For the first time in recent memory, the Jewish people were faced with the challenge of adapting an ancient holiday to modern events. Leading rabbis and scholars issued opinions as to how Simchat Torah should be observed now and in the coming years, for the day is not only a joyous celebration of the Torah but the yahrzeit of many of our people, brutally murdered.
Two different services on the holiday-inspired me – one mainly because of the people involved and the other because of the transformation of the text and the flow of the prayers. Time will tell how this complex day will be marked in years to come.
For the evening service, I joined the same community that I was with on the eve of Simchat Torah 5784 (October 6, 2023). That night, there were hours of dancing, praying, and singing with a group of young men, many married, and lots of young children. They were completing university studies, starting careers or businesses, or planning travel – pretty much the standard post-army script. None of us knew what the next morning would bring.
This year, many of the same men were there. However, many of them were now reservists, having spent the better part of this year in Gaza or in Lebanon, fighting and defending us all. The kids on their shoulders were a year older, even though for most of the year, these shoulders supported tactical vests and assault rifles, leaving the women with double duty.
The energy in the room, the intensity of the song and dancing, was an order of magnitude greater than the previous year. I was not expecting that.
Clear differences
There were other clear differences. The paper flags waved by the children were adorned with pictures of the hostages. Some danced holding huge army banners, featuring images of a smiling young bearded man, a friend lost in the past year.
The traditional songs were joined by powerful patriotic and nationalistic songs familiar to the soldiers, with “Am Yisrael Chai” being a big hit. I am sure that this is the first Simchat Torah where the rabbi joined in singing Eyal Golan or the Golani Anthem.
I have enjoyed many a Simchat Torah, with the simple celebration of completing a cycle of the Torah and starting again – a sign of the continuity of the Jewish people. I sensed that people may have looked deeper into those beautiful Torahs on display and felt how relevant the content is to them, more than ever – be it the promise of the land of Israel to the Jewish people or the commandment not to fear the enemy for G-d is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory (Deuteronomy 20:4).
For the morning service, I attended a similarly energetic community that had carefully scripted the plan for this unique day, which was shared by email a few days prior. This is how the day went.
Each Torah was dressed in a new hand-embroidered mantle dedicated to the men and women soldiers of the city who were killed in the past year. Those mantles will be used every year for the holidays only.
Each of the seven hakafot (set of circle dancing) was given a theme: honoring the soldiers, memorializing the fallen, praying for the recovery of injured, the return of the hostages, the homecoming of the displaced, the acts of kindness and strength, and the unity and spirit of the nation.
Relevant prayers and songs were selected for each of the hakafot, culminating in “Hatikvah.” The prayer for the safe return of the hostages, which is recited every week, was extended by naming each and every hostage. Those known to be no longer alive were remembered by name in a memorial prayer.
Congregation members spoke from the heart in short comments between hakafot. One young man read a letter from his brother, who was killed this year fighting in Gaza.
I cannot claim that the intense and meaningful feelings of that day represent emotions other than my own. However, dancing with the Torah carried by our brave soldiers, hugging the family members of the fallen, and praying for the safe return of the hostages defined the day. So, instead of being a day of uncertainty that I feared or didn’t know how to celebrate, it became a guide and inspiration not only for future holidays but for the life we share in Israel.
The writer, an occasional contributor, lives in Ra’anana.