Reflections on Simhat Torah and 'simha B'Torah'

• Author: MALKE BINA
• Published date: 27 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

It's instructive to explore the background of Simhat Torah. In Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:9 in reference to Simhat Torah, we read: And [Shlomo] went to Jerusalem, stood before the Ark of the Covenant of God and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings... and he made a banquet for all his servants" (Kings I 3:15). Rabbi Elazar said: From here we learn that one makes a feast for the completion of the Torah.

In the Zohar it says: And Yisrael is accustomed to rejoice on this day, and call it Simhat Torah. And they crown the Sefer Torah with its crown, as the Sefer Torah is a hint to Tiferet, the Shechina – the crown of Tiferet.

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Rav Joseph Soloveitchik z"l writes that during the whole of Sukkot we go around the Sefer Torah, acknowledging its central importance in Jewish life. But on Shmini Atzeret/Simhat Torah we withdraw the Sifrei Torah to the periphery of the circle and march around God who is at the center. "For seven days we commit ourselves to the centrality of the Torah and Halacha in our lives. And only then, on Shmini Atzeret and Simhat Torah, does the Torah itself incline us towards that awesome Presence in the center of the circle." While we are rejoicing in the Torah we are drawn close to Hashem, who is our center.

In describing Simhat Torah, Dr. Bryna Jocheved Levy, renowned Tanach scholar and author and distinguished Matan faculty member, writes that on Simhat Torah, upon completion of the yearly cycle of the Torah reading, the congregation experiences a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. They recite Chazak Chazak V'nitchazek ("Be strong, be strong and continue to be strengthened"). Then, as if responding to a request for an encore, we begin reading Bereishit/Genesis. This, Levy writes, is a dramatic illustration of the fact that our preoccupation with the Torah hasn't ended but has only just begun. On Simhat Torah we close and reopen the circle – we are starting a new year, filled with opportunities for spiritual growth and hope for the future.

Simhat Torah celebrates the Torah as our eternal light, strength and source of blessing. The Torah begins and ends with blessings. At the start of Parshat Lech Lecha, in God's first communication with our patriarch Abraham, He bestows on him multiple blessings. In 12:2-3, the word blessing appears five times in one form or another – "I will make you into a...