At a
recent Bar Mitzvah, the father of the newly minted teenager made what I thought
was a brilliant observation. He said
that in many cultures becoming a man meant heading out on ones’ own and
conquering a challenge or withstanding pain.
The process of becoming a Jewish adult, on the other hand, is celebrated
via community. It is about being called up to the Torah during a communal
process and assuming part of the responsibility. Similarly, it is part of secular tradition
after a marriage for the couple to go off on their own and have a honeymoon. In contrast, after a Jewish wedding, the
couple has a seven day period where they celebrate with the community at large
via festive meals. In short, the emphasis
after a major life cycle event in the Jewish world is how can I contribute to the
community now that I have changed my role within it?
In a similar
vein, the end of the holiday cycle contains a message of community. Upended to the holiday cycle is an extra day
called Shmini Atzeres, or the 8th day gathering. There are no mitzvoth to do and little
description in the Torah as to what it is.
The Rabbis, however, understood the essence of the day and instituted simchat
Torah, the day were Jews feverishly dance with Torah scrolls together. What is the message and how does simchat
Torah fit into the message?
After all the individual work we’ve
done during the high holidays and sukkot, it is time we remember that our
actualization is meant to be expressed via a community where we contribute to
its wellbeing. There are two ways that this
is done. One is that we are proud and
happy with who we are. Dancing is a way of showing pride and joy about our
identity. Also, dancing is an act that makes a person move. As we enter the year, we need to be ready to
move and carry out all the promises made in the past couple of weeks within the
community. Today, many people have trouble finding any sense of community. What unites people together? For Jews, it is the Torah, the value system
that has successfully transported us through a myriad of different times and
challenges. Without a Torah in the
middle, our sense of community is dull and weak and lacks the glue to keep it
together. This is how the holiday cycle
ends. We are now a group of purified
individuals that unite under common purpose to create a nation that is able to
change the world for the better. That message
makes us dance.
