Simchat Torah 5787

“Why are you celebrating so powerfully?” the scholar asked the simple man. “It’s Simchas Torah, the day of the Torah’s rejoicing. Since you are not learned, what is your connection to the Torah and why is today a reason for you to rejoice?”

“When your brother married off his daughter, did you celebrate?” the simple man asked.

“Of course,” replied the scholar, unsure of the simple man’s intent.

“Well, for that same reason, I am celebrating today,” came the reply. “All Jews are family.

So, if today is a day of celebration for the scholars, it is also a day of celebration for me.”

In truth, the reason for our celebration on Simchas Torah goes deeper than the connection to the Torah forged through study. On Simchas Torah, we celebrate our connection to the essence of the Torah, a level that transcends comprehension entirely. For that reason, the celebrations are held when the Torah is closed.

On Simchas Torah, we rejoice because we are Jews. And as Jews we share a connection to the essence of the Torah, a connection that in turn bonds us to the essence of G‑d.

At this level, the scholar and the simple man are equal — for the soul is a part of G‑d Himself, infinite and unbounded as is G‑d. This applies to each of us. Every Jew has a soul which is an essential G‑dly spark, and by virtue of that spark, we share a connection to the essence of the Torah. As the Zohar states: “Israel, the Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one.”

Therefore, the scholar and the simple man celebrate equally, for one is no more Jewish than the other. If anything, the simple man’s celebration is greater, for his intellect does not get in the way of his connection to his Jewish essence.

With the outpouring of joy of Simchas Torah, we chart our path into the new year. Having touched the core of our beings on the High Holidays and celebrated this connection to G‑d on Sukkos and Simchas Torah, we prepare to elevate our ordinary day-to-day functioning in the year to come.

To learn more about Simchat Torah, please visit chabad.org/4689 

Candle lighting times (in NYC):

Friday, light Shabbat/Holiday candles at 6:18 PM

Saturday, light Holiday candles after 7:15 PM from a pre-existing flame