Weekly Reading Insights

Rebbe Moshe of Kuvrin said that the entire month of Elul and its customs, and Rosh Hashanna, and all of the shofar blasts, and the 10 days of Teshuvah (between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur), and Yom Kippur itself, and the holiday of Sukkot, and the sukkah and the lulav, esrog, myrtle and willow, and Hoshanna Rabba and all of its prayers and finally the beating of the five willow branches, all lead up to and prepare us for saying (Deuteronomy 4:35), "You have been shown to know that G-d, He is the G-d, there is none else aside from Him," the first verse we say on Simchat Torah evening before the hakafot. What is unique about this holiday that makes it the goal and the pinnacle experience of all our celebrating, praying, and mitzvah-doing over all of Elul and Tishrei?

There is a discussion between the Torah legal authorities as to the appropriate way to refer to the holiday of Shemini Atzeres in the prayers, grace after meals and kiddush of the day. The accepted language in most prayer books is "Shemini Atzeres this Holiday" . Why is the name of this holiday different than all the other holidays where the word "holiday" is mentioned first, as in "the holiday of Pesach," "the holiday of Shavuos," etc.?

In fact there is a fundamental difference between the other holidays and Shemini Atzeres. All the other holidays represent a specific event. Pesach is the exodus from Egypt, Shavuot is the receiving of the Torah and the bringing of the first fruits. Sukkot commemorates the Sukkot we dwelt in in the desert. Shemini Atzeres, however, is not related to any particular historic event. Shemini Atzeres is the day when the Holy One Blessed Be He requests the Jewish people's presence for one additional day.

During the previous seven days of the holiday, 70 offerings were brought in the holy temple for the 70 nations of the world; there was a universal quality to our happiness which included "strangers." But Shemini Atzeres, the last day of the festival, is for us only, the Holy One Blessed Be He and the Jewish People alone. For all the other holidays, the prefix "chag" ("the holiday of") refers to a celebration that is determined by a historic event. But Shemini Atzeres is different. The day becomes sanctified not because of an event, but because of the power of the assembly where we, the Jewish people gather to take pleasure in the shining rays of G-d's Shechina (Divine Presence) and His Torah. It is the holy assembly of the Jewish people that makes this day the holiday of Shemini Atzeres, the Eighth Day Assembly Celebration. (Rabbi Yechiel Meir of Ostrovtza)

Our celebration of this special holiday also takes on a unique form in our joy and dancing. A few thoughts on the joy of the day:

Just like all the good intentions and powerful prayers on Rosh Hashanna are not enough to draw down all the effluence of divine energy for a good and sweet year, but we need something more, something physical, the blowing of the shofar, to complete the task with success, so too all of our good intentions and prayers are not enough on Simchat Torah. We need some something more, something physical. That is the dancing. (Chassidic saying)

Simchas Torah means the "Joy of the Torah." It could have been called the Joy of the Jewish people instead (since it is the Jewish people who are rejoicing in the Torah). But our wise men, may their memory be blessed, wanted to emphasize that not only should the Jewish people be happy with the Torah, but also that the Torah should be happy with the Jewish People. (Yosef Ber of Brisk)

In 5607 (1846) the Tzemach Tzedek repeated an idea that his grandfather's Rebbe's Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, had said 100 years earlier. "The Baal Shem Tov taught about the verse, (Mishle 3:18) '[The Torah is] a tree of life to those who hold it and its supporters (ve'tomche'ha) will become rich.' It is possible read the word 've'tomche'ha,' 'and its supporters,' as 've'somche'ha,' from the word 'simcha,' 'happiness,' meaning 'and those who are happy in it.' Whoever is happy with the Torah and further, whoever makes the Torah happy, will become wealthy, with children and grandchildren who lead Jewish Torah lives."

The Tzemach Tzedeck continued, "Today is 100 years since the Baal Shem Tov said this idea, and even now he is saying it in Gan Eden, in heaven." And then with a wave of his handkerchief, the Rebbe motioned for his followers to dance.

And finally, something from Parshas Bereishis that we begin reading on Simchas Torah. The very first verse of the Torah mentions the word "Shamayim," "heavens," which is a hint to spiritual things. And it also mentions "Eretz," "earth," which alludes to physical things. When we say the verse, "In the beginning G-d created the Heaven and the Earth," a person must remember that all that he has, his spiritual strengths (his Torah study and his wisdom) as well as his physical strengths (his wealth and his health, etc.) all comes from the Almighty. A person should not mistakenly think that, "the strength of my hand accomplished this for me." Rather, we should know that just as the Almighty recreates the entire world each and every instant, so too He is also the source of the individual effluence that comes down for each and every one of us.
Chag Samech, Shabbat shalom and blessings for a good and sweet year. - Shaul

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For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the archive.

FROM THE CHASSIDIC REBBES

Shmini Atzeret

"The Eighth Day shall be a gathering (Atzeret) for you." [Shemini Atzeret Torah Reading]
All the elicitations of holiness and the revelations that take place during Sukkot are "encompassing." On Shemini Atzeret they are absorbed and internalized.
Likutei Torah (translated from Sichat HaShavuah #303)

Bereishit

"And He sanctified the seventh day." ( 2:3)

The very first time "sanctifying" is mentioned in the Torah is with reference to Shabbat, to indicate that the source of all holiness lies in the observance if the Shabbat.

(R. Moshe Yehiel Epstein)
[From "Hasidim in Israel" by Tzvi Rabinowicz (Aronson).]

For more than a decade of "From the Chasidic Rebbes" on this Weekly Reading, see our archives

MOSHIACH THIS WEEK

Simchat Torah

"You shall be only joyful" (Deut. 16:15).

The concept of simchah is central in Judaism, and especially in the teachings of Chassidism, where its significance is explained in terms of the maxim that "simchah breaks through barriers." By means of simchah one is able to transcend all kinds of barriers and obstacles to attain sublime goals, especially in spiritual matters. We can draw an analogy between this maxim and the fact that Mashiach, too, is referred to as "The one who breaks through" (Michah 2:13). This comes to teach us that simchah, joyfulness, has the power to break through the walls - the barriers and obstacles - of the galut and hasten the coming of Mashiach.

[From "Living with Moshiach" by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet]

Bereishit

"The spirit of G-d hovered over the waters." (Gen. 1:2)

Our Sages tell us that this actually refers to Moshiach. In fact, the Hebrew words of the verse "v'ruach Elokim m'rachefet - and the spirit of G-d hovered" have the same numerical value as the words, "zeh haya rucho shel Melech HaMashiach - this was the spirit of King Moshiach."

(Based on Rebbeinu Bachaya's commentary) (from L'Chaim #941)

For more than a decade of "From the Chasidic Rebbes" on this Weekly Reading, see our archives

From The Masters Of Kabbalah and Chumash (5 Books of Moses)

13th century - "RambaN" - Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman

14th century - "Bachya" - Rabbi Bachya ben Asher

16th century - "Alsheich" - Rabbi Moshe Alshech of Tsfat

18th century - "Ohr HaChayim" - Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar

Ramban

"And G-d blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it" [Gen. 2:3]

The truth is that the blessing on the Shabbat day is the fountain of blessings and constitutes the foundation of the world. "...and He sanctified it" - that it draw its sanctity from the Sanctuary on high. If you will understand this comment of mine you will grasp what the Rabbis have said in Bereshit Rabbah concerning the Shabbat: ["Why did He bless the Shabbat? It is] because it has no partner," and that which they have further related [that G-d said to the Shabbat]: " The congregation of Israel will be thy partner." Then you will comprehend that on the Shabbat there is truly an extra soul.
(credits)

Bachya

"….the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil." [2:9]

The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of the celestial regions are the emanations tiferet and ateret, and man's sin consisted of both a sinful deed and a sinful design. His sin in deed consisted of eating from the tree and what it represented. When Adam sinned this was not a denial of the supremacy of G'd, a heretical act. Even though he had seen the tree of life next to the tree of knowledge, he did not consider the tree of life as essential but he considered the tree of knowledge the key to his existence. Inasmuch as the tree of knowledge provided the key to all opposites in the universe and enabled those who had consumed its fruit to perform all kinds of activities both in the terrestrial as well as in the celestial regions, this is what he considered as essential.
This is why the verses describing the tree of knowledge and its allure (3.2-6) spoke of its fruit, whereas no mention of fruit is made in connection with the tree of life. Adam's sin consisted of ktsets bintiyot "pursued alien philosophies" (the expression applied to the heresy of Elisha ben Avuyah in Chagigah 14). Literally, the expression means that Adam "curtailed the beneficial influence of saplings G'd Himself had planted and which had been imbued with a unique divine potential. Adam's "cutting" this sapling was the cause that this potential contained in the sapling "withered and it dried out and perished." As a result it was appropriate that the sapling in question revenge itself on Adam. This explains that the fitting punishment for Adam was death, i.e., that he himself would wither and dry out. Death meant that his soul and body would become separated, just as he had separated the divine part of the tree of knowledge from its earthly part.
(credits)

Alsheich

"And it was completed...." [2:1]

Without a doubt, any physical activity which does not include a spiritual stimulus will eventually be completely wasted. The best example is man's body. It disintegrates upon the departure of its spiritual part, the soul. G'ds work during almost the entire 6 days of creation consisted of creating a physical universe. It would have disintegrated gradually, had it not been for the infusion of something spiritual, i.e. kedushah, (sanctity). This was the contribution of the Shabbat. If not for the Shabbat, the world simply would not have endured. If is this the Rabbis meant when they said the world lacked menuchah (rest). The Shabbat did for the physical world what the soul does for the body. This is the meaning of shavat vayinafash ý(rested and became possessed of a soul). This is why the Torah had to say vayanach, (He rested) to make sure we understand that this rest was a positive, active contribution to the physical world, the creation of which had been completed.
(credits)

Ohr HaChayim

"It was on the day the Lord G-d put the finishing touches to earth and heaven." (2:4)

Throughout the whole report of creation in the first chapter of the Torah the word used for G-d is only [the name we refer to as] Elokim. We encounter the name [we refer to as] Havayeh only in Genesis 2:4 where the Torah suddenly writes: "it was on the day the Lord G-d put the finishing touches to earth and heaven." You note that in this latter case the Torah mentions the earth first ad the heavens afterwards, in contrast to Genesis 1:1, where we were told about the creation of heaven and earth in that order. The other change is that a new attribute of G-d is introduced, the four'letter name, Havayeh.

As long as the Torah employs G-d's name Elokim exclusively, this means that only the attribute of Justice was employed in the work of creation which the Torah reports. All that is reported there took place before G-d "co-opted" the attribute of Mercy. This attribute was applicable as far as the creation of the heavens were concerned because the heavens are not inhabited by anyone requiring the attribute of Mercy. This is why the Torah does not again refer to the heavens as it does to the earth in 1:2.

In the second report in 2:4, the Torah deals with an earth inhabited by man, a creature composed also of physical matter who therefore cannot endure without the presence of the attribute of Mercy. The word heavens at the end of that verse does not belong to the preceding word earth as far as the presence of the attribute Havayeh mentioned in the earlier part of the verse is concerned.

The reason the word for heavens sometimes appears after the word for earth while other times it appears before, is in order to show that heaven and earth were created simultaneously.
(credits)

Sources

Ramban - credits
Adapted from the 13th century classic by the illustrious scholar, philosopher and defender of the faith, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman-known as 'RAMBAN' or 'Nachmanides', a master kabbalist in his own right and a major link in the transmission of Jewish mysticism-based on the excellent annotated English translation, Nachmanides on the Torah, by Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel

Bachya - credits
Selected with permission from the seven-volume English edition of The Torah Commentary of Rebbeinu Bachya, as translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk. Rabbi Bachya ben Asher [1255-1340] of Saragosa, Spain, was the outstanding pupil of Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (the "Rashba"), a main disciple of Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (the "Ramban"). Several books have been written about the Kabballah-based portions of R. Bachya's commentary.

Alsheich - credits
Adapted from Torat Moshe - the 16th commentary of Rabbi Moshe Alshech, the "Preacher of Zefat" on the Torah, as translated and condensed in the English version of Eliyahu Munk)

Ohr HaChayim - credits
Selected with permission from the five-volume English edition of Ohr HaChaim: the Torah Commentary of Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar, as translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk.
The holy Rabbi Chayim ben Moses Attar was born in Sale, Western Morocco, on the Atlantic in 1696. His immortal commentary on the Five Books Of Moses, Or Hachayim, was printed in Venice in 1741, while the author was on his way to the Holy Land. He acquired a reputation as a miracle worker, hence his title "the holy," although some apply this title only to his Torah commentary.

A MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE

Specifically, for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists, and more,
click to

From the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria; translated and edited by Moshe Yakov Wisnefsky

In his commentary on parashat Bereishit, the Ari asks why the Torah begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alpha-bet, as opposed to the first, implying beginnings. He explains that G-d originally delighted in a Torah which preceded the created world; that Torah, which corresponds to the World to Come, is essentially spiritual and is compared to the soul, as opposed to the "body" of the Torah we have access to today.

It is for this reason that the Torah begins with the letter beit, the second letter of the alef-beit – to teach that the Torah that we have here in the physical dimension is the "second" Torah, the one that was enclothed and which is a "garment" for the initial Torah, its soul.

For another sample of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety of subjects,
click to the our weekly Kabbalah magazine

Welcome to our special SUKKOT / SHEMINI ATZERET-SIMCHAT TORAH / BEREISHIT issue.
Five articles offer interesting mystical insights for the holidays.
The 5th and 6th are for the last Weekly Reading of the 5771 cycle that will be completed on Simchat Torah,
and the first one of the new cycle to be read on the Shabbat that follows a day or two later.
Every one of the seven articles offer interesting mystical insights for the holiday.

There is one infinite creator, the cause of causes and the maker of all. He is not one in a numerical sense -- since He is not subject to change, definition or multiplicity. He is one in that the number one signifies an independent unit and is the basis of all numbers; the number one is also contained in all numbers. Similarly, the Creator is actually within everything, and everything is within Him. He is the beginning and cause of everything. The Creator does not change, and therefore one cannot add or subtract from Him.