kinds: an etrog (citron), a ration for the drawing of lulav (palm frond), three water for use in the festival hadasim (myrtle twigs), and service, fill the synagogues TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 211 ] and streets with song, mu‑ closes the period of Divine sic, and dance until the wee judgment begun on Rosh hours of the morning. Hashanah. A special obser‑ vance is the aravah—the The seventh day of Sukkot taking of a bundle of wil‑ is called Hoshana Rabah low branches. (“Great Salvation”) and Simchat Torah The holiday of Sukkot prohibited. The special joy is followed by an inde‑ of this holiday celebrates pendent holiday called the conclusion—and re‑ Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, start—of the annual Torah‑ this is a one‑day holiday; in reading cycle. On the the Diaspora it is a two‑day preceding nights, women holiday, and the second day and girls light candles, is known as Simchat Torah. reciting the appropriate This holiday is character‑ blessings, and we enjoy ized by utterly unbridled nightly and daily festive joy, which surpasses even meals, accompanied by kid‑ the joy of Sukkot. The dush. We don’t go to work, joy reaches its climax on drive, write, or switch on or Simchat Torah, when we off electric devices. We are celebrate the conclusion— permitted to cook and to and restart—of the annual carry outdoors (unless it is Torah‑reading cycle. also Shabbat). These two days constitute The first day, Shemini a major holiday, when Atzeret, features the most forms of work are prayer for rain, officially LESSON 12 / CELEBRATING COMMITMENT [ 212 ] commemorating the start On this joyous day when of the Mediterranean (i.e., we conclude the Torah, it Israeli) rainy season, and is customary for every man the Yizkor prayer (suppli‑ to take part in the celebra‑ cating G‑d to remember the tion by receiving an aliyah. souls of the departed). The children, too, receive an aliyah! We no longer take the Four Kinds, and we no longer After the final aliyah of mention Sukkot in the day’s the Torah, we immediately prayers; in the Diaspora, begin a new cycle from the however, we do still eat in beginning of Genesis (from the sukkah (but without a second Torah scroll); reciting the blessing on it). this is because as soon as we conclude studying the The highlight of the second Torah, G‑d’s infinite wis‑ day, Simchat Torah (“The dom, on one level, we im‑ Joy of the Torah”), is the mediately start again, this hakafot, held on both the eve time to discover new and and the morning of Simchat loftier interpretations. Torah, in which we march and dance with the Torah (In the Land of Israel, the scrolls around the reading celebration and customs table in the synagogue. (In of these two days are com‑ many synagogues, hakafot pressed into one day.) are conducted also on the eve of Shemini Atzeret.) TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 213 ] I. WHEN SOUL MEETS SOLE The Origins of Simchat Torah TEXT 1 RABBI MOSHE ISSERLIS, GLOSSES TO THE SHULCHAN ARUCH, ORACH CHAYIM 669 Rabbi Moshe Isserlis (Rama) 1572–1525 וקורין יום טוב האחרון ״שמחת תורה״, לפי ששמחין ועושין Halachist. Rama served as בו סעודת משתה לגמרה של תורה. ונוהגין שהמסיים rabbi in Krakow, Poland, and is considered the definitive התורה והמתחיל בראשית נודרים נדבות, וקוראים לאחרים authority on Jewish law among לעשות משתה. Ashkenazic Jewry. Rama authored glosses (known as ועוד נהגו במדינות אלו, להוציא בשמחת תורה, ערבית ושחרית, the Mapah) on the Shulchan Aruch, and Darchei Moshe, a כל ספרי תורה שבהיכל, ואומרים זמירות ותשבחות, וכל מקום commentary on the halachic .compendium Arbaah Turim לפי מנהגו. ועוד נהגו להקיף עם ספרי התורה הבימה שבבית הכנסת, כמו שמקיפים עם הלולב, והכל משום שמחה. The final day of the festival is called “Simchat Torah,” inas‑ much as we celebrate and make a festive meal to mark the completion of the Torah. It is customary that the person who merits to conclude the Torah as well as the person who merits to read the first portion of Bereishit donate and call upon others to make a festive meal. It is also customary in these parts to take all the Torahs out in the evening and the morning and to sing songs—each place according to its custom. Another custom is to surround the bimah with the Torah scrolls from the synagogue, as we do with the lulav [on Suk‑ kot]. All of this is done to increase joy. LESSON 12 / CELEBRATING COMMITMENT [ 214 ] TEXT 2 RABBI YISRAEL MEIR HAKOHEN KAGAN, MISHNAH BERURAH, AD LOC. Rabbi Yisrael Meir Hakohen Kagan כתב מהרי”ק בשם רב האי גאון בשורש ט׳: “יום זה רגילים (Chafetz Chayim) 1933–1839 אצלנו לרקד בו, אפילו כמה זקנים, בשעה שאומרים קילוסים לתורה וכו’”. Pre-WWII Polish halachist and ethicist. Rabbi Kagan was the dean of the illustrious ולכן יש להתאמץ בזה לרקד ולזמר לכבוד התורה, כמו שכתוב גבי yeshiva in Radin, Poland. A דוד המלך ע”ה: “מפזז ומכרכר בכל עוז לפני ה’”, וכן כתבו משם prolific author on topics of ,halachah and ethical behavior האר”י ז”ל. he is often called Chafetz ,Chayim after his first work והעידו על האר”י ז”ל, שאמר שהמעלה העליונה שהשיג — באה a comprehensive digest of לו על ידי שהיה משמח בכל עוז בשמחה של מצוה, וגם על laws pertaining to ethical ,speech. His magnum opus הגר”א ז”ל כתבו שהיה מרקד לפני הספר תורה בכל כוחו. on which he worked for 28 years, is Mishnah Berurah, a concise commentary It is cited in the name of Rabbi Hai Gaon, “We are accus‑ on the first section of the Shulchan Aruch. He also tomed to dancing on this day. Even the elderly participate authored Bi’ur Halachah in the festivities, praising the Torah.” on the Shulchan Aruch and numerous other works. Thus, one ought to invest energy and dance and sing to the honor of the Torah, as it is stated regarding King Da‑ vid, “. hopping and dancing before G‑d.” The Arizal is cited similarly. It has been testified about the Arizal that he said that he merited his lofty heights credit to the great joy he exhibited for the joy of a mitzvah. It is said about the great Gaon of Vilna that he, too, would dance with all his might in front of the Torah. TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 215 ] Different Ancient Practices TEXT 3 MAIMONIDES, MISHNEH TORAH, LAWS OF PRAYER AND THE PRIESTLY BLESSING 13:1 Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides, Rambam) המנהג הפשוט בכל ישראל שמשלימין את התורה בשנה 1204–1135 אחת, מתחילין בשבת שאחר חג הסוכות, וקורין בסדר ,Halachist, philosopher, author בראשית . וקוראין והולכין על הסדר הזה, עד שגומרין את and physician. Maimonides .was born in Córdoba, Spain התורה בחג הסוכות. ויש מי שמשלים את התורה בשלוש שנים After the conquest of Córdoba by the Almohads, he fled ואינו מנהג פשוט. Spain and eventually settled in Cairo, Egypt. There, he The common custom throughout all Israel is to finish read‑ became the leader of the Jewish community and served ing the Torah in one year. [The cycle] begins on the Shabbat as court physician to the vizier of Egypt. He is most noted after the Sukkot festival, reading the sidrah, Bereishit. for authoring the Mishneh Torah, an encyclopedic We continue reading according to this order until the To‑ arrangement of Jewish law; and for his philosophical rah is completed, during the Sukkot festival. work, Guide for the Perplexed. His rulings on Jewish law are There are those who finish the Torah reading in a three‑ integral to the formation year cycle. However, this is not a widely accepted custom. of halachic consensus. LESSON 12 / CELEBRATING COMMITMENT [ 216 ] New Cycle, New Beginning TEXT 4 OTZAR HAGE’ONIM, TRACTATE MEGILAH, P. 62 יש מנהג כי ביום הכפורים בעת מנחה אומר מן ״בראשית״ עד ״יום אחד״ על פה. ומביאים ראיה, כי כל עשרת ימי תשובה השטן עומד להשטין את ישראל, ואומר: הרי התורה שנתת לישראל כבר גמרו אותה! וכאשר הקדוש ברוך הוא שומע שהתחילו מבראשית, מיד גוער בשטן ואומר לו: הלא ראית, כי מיד שגמרו — התחילו מרוב אהבתם את תורתי! מיד ידום השטן בעל כרחו וכו’.