After a year of polarization and social division that reached new heights, the holiday season came and revealed a different face of our people. Suddenly, people became softer, more reconciled. The synagogues that filled up during the High Holidays reflected the deep connection to the tradition of Israel. And the highlight is the dancing to the death on Simchat Torah, when the crowds embrace the Torah scrolls to their hearts.
So who are we really? Are we that divided society, hurling insults at one another, or is our true essence the wonderful connection to tradition and to all parts of the people on Yom Kippur and Simchat Torah?
There is a diamond here.
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Well, our truth is expressed during the holiday month, while all year round we are like actors in one big play. Here the acting is so perfect that the actors themselves are convinced that the character they are playing is their true character. Then Yom Kippur and Simchat Torah come and remind us that in reality it is all a play.
The natural tendency is to judge people by their behavior. Only God examines the heart and mind, while we determine our attitude towards people based on what we see before our eyes. Therefore, it takes effort on our part to discern the true essence that lies behind this grand 'show'.
The great Hasidic scholars likened this to a precious diamond that has fallen into the mud and is covered with a thick layer of slime. Those who look at it superficially will quickly throw it aside, like worthless dirt. But those who know the truth will hold onto this lump of dirt with excitement, knowing that within lies the precious treasure. The slime is only an outer layer, but behind it lies the shining diamond.
Such is every Jew, whoever he may be. Inside his soul he is a precious diamond. The Jewish point shines and illuminates inside his soul, even if all year round he is alienated from it and even fights against it. To his surroundings, and sometimes even to himself, he presents the layers of mud and slime. But let us not be fooled by the camouflage. Inside lies the priceless Jewish point.
Remove the dust
When this Jew comes on Simchat Torah to dance with the Torah scroll, he discovers his true essence. He wouldn't have come if he didn't feel that this joy was his. Suddenly he feels that he too is a Jew, that he too loves the Torah, that he too misses its holiness.
On this day, all barriers fall. The scholar dances alongside the common man, the professor next to the plumber, the one who extols the mitzvot with the easiest of the easy. The dance is not about the degree of knowledge of the Torah, but about the very fact of being Jews and having the Torah. This joy is shared by all, and therefore it encompasses everything.
In this atmosphere we end the month of holidays, and with this message we embark on the routine of the entire year. We are all warm Jews, lovers of Torah and enthusiasts. We only need to gently remove the layers of dust, and then the Jewish soul that resides within us will be revealed. Happy Holidays!
