Regarding the holiday of Sukkot (“Tabernacles”) the Torah states, ve’samchta be’chagekha – “you shall rejoice in your holiday” and ve’hayita akh same’ach – “you shall have nothing but joy” (Deut. 16:14-15). But how can Torah command us to rejoice? “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” (Psalm 137:4). Can we be forced to dance, sing, and make merry? Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote, “Ve’samchta be’chagekha (וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ) is said to be the most difficult commandment of the Torah, but I could never understand why. Only during the war did I understand. Those Jews who, in the course their journey to the end of hope, managed to dance on Simchat Torah… taught us how Jews should behave in the face of adversity. For them, ve’samchta be’chagekha was one commandment impossible to observe — yet they observed it” (Joseph Lookstein: “On Man’s Prayer,” 1980). In this connection, let me add that these words are ultimately prophetic: “you shall rejoice; you shall have nothing but joy….” That day is coming, when our tears are wiped away and our wounds are forever healed. Chag Sukkot Same’ach, friends.
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