The high holy day season culminates with Simchat Torah, when we read the final verses of the Torah and immediately start our Torah reading cycle anew. It is – to be clear – my favorite Jewish holiday. I love Simchat Torah. After all of the heaviness of this season, all of the solemnity, all of the introspection, we come to a holiday that is all about joy. Simchat Torah has us celebrate the beauty of Torah and all the enduring messages of Torah. We go, nearly in the same breath, from the concluding verses of Deuteronomy all the way back to Genesis and the story of creation. At a time of such strife and disillusionment, we thank God that we are here to live a life of Jewish ideas, build Jewish community and embrace our Jewish identity fully. 

Deuteronomy concludes with the final words of Moses. He will breathe his last breath atop Mt Nebo. At 120 years old, his life comes to an end. The Israelites travel into the Land of Israel without him, carrying his legacy with them with every step that they take. Moses thus reminds us that we are mortal. We cannot live forever. We cannot do it all. We are to make the most of our limited time on this earth, living fully, with an appreciation for family and with love in our heart, doing what we can to bring greater peace in our world. 

When we turn to the start of the Torah, we find ourselves in a totally different place. God will bring structure to a world in flux. With words, God will bring shape to the heavens and earth, the land and the sky, the sands and seas. From chaos, comes a world of rules and order. Humans are created on day six, reminding us that so much came before us, encouraging us again to a place of humility. God will rest on the seventh day, observing the first ever Shabbat. Each week, when we come together to welcome Shabbat, we are pausing from the busy-ness of our lives and all of our efforts in creation, in order to connect with something eternal and lasting. As it did for God, Shabbat gives us – countless years later – the chance to take a breath and resist the pressure to be productive every minute.

Our heavy hearts need Simchat Torah. We need to touch Torah and remember together that there is joy and there is blessing to be sure. We will unroll the Torah. We will dance with our scrolls. We will celebrate our newest students with Consecration. Join us for all of it this Friday night. Saturday morning will have us engage in Torah study in-person, followed by a special morning minyan that marks the holiday in ways that will be meaningful and memorable.

Wishing you and yours a sweet holiday. Let’s keep going and keep going together.