KEEPING CLOSE
The holidays of our calendar are more than days of commemoration, they are periods when we, as a people, and as individuals experience spiritual growth. The more we appreciate what the holidays express the more we can grow. If Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah are the conclusion of this period of holidays starting with Rosh Hashanah followed by Yom Kippur and continuing into Succos there must be some great opportunity of spiritual growth.
It appears random that after all these holidays we celebrate Simchas Torah and do not celebrate it on Shavuous when we actually received the Torah.
In explaining the difference between the fire offerings brought on the Altar and the water libations brought on the Altar, the Baal Hatanya highlights the difference between fire and water. Fire’s natural state is alive, passionate and consuming while water’s natural state is calm and quiet. He explains that Man’s soul, whose source is the breath of Ha-Shem, yearns to attach herself to HaShem. The one who is sensitive to his soul’s needs will be driven by a fiery passion to attach to HaShem. The parallel would be the passion of a child who realizes how far away she is from her father. When she sees her father in the distance she becomes filled with passion that drives her to run as fast as she can until Papa will pick her up into his arms.
The fire of the Altar which expressed the heat of that passion burnt the offering, trans-forming it from physical meat to a “pleasing smell” offering before HaShem. It had the ability to attach the material world to the higher plane.
Let us return to the child running into Papa’s arms. Once Papa scoops her up she is overcome with intense bliss; she is now in her father’s arms, totally connected. She can’t get closer.
The water libation expressed that calm bliss that we are now in Pa-pa’s arms. He is holding us tight and has brought us into His succah providing us Divine protection.
What does this small child do after she has achieved her father’s embrace? This bliss cannot remain static. We are dynamic creatures, we do not remain in one state. This little child will then engage her father in conversation. She will tell him her stories and ask him her questions. Perhaps she will play a game with him and bounce on his lap. The purpose of all these activities is to be close to Papa. The activity itself is merely a means to be attached.
After we have brought our fire offerings and after HaShem scooped us up into His succah what do we do next? How do we retain that closeness? How do we continue developing that attachment?
Dovid Hamelech writes in Tehillim “If I did not have Your Torah as my plaything I would have perished in my affliction”. Dovid is telling us that through all of his life’s challenges he would have perished if he did not have HaShem’s Torah as his plaything. He is not suggesting that Torah serves as a plaything to distract him from his difficulties. Dovid is teaching us that through HaShem’s Torah he was able to maintain and develop his attachment to the Ribono Shel Olom. Just as this little child holds on to Papa through talking to him and playing with him, so too, Dovid is able to overcome all of his challenges by engaging in Torah study and keeping himself attached to Papa.
Perhaps, Shmini Atzeres / Simchas Torah in which we celebrate the Torah as our plaything, follows the fire offerings and water libations of Succos to keep our hold on Papa and carry on our attachment through the long winter months close to Papa.
Have a very safe and very wonderful Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.
Paysach Diskind