Mem Moment | Caramel Apples and Celebrating Torah
Simchat Torah
Children’s connections to Simchat Torah can be quite simple – caramel apples, Torah parades, and waving flags. It’s a joyful holiday where they might see adults dancing with the Torah, or the whole scroll unrolled.
As we get older, this holiday can take on new meanings. To be sure, there might still be caramel apples, an unrolled scroll, and dancing—but also the realization that Torah and our engagement with it never ends. It just evolves as we start the Torah over for the new year.
Shivim Panim LaTorah. ‘There are seventy faces to Torah’. These words from Midrash (Bemidbar Rabbah 13:16) remind us that Torah is wonderfully complex, and who we are helps determine how we read it. It is a powerful reminder that no matter how many times we’ve read the exact same words in Torah, they can take on a whole new meaning based on how our day/week/month/year is going. For those going through relationship issues, the story of Jacob and Rachel and Leah reads differently. Sibling drama in your world? Jacob and Esau could come across as stories of war or peace. Feeling overwhelmed at work or with leadership obligations? The words from Jethro to Moses might hit you hard, perhaps even offer an important lesson.
That is what we celebrate on Simchat Torah: the beauty and complexity of Torah, its seventy faces, and how it can shape and enrich our lives. Wouldn’t you agree this is something worthy of flags, dancing and caramel apples?
What lived experiences are you bringing with you this year?
How will you celebrate Simchat Torah and a new cycle of Torah?
Are there Torah stories that you want to study more in-depth?
