View this email in your browser
SIMCHAT TORAH 5785
Unity
Rabbi Andrew Shaw
Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK
Last night Mizrachi held an inspiring event at Raleigh Close It was in partnership with the United Synagogue and the RCUS. A Tekes to stand united in prayer before the 1st Yahrzeit of the tragedy that befell the Jewish people last Simchat Torah.
So many things stand out from the evening, but the thing that affected me the most was not what I was expecting.
One of the many highlights of the evening, was of our four magni cent Chazanim –Jonny Turgel, Steven Leas, Eli Tamir and Eitan Freilich singing the prayer for the chayalim. We had planned to open the ark for the te llah, as each and every Torah in the ark was covered in an identical me’il Nine different communities, out of the sixty two in the UK, had brought their me’ilim last night from the Simchat Torah Project and this is what we saw:
As the te lla started, I just stared at the aron kodesh, I saw nine Torah scrolls, each one dedicated in memory of a different Kadosh, and I saw nine neshamot, nine holy people who we will never forget, especially those communities that have their names.
I have learnt so much from the Simchat Torah Project, but probably the biggest and most important lesson was summed up with something that happened last night on Hoshana Rabba.
Hoshana Rabba is the end of Succot and it is when we put down the lulav and etrog after 7 days of na’anuim (waving) and hoshanot.
One of the main messages of the arba minim is that of unity, how each species represents a different type of Jew, but on Succot we bring them all together.
However, we then put them down So is the unity just for Succot? Can we now go back to our homogenous groups?
Yes and no Of course we have our groups, where we connect, where we feel we can express our connection, in speci c ways, to Torah and Hashem. However, that does not mean we should lose the concept of Am Yisrael –in all our shapes and sizes.
Similarly last night, while getting ready for the evening, I was elding multiple emails from shuls across the world wanting information about their me’il delivery, their kadosh etc. I realised that over the last few weeks I have had more contact with Conservative and Reform Rabbis than in my entire life They have been so grateful to have been included and I am so happy that they were.
We are all part of the same people – yes we disagree on some pretty fundamental issues and I am proud Orthodox Jew – but we are still am echad b’lev echad. We have to realise that Jewish unity is so crucial – not Jewish uniformity - and this project has really brought that home.
Rabbi Lieberman, the Rav of Edgware Adath, shared a powerful idea that was linked to this last year on Motzei Simchat Torah, when we gathered for Tehillim directly after the tragedy.
He quoted the medrash that I spoke about last week, that Hashem says to us, as Succot is ending to ask us to stay one more day with Him for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Hashem says: Kasheh alai preidatchem, your departure is dif cult for me.
Rabbi Lieberman points out that if Hashem was talking about the departure of Him from us, it would say Kasheh alai preidoteinu – our departure from each other (Hashem and us).
The fact that it says Kasheh alai preidatchem means that Hashem is telling us that our departure from each other as Jews is dif cult for Him.
There must always be a sense that we are one people, that there is ahavat Yisrael.
Yes, we will disagree, sometimes with every bre of our being – but we are still one people.
This time last year we were bitterly divided as a nation erev Simchat Torah
Our enemies uni ed us like never before
This Simchat Torah, as hundreds of communities around the world of all different Jewish strands, dance with their kedoshim
Let us be uni ed – but not because of our enemies;
But because we are Am Yisrael
Chag Sameach
Book Your Place >
Our mailing address is:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe