Hol Ha-Mo`ed Sukkot/ Shemini Atzeret/ Simhat Torah
Exodus 33:12 – 34:26;
Numbers 29:26-31
Sukkot is called “the Season of our Rejoicing – z’man simhateinu,” and it concludes with great rejoicing as we dance and sing with the Torah on Simhat Torah. But there is also an element of wistfulness and even some sadness at this moment. When the holiday of Sukkot draws to a close, with it, all the holidays of the New Year draw to a close. The intensity of the festivals dissipates. The season moves into the colder months. The days grow shorter. In Israel the rains begin.
In our liturgical observances there is additional recognition of loss and sadness. It is on joyous Simhat Torah that we read of the death of Moses, deprived of realizing his dream to enter the Promised Land. And on this coming Shabbat we will read the Book of Ecclesiastes (Qohelet), with its glum sense of world-weariness.
But this is precisely what the last days of our Sukkot holiday are about. They are not about simpleminded, naïve joy. They do not pretend to be blind to the darker elements of life. The very booths we sit in – the sukkahs – are clear reminders of the fragility and fleetingness of life. Nevertheless, we are called upon to respond with joy instead of depression, with happiness and hope instead of cynicism and despair.
This is a mature, hard-won joy, forged out of our determination and courage to sing and dance together, with the Torah, through it all.
Shabbat Shalom – Hag Same`ah
Rabbi David Greenstein
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Image(s): “Dancing on Air” © istolethetv adapted and used with permission via Creative Commons License
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