Circles
The closer we get to fathom the innermost aspects of Torah in which the Divine is exposed, the greater ability we have to break out of all confining and inhibiting elements. When that occurs, the joy is indescribable.
Why do we Go in Circles?
Has anyone ever noticed that on Simchas Torah we dance with a Torah in a circular motion; around and around the Bimah - the platform upon which the Torah is read?
Has anyone taken note of the fact that we conclude the reading of the Torah on Simchas Torah, but, we don’t wait for the next occasion to begin anew? We do that minutes after we conclude. For that matter, how much attention have we given to the fact that upon concluding the Five Books of Moses we do not continue with the reading of a new book, but we begin all over again.
The Endless Nature of Torah
The answer lies in the very nature of Torah. Torah, unlike any other discipline, is infinite. It is without an end, because it is the wisdom of the One who has no end - and no beginning.
The Song and Ring of Torah
Torah has thus been compared to a song. The Hebrew word for song shir also means a ring. This suggests that what makes a song unique is that it is circular; it has no beginning and has no end.
[This, by the way, one of the reasons we give a ring in marriage because marriage introduces the Divine in our lives which is infinite.] Such is the character of Torah. Although it begins with “Bereishs-In the beginning,” and ends with the word “in the presence of all Israel” we never stop there. No sooner do we end the Torah, we begin anew.
This is what distinguishes Torah from every other text. While the power to write anything comes from G-d, that power is severely concealed within the words of all texts, with the exception of Torah. Only Torah reflects the original light of G-d and is not in any way less Divine than its source in G-d’s wisdom.
The Boundless Joy of Simchas Torah
We can now understand the reason Simchas Torah is such a joyous event although it is based on a custom and not on a Biblical or rabbinic commandant to be happy.
When we touch the endless light of the Divine nature of Torah it empowers us to “break out of our own limitations” and that is the very essence of joy. Most of the time we are confined to our nature which inhibits our emotions and our soul’s natural propensity to be happy. When we touch the infinite power of Torah it enables us to break out of our mold.
The Twin Phenomena of Moshiach
Simchas Torah is thus illustrative of the Moshiach and the Messianic Era, when all the obstructions to our nature will be removed. The Messianic Age is also the age when Moshiach will reveal the deepest levels of Torah.
These two phenomena are interconnected. The closer we get to fathom the innermost aspects of Torah in which the Divine is exposed, the greater ability we have to break out of all confining and inhibiting elements. When that occurs, the joy is indescribable.
[See Essay seven for a fuller treatment of the subjects of circles.]
From the book Light from the Future: Simchas Torah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
