B’H
This Thursday and Friday will be Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

On Shmini Atzeres we will be saying Yizkor. A very moving and chilling Yizkor, as it is the Yahrzeit of the many victims of Oct 7 last year. As a people we mourn the loss, but we also continue to build and grow.

We have a beautiful tradition in how we mourn, its full of rich meaning and comforting rituals. But we also have a legacy of being a resilient people. The same Torah that teaches us how to mourn, also teaches us to get up from sadness and to rebuild. To rebuild with joy and happiness.

As King Solomon in his wisdom writes, “There is a time to cry, and there is a time to dance.”

This brings us to the joy of Simchat Torah. The Jewish people have always rejoiced on Simchat Torah in very trying times. Whether it was in communist Russia, in the Ghetto or in other challenging times. It is this joy that carries us through the stormy waves of life. The joy of being Jewish and being entrusted with G-d’s blueprint for the world, the Torah.

There is a Chassidic anecdote, that the Torah doesn’t have legs. It wishes to dance with the Jew but it cannot on its own. The Jew becomes the legs of the Torah enabling the Torah to dance.

Rabbi Doron Perez, who heads the world Mizrachi movement, shared his thoughts about Simchat Torah this year. Very sadly he lost his son Daniel on October 7. He said that although it will be difficult for him to dance, but dance we must. “We will dance with the Torah, perhaps with tears, but with tears of joy.”

Lets “dance again” with resilience, hope and confidence in “Am Yisrael Chai!”

Chag Sameach!