Judaism
How Simchat Torah came to be
The celebration of the Torah that concludes the autumn festivals has its origins in exile rather than the Bible
October 18, 2019 13:24
The celebration of the Torah that concludes the autumn festivals has its origins in exile rather than the Bible
October 18, 2019 13:24The festival of Succot isn’t anchored to a particular historical period, or geographical location. It doesn’t commemorate a particular event which occurred on a specific day in history. Sitting under the sky in sheltered huts symbolises God’s compassion and care for his creation in general, and for humankind in particular. He safeguards us even in dangerous or hazardous conditions, such as the Jewish journey through the desert. Exiting our homes and sitting under makeshift and improvised huts highlights our reliance on Divine care rather than on human structures.
As this holiday isn’t tethered to a particular historical event, its range extends beyond that of other Jewish holidays. Succot celebrates God’s care for all humanity, Jew and non-Jew alike. Highlighting this international scope of Succot, the Temple ceremonies of this holiday were calibrated to address an international audience. Over the course of the seven-day celebration of Divine Providence, seventy sacrifices were tendered, correlating to the seventy nations of classic antiquity.
Succot reminds a Jew of a universalist mission: to represent God and true monotheism in this world, while challenging humanity to higher standards of morality. The holiday is pivoted on the Temple, drawing foreign monarchs and dignitaries from across the globe. Though legal entry into the Temple was barred to non-Jews, all visitors would still direct their tributes and devotions to this international house of prayer.
Toward the conclusion of this holiday the international celebration transitioned into a one-day private rendezvous between God and his chosen nation, Shemini Atzeret (Eighth day of repose). The nation God selected to represent Him was personally beckoned to sojourn an extra day “alone” in His house.
After the fanfare has subsided, and before we embarked home from Jerusalem, our stay was extended for an additional day of quiet seclusion with God in our Temple. This two-part holiday of Succot, including the one-day extension, distils our distinctive historical mission as well as God’s unique affection for His people.
This grand Jewish mission would be put to the test. For 2,000 years, Jews would wander this planet bereft of common culture, deprived of national homeland, all the while longing for their extinct Temple, the icon of this international mission. During this period, part of our historical handicap was the absence of a judiciary body or Sanhedrin to accurately adjust the calendar. Absent of this ability, Jews observed two days of Shemini Atzeret, hoping one day to return to land and Temple, re-establish autonomy and restore authority of calendar regulation. Two days of Shemini Atzeret (and every other holiday) became a conspicuous symbol of life in exile.
About a thousand years ago, the second day of Shemini Atzeret accrued new meaning and morphed into Simchat Torah. Given that the yearly Torah reading cycle concludes on the second day of Shemini Atzeret, Jews began initiating festivities and celebration rituals surrounding the Torah on this second day of Shemini Atzeret. Ultimately, these customs became enshrined as Jewish law and the day transformed into an autonomous day of Simchat Torah.
This process of transforming the second day of Shemini Atzeret into Simchat Torah is a direct outcome of exile. The existence of an extra day of Shemini Atzeret, and the termination of the Torah reading cycle, invited a separate holiday. The extra day of Shemini Atzeret in exile was critical to the emergence of Simchat Torah.
While the holiday evolved under conditions of exile, it also frames the Jewish response to the enormous challenges of exile. How did the Jews survive against such unspeakable odds? How did a nation, scattered across the globe, stripped of common national identity, despised and persecuted, not just survive, but thrive, and not just thrive but constantly advance civilisation and reshape the human imagination?
Though we lacked a Temple, we always possessed a different pivot of national identity and a different rallying point to encounter God. The directly revealed word of God, His Torah, served as a geographically independent reinforcement of Jewish identity and, of course, a conduit for religious encounter.
Our steadfast commitment to studying and applying His word has been, and will always be, the secret of Jewish survival. Transforming the second day of Shemini Atzeret into a Torah celebration signifies the triumph of the Jewish spirit throughout this long journey of exile. Without Torah, we would have barely survived, and the “spare” day of Shemini Atzeret was designated to mark this monumental achievement.
If the first day of Shemini Atzeret comprised God’s special invitation to his people, the transformed second day of Simchat Torah represented our gift to Him and the testament of our faith.
During the Temple era, on Shemini Atzeret, God invited us back because our hurried departure would be too difficult to bear; on the day of Simchat Torah, as we clutch Torah scrolls, we respond to God: “Indeed it has been difficult but we aren’t going anywhere”. You delivered Your word to us and for over two millennia it has protected our faith and preserved our relationship, even without our private rendezvous in the Temple.
Ultimately, the two components of Shemni Atzeret complement each other; the first day represents our selection and our mission, while the second day signifies the manner in which this mission triumphed against all odds.
Rabbi Taragin teaches at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion
