Page 639 - 24107

24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Black
#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Yellow
24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Magenta
#
Vezot Haberachah 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Cyan

£The Dance of White FireThe Dance of White Fire
nitzaVim םי ִב ָּצִנ ££The Dance of White Fire

After the yearly Torah reading cycle is completed on the morning
of Simchat Torah, we immediately begin the cycle again by reading
£And You Are Standing Today And You Are Standing Today And You Are Standing Today And You Are Standing Today And You Are Standing Today And You Are Standing Today the beginning of Bereishit, recounting the creation of the world.
This practice connects the end of the Torah with its beginning, as
££££
All of You Before God
All of You Before God
All of You Before God discussed in the previous section. This ceremonial completion and
immediate new beginning takes place following fourteen circuits of
joyous dancing and singing with the Torah: seven of which occur
Every year on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, we read the Simchat Torah night and seven which occur on Simchat Torah
portion of Nitzavim, which begins with the following words: “And morning. While the Torah scroll is rolled from its end to its beginning
you are standing today all of you before God” (Deuteronomy 29:9). (or a second Torah scroll is readied for use), we find ourselves in a
There are several reasons this portion is always read before Rosh very unique situation, a sort of spiritual no man’s land, suspended
Hashanah, but the simplest one is that the Jewish people were somewhere between the end and the beginning. Although it only takes
frightened by the ninety-eight curses mentioned in the previous a few minutes to roll or ready the Torah scroll for use, symbolically
portion. If they failed to observe the commandments, they feared speaking, these moments reflect an emotion that Simchat Torah is
they would almost certainly be wiped out. Therefore, Moses begins imbued with – a sense of anticipation. For during the entire three
Nitzavim by declaring that even if all the curses (God forbid) came to week period since Rosh Hashanah we have been living in suspended
pass, the Jewish people would still be “standing” before God, for He animation, waiting for the new year to finally show its true face.
would never abrogate the covenant He made with the Jewish people. Since this will finally happen on the day after Simchat Torah – at the
Indeed, the Torah continues by mentioning “the covenant of God, end of the holiday season – we are now ready to conclude the Torah
your God, and His promise that God, your God, seals with you today, and begin reading it again.
in order to establish with you today as a people to Him and that He The Midrash teaches that the letters of the Torah are like black
be a God to you.” In order to better understand the first verse, we fire engraved on parchment that is analogous to white fire (Yalkut
will focus on the meaning of the words “today,” “standing,” and “all Shimoni, Yitro 280). To understand even a small part of the wisdom
of you” in this section. encoded in the black fire takes a life time; the wisdom engraved in the
While on a peshat level, the Torah’s mention that Moses is talking white fire is at present beyond human comprehension. On Simchat
to the people “today” does not seem out of the ordinary, the Sages Torah we do not emphasize studying Torah. Instead we dance on the
infer from this seemingly unnecessary information that the day white fire as if all is an open book waiting to be revealed. This dancing
was somehow a special day. Some suggest that this was the day connects us in a most profound way to the Torah as an Orchard of
Moses’ died and he had assembled all the people to transmit his last Delights.
teachings. Others suggest that this day alludes to Rosh Hashanah, The sense of suspended animation we are in is symbolized by our
when the Jewish people and, in fact, the entire population of the dancing for hours in circles with the Torah scrolls; this, in turn, recalls
world pass before God in judgment. The first interpretation makes the verse from Job (26:6): “He hangs the world on nothingness.” The
sense given that Moses is clearly nearing the end of his life as the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in this phrase is 913, the same

610 639

#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Magenta 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Cyan 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Black #