Simchat Torah: Rejoicing with the Torah
The Jewish Playwright Arthur Miller, legendary author of such American classics as “Death of a Salesman” and “All My Sons” describes in his memoir Timebends: a Life, of the time he was taken to the synagogue with his father and placed in the back row. This was in the middle of the night and he wondered why his father was taking him at such a late hour. Suddenly, he saw grown and elderly men dancing with a large sefer Torah, laughing and acting like men decades younger. He felt shocked by this sight, and at the same time fascinated, because he never saw his father dance or rejoice in such a way before or since.
Simchat Torah is the celebration of the cycle of reading the Torah for the year and completes the holidays in the Jewish month of Tishrei which began with Rosh Hashana. It is considered the most joyful day of the year, when drinking and dancing are the norm. People gather in synagogues and dance with a sefer Torah ( a large Torah scroll). Everyone is given an aliyah (allowed to go up to the Torah and to make a blessing) and the celebrations in the synagogue can be quite lengthy and extend into the afternoon. Many men barely make it home to eat the meal, since the singing and dancing can last a very long time. It is traditional to eat stuffed cabbage or other stuffed foods to represent bounty and joy for the coming year.
I heard a moving story about Simchat Torah that occurred after the Holocaust. It was the first Simchat Torah since World War II ended. The men had lost their wives and children, and had lived through unspeakable horrors, but were determined to celebrate Simchat Torah with joy. A little child wandered into the synagogue. The men were fascinated to see a young Jewish child, since most of the young children did not survive the Holocaust. Instead of picking up the sefer Torah, the men picked up the little boy and danced with him, since every Jewish child is considered to be a sefer Torah.