Holiday

Looking for some insights or new rituals for an upcoming holiday? Here we post practical, easy to use guidelines for the holy days, both Jewish and American, that mark the way stations along the circle of the year.

To access the Holiday Archive, click here.

Dancing With The Torah

There is a tradition that if the Torah is dropped, the one responsible must fast for 40 days. In other words, the Torah makes for a difficult dance partner, particularly on Simchat Torah, when we hold onto the Torah with all our strength, as we whirl, twirl and spin around. Dancing with the Torah is like dancing with your newborn children and your parents and at the same time. Like a newborn, we dress the Torah and cradle it, kiss it, and protect it. Like a parent, we respect the Torah, challenge it, and learn from its words.

Meditation

May the Torah leads us in our sacred dance just as Miriam and her tambourine led us at the crossing of the sea.

Ritual

Hold on to the Torah placing one hand underneath it and on its handles, and the other around its waist. Lean it to your left side, over your heart. Then dance! There are no right or wrong steps, only steps of joy. When it is time to pass on the Torah scroll, seek someone who may not yet have had the opportunity to dance with the Torah.

Blessing

(As you are given a Torah scroll to hold, or as you enter into the circle of dancers)

Blessed is the Holy One who gave us the gift of Torah.

Teaching

And Miriam the Prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and all the women danced. And Miriam sang unto them . (Exodus 15:20-21 )

And father, always so quiet, so calm, moves from his place, makes his way toward the dancing men, and falls into the whirling ring. The chain of people gives a tug and swallows him…From the corner I watch father. I look for him among the dancers. There is his head, slightly bent to one side, his eyes lowered, his long beard afloat. There he is, whirling as in a sweet dream, his whole body melting with pleasure. (Bella Chagall, Burning Lights)

Simchat Torah is intended to be crowded, so use a space that is a bit too small...so that people can crowd in and be intimate and close, and so the music is loud and strong…

(Sarah Shendelman and Avram Davis, Traditions)

(CLAL Faculty)

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