Simchas Torah,Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

The reading of V'Zos HaBrachah on Simchas Torah marks the completion of the one-year cycle of the weekly Torah parshios (portions). Each year, we mark this event with great fanfare and celebration, as we dance with the Torah, complete the parshah of V'Zos HaBrachah, and immediately begin reading the opening words of the Torah in Sefer Bereishis. This demonstrates that a Jew never "finishes" learning the Torah. Rather, we mark the completion of another lap in our never-ending cyclical journey to the mastery of Torah's eternal lessons.

One of the questions that comes to mind is why we celebrate Simchas Torah at end of Sukkos, when a more logical time would seem to be during the Yom Tov of Shavuos. After all, wouldn't the appropriate time to celebrate with the Torah be at the time when the Jews actually received it at Mount Sinai in the month of Sivan? Why wait four months to celebrate?
A Parable

Rabbi Yakov Kranz, better known as the Dubno Maggid, once offered an interesting mashal (parable) to explain the reason for the delay in celebrating our acceptance of the Torah. (A maggid was one who traveled from town to town delivering stirring lectures. These talks usually included quite a few parables, which were used to illustrate a point or simply to generate interest.)

He related the story of a king who sheltered his only daughter during her formative years in order to protect her from danger. When it came time for her to find a life-partner, however, most people knew precious little about her personality, character and talents - due to the fact that she was so secluded from public view. In fact, several potential suitors were unnerved by the conditions of her upbringing and did not ask for her hand in marriage.

One bright and gifted young man, however, was undaunted by this factor. He approached the king and asked to marry his daughter - without ever laying eyes on her. He informed the king that he wished to become part of the royal family and would be proud to marry his daughter. The king recognized the sterling qualities in the suitor and after his daughter met him, and was eager to marry this young man, the king readily gave his blessing to the match. Thereafter, they were soon married in the palace of the king.

A Wonderful Surprise

During the first few months of marriage, the groom became more and more impressed with the qualities and talents of his wife that he was unaware of at the time of their marriage. It seemed to him that each day he would discover a new facet of her life to which he was not privy to before. He was so pleased with his evolving discovery of the incredibly talented woman that he had the fortune to marry, that he decided to do something unusual. He re-invited all of his wedding guests back to the palace for a second celebration.

In his invitation, he noted that during the wedding, he was celebrating marrying his wife and having the privilege of becoming a son-in-law of the king. Now he will be celebrating his good fortune to have married such an outstanding woman.

So too, explains the Dubno Maggid in the instance of the Jews and the Torah. We accepted the Torah sight unseen - when we said "Na'aseh V'Nishma." During Shavuos we celebrated becoming Hashem's Chosen People. We then spent several months in the desert developing an appreciation for the beauty of the Torah and the wisdom of its eternal lessons. Having done so, we reconvene and offer a second celebration - Simchas Torah - once we realize what a precious gift we were given.

Best wishes for a Gutten Yom Tov.

Rabbi Yakov Horowitz is the founder and dean of Yeshiva Darchei Noam of Monsey, and the founder and director of Agudath Israel's Project Y.E.S.

Please assist the lifesaving work of Project Y.E.S. by reserving seats for our gala concert, featuring Avrohom Fried and Chazzan Helfgott. To do so, please visit www.rabbihorowitz.com, email: admin@rabbihorowitz.com, or call 718-758-3131 x106.

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