Shabbat Shalom: Simchat Torah By Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “And no human knows of [Moses’] burial place even to this day.“ (Deut. 34:6) Amid the great joy of Shemini Atzeret-Simĥat Torah, emanating from the biblical commandment “and you shall thoroughly rejoice” (Deut. 16:15), a curious dialectic between celebration and solemnity nevertheless exists. This …
Why did Shemini Atzeret Become Simchat Torah? Rabbanit Sally Mayer is Rosh Midrasha of the Maria and Joel Finkle Overseas Program at Midreshet Lindenbaum The Torah describes Succot repeatedly as a seven–day holiday (Vayikra 23, Bemidbar 29, Devarim 16). Yet the pesukim add that the eighth day will be “atzeret,” literally “stopping” or “gathering,” to be celebrated …
Prior to Simchat Torah, Jewish identity coordinators from the OTS Yachad Program brought a Torah scroll to secular Israeli schoolchildren, encouraging them to take ownership of their sources and their heritage. #HandsOnLearning#YachadMeansTogether#TheTorahSpeaksToEveryone#SimchatTorah#OTSLearningLivingLeading
Simchat Torah 5778 Rabbi David Stav Perhaps one of the Jewish people’s most unique – and bizarre – holidays is Simchat Torah. I often ask myself what possesses both young and old to encircle the bima at the synagogue in a never-ending frenzied dance, sweat pouring off their faces. What gets them going? Why are they …
Shabbat Shalom: Simchat Torah 5778 Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel – “Remember the teaching of Moses, My servant, the laws and ordinances that I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.” [Malachi 3:23]. The truest essence of reality is not necessarily that which meets the eye; indeed, often times things and people are not what …
“Our Master Teacher” Excerpted from the Devarim edition of the “Torah Lights” series (Maggid Books) by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin – 14/10/14 “And no prophet will ever arise for Israel like Moses, who knew God face to face…and who operated with a strong hand and a great awesomeness before the eyes of all Israel. –Deuteronomy 34:10, 12 All of …
