Simchat Torah is a holiday celebrating the completion and renewal of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. The joyous holiday, however, is not merely about fulfilling reading requirements. It also signifies how much the Jewish People love having the Torah and dancing the hora.
Like the world’s largest lasagna, the Torah has many layers, simple and complex. Like the world’s longest roller coaster, the Torah is loaded with twists and turns. Like the world’s most intricate tallis bag knitted by the world’s most meticulous bubbie, the Torah is filled with detail, at least in certain respects.
The Torah goes to great lengths in explaining precisely how the Jewish People should build the Mishkan and Ark, cubit by cubit. For example, it specifies the materials (acacia wood, gold, silver, copper, ram skins, goat hair), curtain colors (blue, purple and crimson), menorah components (base, stem, goblets, knobs and branches), courtyard measurements (100 cubits long and “50 by 50” cubits wide) and priestly wardrobe (choshen/breastplate, ephod/apron, robe, tunic, cap and sash). In fact, the level of detail literally goes all the way down to the bottom hem of the priestly outfit, which is to have “pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson wool, on its bottom hem all around, and golden bells in their midst all around. A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the bottom hem of the robe, all around.” (Exodus 28:33-34). Ostensibly, if the robe-makers accidentally skipped a golden bell and, instead, placed two pomegranates in a row, the entire garment would be non-compliant. From a fashion perspective, this might be the first recorded case of haute couture.
Strangely, the one area in which the Torah most obviously lacks the same level of detail is with respect to the Jewish People, especially in the context of the events surrounding Matan Torah. We know that when the Jewish People left Egypt, there were at least “six hundred thousand on foot” and possibly more on wagons and otherwise (Exodus 12:37) Far more often than not, however, Bnei Yisroel is described as acting in unison, as one large entity, rather than individualistically. Cinematically speaking, if the credits were to roll, the Jewish People—arguably the largest supporting cast ever—would receive only a single entry
For example, the Torah tells us that shortly after the Kriyas Yam Suf miracle, the “entire community of the children of Israel complained against Moses and against Aaron in the desert” about not having enough to eat. Similarly, when beverages were running low, “the people quarreled with Moses,” “the people thirsted there for water”and “the people complained against Moses.” In other words, “the people”—as an entire community—are portrayed as having a single, unified voice..The Torah’s description of the Jewish People, based on the collective behavior of the masses, is not wholly unlike the description of Snow White’s Seven Dwarfs: Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Doc, Dopey, Happy and Bashful. If the Jewish People were to be described in similar fashion, perhaps the appropriate monikers for at least a portion of the nation would be Kvetchy, Pachechy, Noshy, Klutzy, Schleppy, Schmaltzy and Nebbishy. Of course, more positive names would apply too, including, for example, Menschy, Heimishy and Lebediky. (This list is shorter because, for some reason, it is much easier to find Yiddish words of the more colorful variety, which must be one reason why speaking Yiddish is so much fun).
Apart from general descriptions, the Torah offers relatively few details regarding the individuals comprising the Jewish People. What did they look like? What was the average height (cubit-wise) and weight? How were they dressed? After so many years of slavery, were they fit or fatigued? Were any among them butchers, bakers or candle-stick makers?
In terms of details, however, the Torah is in no short supply of names, which explains why the Torah’s second book is called Shemot. It tells us the “names of the sons of Israel” who came to Egypt with Jacob, including, for example, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (By the way, “Asher” moved up 12 spots in 2018, to number 47 on the U.S. Social Security Administration’s list of popular boy names.) The Torah also tells us the names of the “heads of the fathers’ houses” and their kin who left Egypt, including, for example, Enoch, Pallu, Jamin, Ohad, Libni, Uzziel and Mushi. (Will “Mushi” one day become as popular as “Asher”? Anything is possible).
Final thought: If you are writing about a group of people, you may listen to your stereo as you type… but never stereotype.
By Jon Kranz
