I say without hesitation that Simchat Torah is my favorite holiday. How could it not be? Think about it: singing, dancing, celebrating, beginning anew, going from the solemnity of our holy season to a state of joy and hope. Simchat Torah is about finishing one reading cycle and beginning the next reading cycle (practically in the same breath). We mark the fact that we made it all the way around to the beginning again, something we cannot take for granted. The holiday is fairly new as far as Jewish holidays go, only about a thousand years old, when medieval rabbis in Europe recognized that we ought to celebrate with feasts and revelry the completion of the cycle. 

We feel in our heart the need to start over these days. What a long and tragic year we just endured. We witnessed the desecration of Israel, Israeli families, and Israeli security. We then watched in horror as atrocity unfolded in Gaza. And still hostages remain in places unknown. Peace continues to feel elusive. Simchat Torah comes along and reminds me of the good that exists in our world, in our tradition and in ourselves. It soothes our hurting soul, especially this year, one year since October 7. It shows us as well that new beginnings are indeed possible, and they are. 

One of the slogans in the aftermath of October 7 has become ‘We Will Dance Again.” On this Simchat Torah we will make real those words. We will remember the joy of being a Jew, even as so many would seek to mock and demean us. We will dance with our sacred scrolls, which hold the enduring stories and values of our people. We will hear again those iconic words from the opening of Genesis: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ We will join in community, celebrating our fortitude, the miracle of our continued existence and the magic of Torah. Here’s to a good, sweet, fulfilling Simchat Torah.