Simchas Torah – We Will Dance Again

Simchas Torah – We Will Dance Again

By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin

In the aftermath of October 7, “We will dance again” became the motto of the Nova music festival. In fact, a documentary about that infamous day entitled “We will dance again” was recently released.

How ironic. The horrific massacre took place on Simchas Torah, our day of dancing and rejoicing with the Torah.

Simchas Torah, the Joy of Torah. We dance. We sing. We celebrate. We find simcha not just in completing the Five Books, but in the ability to start anew from Bereishis, the very beginning. Following the reading of the final verse of the Torah, we call out in unison, Chazak, Chazak, V’nischazeik, Be strong, Be strong and Be strengthened.

Be strong, Be strong and Be strengthened. Even when all looks dismal, we don’t give up. We may shed a tear or two, but then, we muster up our strength and celebrate life.

It was 5:00 AM. The phone rang, waking both my husband and myself.

“It can’t be good”, my husband said, “Can you get it.” He was right. My revered father-in-law had been seriously ill, and my husband dreaded the possibility of this call. A call to inform us that my father-in-law’s soul left this world for a better place.

What made the call even more devastating, was because on that very same day, my husband’s sister, Chanie, was marrying off a son.

The family went from funeral, to cemetery, to shiva house. All, except Chanie. Despite her inner pain and sorrow, upon guidance from her rabbi, she went from the cemetery to the wedding hall. To be mother of the chosson. To bless her son and future daughter-in-law. To smile and greet guests. And yes, even to dance. Only after the wedding, did she join the family in sitting shiva.

How does one go from a parent’s funeral to a child’s wedding on the same day? As Jews, we believe that everything is orchestrated by HaShem. As King Solomon wrote in Koheles, Ecclesiastes, (which was just read this past Shabbos) “There is a time to weep and a time to laugh”. Yes, there is a time to be sad and a time to celebrate.

(Note: According to Jewish custom, a wedding would be delayed when, G-d forbid, the chosson or kallah themselves are in mourning. Building a Jewish home is of great importance, and even if a parent or grandparent is in mourning, it is not reason to delay the simcha. In fact, they may even attend so as not to cause distress to the chosson and kallah.)

We celebrate life and new beginnings. We live with the hope and belief that tomorrow will be better.

As a nation, we experienced our share of suffering. But even in the darkest of dark, we find a shining light. We may be living in a troubled world, but we have faith in a brighter future.

Eli Wiesel wrote of a Simchas Torah in a Nazi concentration camp. “Since there was no Sefer Torah, how could they organize the traditional procession with the sacred scrolls? As they were trying to solve the problem, an old man noticed a young boy standing there. ‘Do you remember what you learned in cheder (yeshiva)?’ asked the man. ‘Yes, I do’ replied the boy. ‘Really?’ said the man. ‘You remember Shema Yisroel?’

‘I remember much more’ said the boy.

‘Shema Yisroel is enough’ said the man, and he lifted the boy, clasped him in his arms, and began dancing with him, as though he were the Torah. And all joined in. They sang, danced and cried. They wept, but they danced with fervor.”

Despite the pain and suffering, they danced with joy, carrying a “living” Torah scroll.

Eli Wiesel’s Simchas Torah story was not the only one that speaks of our nation’s love of children and belief in the future.

Little Avrohom was eighteen months old when the Nazis invaded Poland. Wanting to protect him, Avrohom’s parents handed him over to his Catholic nanny for safekeeping.

The nanny was quick to baptize him. Avraham became Henrich, and was raised as a devout Catholic.

His parents miraculously survived the Holocaust, and four year later, returned to Vilna to claim their beloved son.

It wasn’t easy. The nanny refused to give him up. A long court battle ensued. With gratitude to HaShem, Avrohom’s parents won. Avrohom was theirs once again.

It was hard at first. Avrohom was taught to hate Jews and openly told his parents so. They responded with love and kindness.

On Simchas Torah, Avrohom’s parents took him to the shul in Vilna. Simchas Torah is a joyous holiday, which they hoped would bring him closer to his religion. As they walked to shul, they passed a monastery. Avrohom stopped to cross himself. Just then, the priest emerged, and Avrohom ran over to kiss his hand.

Thoughy deeply pained, Avrohom’s father remained silent. He believed that with time, Avrohom would come around.

The shul in Vilna was a pitiful sight. The Germans did a good job desecrating and defacing the magnificent edifice. The beautiful building lost its glory. The holy books were destroyed, and there wasn’t a Torah scroll to be found.

In the shul that Simchas Torah night, was a newlywed young Jewish couple in search of survivors. The husband was wearing the uniform of a Russian soldier. At one time, he was a yeshiva bochur, a student, but was conscripted by the Russians to join their forces. Shyly, he approached little Avrohom. “Are you Jewish”, he asked. He wasn’t sure, since the boy was blond and blue-eyed.

“Yes”, Avrohom’s father answered.

To the Torah student turned soldier, Avrohom was a precious treasure. The young couple had traveled many miles to Vilna, without seeing a sign of Jewish life, let alone a Jewish child.

“Can I carry you on my shoulder? Can I dance with you on Simchas Torah?” the young man asked. He lifted Avrohom and danced and danced. He danced with a prayer in his heart, that the Torah be passed down mi’dor l’dor, from generation to generation. The young man told the remaining Jews of Vilna that Avrohom symbolized the future of their nation.

That Simchas Torah experience, and careful nurturing by his parents, left its mark on Avrohom. Slowly and steadily, he grew more and more into his Judaism. Years later, Avrohom became Abe Foxman, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation League, devoting his life to fighting anti-Semitism and battling for Jewish rights and liberties.

And the soldier who danced with Avrohom? He became Rabbi Leo Goldman, Chief Rabbi of Norway, later emigrating to the United States, becoming a pulpit rabbi in Detroit.

And we dance again.

Kibbutz Be’eri, near the Gaza border, was hit especially hard on October 7. Recently, Ruthie, a friend of mine, together with her husband Josh, hosted an evening to help rebuild the kibbutz. There was a sofer, a scribe, there to write letters in a new Torah scroll, to be presented to the members of the kibbutz. So many were there, so many wanted to be part of rebuilding Be’eri. To build a shul that would house a Torah scroll. A sign of our nation’s resilience and love of HaShem.

Another friend, Fradel, recently dedicated a Torah scroll to a yeshiva in Chevron, in memory of eight of its young students who were killed in Gaza protecting their country. The dedication was marked with song and dance, a celebration of Torah and Jewish life.

We are still grieving, and despitre achieving military successes, the war is not over. More lives are tragically being lost and many more are being injured. But we dance again. We dance amidst the pain, but we dance. We hold our Torah scrolls. Proud to be Jews. Proud to be links in the chain.

May we merit to dance as a unified nation, greeting Moshiach b’korov, very soon.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!

Chaya Sora

Chaya Sora can be reached at [email protected]