Για να το διαβάσετε στα Ελληνικά, κάντε κλικ εδώ
Art:Rabbi Zalman Kleinman
In the synagogue during Simchat Torah, someone saw an older man holding and carrying a very heavy Sefer Torah. He asked him why he chose this particular Sefer, and not a lighter one, when he has difficulty walking himself! The old man explained: “I’m not carrying the Torah. The Torah carries me”.
The old man then told him a story: when the Nazis expelled the Jews from the Warsaw ghetto, there was a grandfather with his small grandson. While they walked, with the Nazis screaming to hurry up, the grandchild fell and started to limp. The grandfather picked him up, put him on his shoulders and they continued. Someone there asked him: “how can you carry your grandson? You carry your own self with difficulty!” The old man answered: “I do not carry the child. He is one carrying me. Without him I would not have the strength to make one more step”.
Each week in this blog, we learn together something about the Parasha of the week. On Simchat Torah (Monday and Tuesday, October 22 & 23), we will celebrate the end of the cycle of reading the Torah and will start again immediately from the beginning. This is a very happy holiday. We take out all the Sifre Torah from the Eichal and we dance with them in the synagogue, making rounds which are called Hakafot.
We will hold the Sefer Torah, dance and remind ourselves: Indeed, the Torah may seem a little heavy at times, with all its rules and demands, but she is what supports us, what carries us, what gives us a meaningful life and the strength to continue.
The Previous Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Yosef Yitschak Shneerson of Lubavitch, said that on Simchat Torah, through the dances with the Torah, we can receive great and important blessings.
No one wants to miss those great blessings… See you at the Hakafot, dancing with the Torah!
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
Hanna
