The Dance of Indestructibility
The pain of this tragedy, the sheer horror inflicted on innocent lives celebrating the joy of Simchat Torah, cuts deep into our souls. It is a wound that bleeds with the echoes of ancient sorrows, of attacks designed to cripple us in our moments of hope. They chose Simchat Torah, the culmination of Sukkot, a time when we celebrate the eternity of our connection to God, a time when our hearts overflow with the unbridled joy of our survival. They thought they were choosing our weakness, a moment when we were vulnerable, distracted. They did not understand the depths of our strength.
Let us recall the story of Haman, whose name chillingly echoes the perpetrators of this present darkness. Haman, seeking to annihilate the Jewish people, cast lots to determine the most auspicious day for his evil decree. The lot fell on the month of Adar, the month our teacher Moses passed away. Haman rejoiced, seeing it as a sign, a vulnerability. Little did he know, as the Talmud teaches, that the month of Moses’ passing was also the month of his birth.
We see this same profound truth reflected in the very holidays targeted. Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, is not a day of pristine perfection. It is born from the ashes of our mistakes, our human fallibility. We recall the sin of the Golden Calf, a moment of profound betrayal, and yet, it is from this brokenness that we rise. Moses, through the power of his love for his people, secured forgiveness. Yom Kippur teaches us that even in our failings, even in the face of despair, there is always a path back to connection, to atonement, to hope.
And from this place of teshuvah, of return, we arrive at Simchat Torah, the day when we embrace the Torah anew, dancing with unfettered joy. It is a celebration of our resilience, a testament to the truth that we are eternally bound to something greater than ourselves. We dance because we know, deep in our bones, that we are indestructible. History bears witness: From Egypt to the present day, empires have risen and fallen, yet we remain. Why? Because our spirit, the essence of who we are, is woven from the very fabric of eternity.
This is the secret the enemies of our people fail to grasp. They see our celebrations, our joy, our love of life, and mistake it for weakness. They do not understand that it is precisely these things that make us strong. Each dance, each prayer, each act of kindness is an affirmation of our unwavering faith, a defiant cry against the forces of darkness that seek to extinguish our light.
The Baal Shem Tov, in his infinite wisdom, offers us a glimpse into the spiritual reality of Simchat Torah. He describes how, on that joyous morning, the angels ascend to Heaven to offer their praises to God. Yet, finding the Jewish people still asleep after a night of fervent celebration, the angels wait, eager to hear the melodies rising from Earth.
As they wait, they discover a sight that fills them with wonder: souls, worn and radiant, scattered across the heavens. These, they learn, are the souls of those who danced with such abandon, with such pure love for their heritage, that they ascended beyond even the Gates of Paradise.
Today, as we mourn the innocent lives lost, as we grapple with the unimaginable pain of this tragedy, let us remember the souls dancing in the heavens. Let their memory fuel our resolve. Let us transform our tears into a source of strength, nurturing a deeper commitment to life, to love, to building a world worthy of their sacrifice.
The attack on Simchat Torah was meant to break us. Instead, it has revealed the depth of our strength, the unyielding spirit that has carried us through millennia of persecution. We will mourn our losses, but we will not be defeated. We will continue to dance, to celebrate, to love, because that is the essence of who we are – an eternal people, forever bound to the dance of indestructibility.
Please join us in this spiritual war, a war waged not with weapons, but with acts of love, resilience, and unwavering faith. Together, we will transform darkness into light and build a world where such tragedies are but a distant memory.
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