Jews live in calendar dialectics, oscillating between two Jewish New Years (Tishrei/Nissan) and two Judgment Days (Rosh HaShanah/Yom Kippur). Perhaps the greatest Jewish storyteller of all time, the Dubner Maggid, (Rabbi Yaakov Krantz, d. 1804) was once asked: Why do we celebrate both Simchat Torah (the completion of the annual Torah cycle) and Shavuot (commemorating the Sinai revelation of the Torah)? Why not condense them into one grand Holiday? Characteristically – he responded with a story.
A King and Queen were childless for many years. Desperate, they visited a sage – who conveyed a potent blessing with a cautionary clause. Shortly, the Queen would successfully bear a baby girl. No man outside the family however, must see her until her wedding day, lest she die. And so it was. When the Queen gave birth to a baby girl, a secluded island was prepared for the Princess to live on. There she was raised in regal style with the finest female educators.
As the Princess came of age, the King encountered a serious technical difficulty in marrying off his daughter. Each nobleman in the King’s court was thrilled to accept the princess’s hand in marriage – until it was explained that the first date and the wedding would coincide. On the verge of despair, the King approached the final nobleman, who remarkably assented to marry without as much as a peek.
As the wedding date approached – the nobleman’s repressed bridal fears shook him profoundly. He was for better, but probably for worse, stuck. On the wedding day, the whole world came to dance, except for the anxiety stricken groom. As he peered underneath the veil, he braced for disaster – but inexplicably the princess was incredibly beautiful. A nagging nervousness persisted: “What’s the catch?” But none was coming. Everyday he unveiled yet another wondrous aspect of her personality. Not only was she stunning, she was also spunky, spirited, charming and deep.
Months later, the nobleman approached his new father in law to admit his delight in his new bride and confide his disappointment – that he had essentially missed out on the wedding. The King decided that a new party would be arranged. All the guests would be invited back but this time only one person, the Prince himself, would dance to express his absolute delight. And so it was.
Shavuot, explained the Dubner Maggid marks the Jew’s unshakable commitment to God’s wisdom and His Torah. Not knowing what was in the Torah, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the Jewish nation confidently proclaimed Na’aseh V’nishma (We will perform the mitzvot and then we will understand them). That faith remained blind until the Jew was exposed to the sweetness of the Torah. Simchat Torah celebrates, through dedication to Torah Study, the Jew’s joy and ever expanding appreciation for the Torah’s pristine beauty and depth.
Is that not a metaphor for Jewish history? When we had nothing but faith – throughout the numerous dark spots, spanning from Babylonia through Rome to Medieval Europe and twentieth century Germany – the Jew always celebrated deep Torah study. It was the study halls of Babylonia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Lithuania and Poland that illuminated our blackest moments. And today – as we begin the “Lexus” period of the 21st century America Jewish community – where are we?
In May, 1964, Look Magazine ran a cover story on “The Vanishing American Jew”, predicting that by the year 2000, there would be no more Jews left in this country. Since that dire prediction, Look magazine has vanished and we remain 5 million plus. All however is not rosy on the American Jewish front. Sub-zero replacement rates, an aging population and a 52% intermarriage rate do not bode well for the future of American Jewry.
When historians will wonder what happened to all those American Jews, I believe they will reach the inescapable conclusion that many analysts of the classic 1990 National Jewish Population Survey have already reached: “Jewish Day School was…the only schooling that stands against the assimilatory process indicated by intermarriage and its related behaviors” (Elimor & Katz, 1993). In other words only a consistent commitment to serious Torah will create the joy critical to ensure Jewish survival. Of course these historians will have only been echoing the words of the sweet singer of Israel, King David who more than 2500 years ago penned in his Psalms the sentiment “Had the Torah not been my constant delight, long ago, I would have long since been lost.”
Amidst the wild craziness and the merriment (and the unfortunate alcohol) that often accompanies Simchat Torah, we may want to reflect upon the secret of our eternity. After that reflection, I humbly submit, we might just do ourselves and our unborn grandchildren a favor and commit to attend one of the numerous deep (and often entertaining) Torah classes that can be found year-round in our local synagogues or Kollels. The Torah is quite a bride and marriage, after all, is a beautiful thing.