“When Hashem returned the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers. Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyous song” (Tehillim 126:1-2).
Today we hope and pray to experience real joy and express our profound gratitude to G-d. We have incessantly hoped and prayed for the remaining hostages - the living and most of the dead - to return home to the embrace of their families and their people and for the day the heroic soldiers of Tzahal and their families can begin to anticipate a return to normalcy, togetherness, and security.
Yet we are not quite ready to fill our mouths with laughter. Copious tears continue to be shed for those who did not survive and for the unspeakable suffering of those who did, and we remain apprehensive and prayerful regarding the future; the long road of recovery for the affected individuals and families, the prospects of security for Israel and the region as Israel retreats and releases unrepentant terrorists, and the normalization of antisemitism on other shores.
We are no stranger to mixed feelings, as the Psalmist himself notes, “hazorim b’dima b’rina yiktzoru, those who plant with tears, joyfully will harvest.” We have the strength to endure the difficult and tearful periods only because we anticipate the joy to come, while when that joyful end arrives, we are mindful of the painful costs that produced it. We always seem to be living with a blend of tears and joy, b’dima b’rina.
Two years ago, that blend became the lot of the festival of Simchat Torah. That day had previously been celebrated with virtually unbridled joy as the culmination of a month of holidays and a year of Torah study. Now, however, it also marks the yahrzeit (anniversary) of the monstrous carnage inflicted upon our people by Hamas. B’dima b’rina.
Life has become far more complicated. On the scorecard of the battlefield there have been so many losses to mourn even as there have been incredible victories to celebrate. But the transcendent joy of Simchat Torah - of being the nation carrying the Torah - remains as clear as ever. As we have faced the unspeakable evil of some and the moral confusion of others, we are more fiercely committed than ever to be driven, guided, and uplifted by Hashem and His Torah.
Every time we read publicly from the Torah, we perform hagbahah, holding up the holy scroll before the public to show its writing to the people who stand to its right and left, “for it is incumbent upon all men and women to see the written words and bend the knee and say, ‘and this is the Law which Moses set before the children of Israel’” (Masechet Sofrim).
On Simchat Torah, in addition to performing an exceptional version of the hagbahah, we dedicate the day to upholding the Torah in our eyes and hearts. We do not for a moment claim perfection in successfully adhering to its principles, as our recent copious confessions of Yom Kippur humbly acknowledged, but we proudly and firmly affirm our national and individual aspirations to live our lives according to its word at any and all times.
Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakana, one of the sages of the Mishna, would recite a prayer upon leaving the Beit Midrash (house of study) each day, thanking Hashem for giving him the privilege of being amongst those whose place is in the house of study exploring the Torah’s eternal values, rather than being amongst those who make themselves at home in the playhouses of the idle and focus their lives on vain pursuits. We recite that same prayer of thanks whenever we celebrate a siyum completion of a specific volume of the Talmud.
We do not and must not take for granted the gift of being part of a nation that upholds the centrality of G-d’s word and His truth as the driving and defining influence in our lives, shaping our morals and actions.
We approach Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah having spent the better part of the past month in our synagogues, realizing on some level the aspiration expressed in our twice-daily seasonal recitation of the 27th Psalm, “there is one thing that I ask of Hashem, it is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of Hashem all of the days of my life.”
As this season draws to a close and we prepare for our return to the world beyond the synagogue walls, we - like Rabbi Nechunia ben Hakana did each day - thank Hashem profusely for the gift G-d granted us to live in His presence for this season, behimatzo, and renew and recenter our pursuit of His word and His truth as the driving and defining influence in our lives. And we thank Him for being part of a nation committed to always trying to do the right thing - even during an existential struggle.
This Simchat Torah, carrying our children on our shoulders and Sifrei Torah in our arms, we will sing and dance in joyous celebration of our Torah, faith, and tradition, and the values that define us. The words - the value statements - that we will sing repeatedly will express our deep appreciation for our good fortune to continue the mission of Klal Yisrael to do good, to be good, to study and live by Hashem’s word, and to bring light and blessing to the world and all who live in it.
“Torat Hashem temima meshivas nafesh. Hashem’s Torah is perfect, restoring the soul. Baruch hu Elokeinu she’bra’anu l’chvodo v’hivdilanu min hato’im. Blessed is our G-d Who created us to bring Him honor, distinguishing us from those who are ethically lost.” We will deepen our appreciation for acheinu kol bait Yisrael, the heroes on the front lines and those whose lives have been upended by the conflict, and we will draw strength from who we are as a nation, from the care that we provide each other, and from living the Torah’s values.
Utzu eitzah v’sufar dabru davar v’lo yakum ki imanu Keil. Our enemies may scheme and plan - but G-d is with us.
B’tzpiya l’yeshua krova, with hope for imminent salvation,
Rabbi Moshe Hauer is OU Executive Vice President.