Ilan Gold, the popular Jewish comedian, has a somewhat viral video in which he comically contrasts the Jewish New Year -- boring synagogue appeals, sermons -- and the non-Jewish New Year, which conjures revelry, champagne, and confetti.
As comedy, Gold is gold. But his Rosh Hashanah satire also provides a teachable moment, since it is premised on a misconception. For many Jews, the Rosh Hashanah season ends at the end of Rosh Hashanah, or at the end of Yom Kippur. The truth is that Rosh Hashanah "ends" at the end of Simchat Torah.
"Rosh Hashanah" the day, ends at the end of Rosh Hashanah. But the Jewish New Year Celebration is not a day; it's a month. It's a whole season. And while it starts off with slow, moving melodies, the tempo picks up over Sukkot and ends over Simchat Torah in a way that is, at least superficially, similar to the revelry we associate with that other New Year.
According to a quick Google search, revel comes from rebel. Revelers rebel against the "normal," which can be a fun and benign letting loose, or it can devolve into a rebellion against moral norms or common decency.
Simchat Torah revelers, the real ones, are also rebels. The normal they are casting off is the normal of "usual state or condition" wherein we are not overwhelmed with joy over the gift of Torah and of life itself. I know of one congregation where the hakkafot, or dance circles around the synagogue, are half-jokingly called "revolutions," since with each circle we liberate ourselves more and more from the cerebral chains that shackle the soul's emotional expression.
This past month has not been a collection of various holidays -- it was a marathon of spiritual ascendancy, culminating at the top with an epic grand finale.
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This year we at Chabad of the North Peninsula had the privilege of hosting the Chabad representatives in Sonoma County, Rabbi Mendel and Altie Wolvovsky and their eight children. You might have thought that as "fire evacuees" they would have been more than excused if they had gone low key this Simchat Torah. Their phones and computers powered down, in compliance with Jewish holiday laws, they had no idea of what was happening to their home and synagogue, which they had reluctantly left behind on Wednesday. Surely they would have been justified in not being fully "here" for the holiday. They had seen the loss and devastation first hand, as they counseled congregants who lost homes and volunteered at evacuation centers to provide a helping hand and solace.
We were in for quite a surpirse. The joy of our Simchat Torah this year was greater than ever, led with the spirited dancing of Rabbi Wolvovsky and his children, and the uplifting words of Rebbetzin Wolvovsky.
After dancing and singing for hours at the Marriott on Thursday night, they did the two mile walk, with two strollers, to where they were staying. On Friday, there were a few more hours of dancing and singing for Simchat Torah celebration, followed by a festive lunch. So I was not expecting them to come along for a visit to a senior living center on Friday afternoon. They certainly deserved a break! My expectation was wrong. Rabbi Mendel and "the boys" joined for the 20-minute walk to Sterling Court, where they danced and sang for the seniors, two of whom could remember Simchat Torah in pre-war Europe. My guess is that it was the first time a handstand had ever been done at Sterling Court, certainly the first time it was done by someone wearing a yarmulka. Seeing the tears of joy in the eyes of the seniors as they watched Jewish youngsters dance with flags and toy Torahs was one of the most rewarding moments of the holiday season.
But that wasn't the end. On the walk back, a woman walking her dog came over to ask how one says "how much" in Hebrew. This led to a Torah dance on the sidewalk for "Mindel", who had not made it to the synagogue this holiday. The commotion brought out the people living in the house nearby, a Chai Preschool family, who invited us in for a much needed cold drink and a rest.
The celebration continued on Shabbat with a joyous rendition of the prayers and Haftorah by Avremi Wolvovsky, who recently celebrated his bar mitzvah, and a lovely kiddush/lunch led by Rabbi Mendel, who entertained and enlightened the congregation with his Brooklyn humor and Chassidic warmth.
Surely on the inside there was much pain for the loss and devastation they had seen. But that was kept at bay for the duration of the holiday. Somehow, incredibly, they achieved the impossible: with the fate of their own home and community unknown, they not only rejoiced on their own but brought joy to so many others.
We thought we were providing a favor to them in welcoming them to our community for the holiday. But what we gave was far out shadowed by what we received.
Thank you Chabad of Sonoma for an unforgettable Simchat Torah -- may you and your community enjoy renewed growth and prosperity, consolation for the losses and strength to rebuild and flourish.