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Our hearts were utterly broken last year on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah as details emerged about the brutal attack by Hamas on communities near the border, the slaughter at the Nova Festival, the capture of 251 hostages, and the death of over 1200 people. As we come together to celebrate Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah this year, the pain of those days, of a year of war, of families whose loved ones are still held hostage, of all the innocent people who have died, still lingers. On Shemini Atzeret we will recite special prayers during Yizkor remembering those murdered on that day. On Erev Simchat Torah we will reserve one of the hakafot not to dance, but to hold each other and create a memorial. But then we will dance. We will remember that our people and our homeland are resilient. Simchat Torah -- perhaps more than any other holiday -- represents the celebration of our continued commitment to Jewish life: promoting the concept of turning it again and again, honoring the carousel of time, and emboldening our belief that year after year there will be those ready to hold the Torah, and to do so with joy -- to dance with it. We are grateful to an anonymous donor who has sponsored a wonderful guest singer, Gilad Paz, who will lift our spirits with his voice and his ruach on Simchat Torah day.
Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Tamar
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