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Simchat Torah is the happiest holiday in the Torah. We finish one cycle of reading of the Torah in public and begin it anew.
Since it was given over 3,300 years ago Moses instituted that Jews must read a portion of the Torah in public three times a week (thereby making it impossible to change or get lost, G-d forbid, as some religions claim) and when we finish a cycle it is a good reason for rejoicing.
Or is it? At first glance, what exactly is there to rejoice about? What is so happy about the Torah?
Even more problematic; the last words of the Torah, which is what we read on this joyous holiday, praise Moses for breaking the Holy Tablets (due to the sin of the Golden Calf! (See Rashi 34:12) This, seemingly, is not a very appropriate topic to read on Simchat Torah!!

To understand this, here is a story.

Less than a hundred years ago lived a great Tzadik (totally righteous Jew) named Rabbi Dovid of Lelov.
There are many stories told of his total familiarity in all aspects of the Torah both revealed and mystical and his many miracles.
When he was just a child of three (learning age) his father realized he was already showing signs of genius and he would need a teacher who could provide him with a lot of answers.
After months of searching, he finally found what seemed to be what he was looking for; a G-d fearing, learned, experienced teacher with an impeccable reputation. He was so impressed that he paid him a month in advance but just to be sure, he would regularly test his son on the material he had been learning and inquire if there was anything unusual he could tell him about the new teacher.
“Yes,” little Dovid replied “I saw that every time, before the teacher begins to pray the morning prayers he puts on his Tallis and Tefillin (prayer shawl and phylacteries) and weeps; he does ‘Tshuva’ (returns to G-d)”
Dovid’s father decided to see for himself. Early the next morning he went to the synagogue where the teacher prayed before he began teaching, and, sure enough, it was just as his son said. The man actually wept true tears of repentance for several moments before he began to pray.
After the prayers Dovid’s father approached the teacher, took him aside, apologized for spying on him and asked him for an explanation; why was he weeping?
The teacher replied, “To tell you the truth I don’t know. A few years ago I spent a few weeks in the home of Rabbi Yissacher Dov of Rodshetz while doing some teaching of children in his town. In any case I got to know him fairly well.
He was a genius! Knew the entire Torah and Talmud by heart! Anyway, after he paid me he gave me a blessing that I should do ‘Tshuva’ (return to G-d) and since then, every day, just before I begin to pray in the morning, I burst out weeping uncontrollably for a minute or two and don’t understand why.
It’s really amazing isn’t it!”
Dovid’s father was impressed. He had heard of Rabbi Yissacher Dov and wanted to hear more. “Tell me” He asked the teacher. “You spent several weeks by Rabbi Yissacher Dov, can you tell me any other interesting things you saw there, maybe a miracle that you saw him do?”
The teacher thought for a moment and said that in fact he could.
“Once there was a woman that came to see him. She was weeping loudly, telling everyone what her problem was so it was no secret.
Her husband had abandoned her five or so years earlier and disappeared. Now she was stuck, she had several children, no money, no source of income and couldn’t remarry until she either got a bill of divorce or proof that her husband was not alive.
“When she got in to see the Rebbe he heard what she had to say, waited for a few minutes, told her to wait outside his door and then told his assistant, one of his Chassidim, to go out into the street and bring in the first person he sees on the street.
The assistant did as he was told and a few minutes later returned with a Polish gentile who was peddling firewood. He had a wagon full of wood pulled by a horse and he was the first one to pass by. When the Chassid saw him he told him, first in Yiddish and then, when it was obvious he didn’t understand, in Polish that his master wants to see him.
“‘He wants wood?’ ‘Maybe’ the Chassid replied and showed him in.
“When they were in the Rebbe’s room the gentile asked in Polish, how much wood? To which the Rebbe replied to his assistant ‘Tell him to give a get!! (divorce bill called a ‘get’ in Hebrew)”
“The Pole shrugged his shoulders and said again in Polish, ‘He wants wood or no?!’ To which the Rebbe again said to his assistant, ‘Tell him to give a get!’
“The gentile yelled, ‘What is this? You waste my time! You buy wood or I leave!!’
“The Rebbe again said to his assistant, ‘Make him give the get!’
“The assistant, who was a young, healthy fellow, knew what to do. The Rebbe never had made a mistake. He grabbed the woodseller by the shirt, lifted him from the ground and began shaking him until the woodseller yelled out in Yiddish, “Nu NU! Ich vill given der Get! Rachmanus! Shlug mir nisht!” (Okay, I’ll give the ‘get’! Have mercy! Don’t beat me!”
“The Rebbe brought the woman and then, when she recognized him as her husband, he brought a few more Chassidim as witnesses and in moments a proper bill of divorce was written and she was free!
“All this,” concluded the teacher “I saw with my very eyes!”
Little Dovid’s father was very impressed but suddenly he became serious, his eyes narrowed and he asked a telling question. “Tell me, after seeing such holiness and such a revealed miracle, why did you leave the Rebbe of Rodshetz? Why didn’t you become a Chassid (follower) of his?”
The teacher smiled, shrugged his shoulders and answered matter-of-factly, “Become his follower just because he knows how to do tricks? Who says that he didn’t do that with magic?”
Dovid’s father’s mouth dropped open in amazement. “Tricks? Magic?” He took his son by the hand and said decisively, “Dovid, let’s find another teacher!”

This explains our questions: The Torah without Holiness is empty and lacking joy!

The reason we are happy on Simchat Torah is not just because we finished a cycle of Torah reading but because of who we ARE. We are Jews; a HOLY nation that the Creator gave the HOLY Torah to reveal meaning, blessing and joy in the creation.
But the only way we can do this, as our story showed, is if we have faith in Tzadikim.
Tzadikim are Torah Jews who FEEL the G-dliness in the Torah and the holiness of every Jew.
Tzadikim make us realize how CLOSE and REAL G-d is and without connection to them the Torah is just another religious book.
That is why the Torah ends with Moses breaking the Tablets due to the Golden Calf.
The Jews sinned with the Golden Calf; because they lost connection with Moses; they thought he wasn’t retuning from Sinai. And when that happened the Torah became so ’empty’ they could not only ignore it but even use it to justify idolatry (much as the church does).
In other words, Moses broke the Tablets to show that without connection to him and the Tzadikim after him Judaism is empty.
But with them there is great joy! The Joy of the Torah!!! And that is the reason why we rejoice on Simchat Torah! Because we DO have such Tzadikim and we CAN connect to them.
Today; the ideas of Chassidut Chabad (ask in your local Chabad House for details), do exactly this and by learning Chassidut we can connect to the ultimate Tzadik and bring Moshiach who will put true Joy into the Torah that will spread even to the non-Jews (Seven Noahide Commandments).
Reason to rejoice without limit!!!

We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish faith, hopes, prayers and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even good thought, can tilt the scales with Moshiach NOW!

Wishing all our readers a happy Holiday! A meaningful Simchat Torah with …….. Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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