I was speaking with a security guard at a Jewish wedding and he commented how the dancing at Jewish weddings is very different from what he is accustomed to. Instead of each person dancing with a partner, everyone holds hands and dances in a circle. This moving in a circle is performed daily on Sukkos when Hoshanos are recited, as well as actual dancing during hakafos on Simchas Torah. Indeed, the word hakafah means to walk around in a circle.
Rabbi Avrohom Schorr explains that a circle makes everyone equal— each person is equidistant to the center and no one is greater than the other. Further, a circle is only complete when all links are connected. This is symbolic of the desired unity of Klal Yisrael.
Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshischa says the tefillos on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah have the power to elevate all the prayers that one may have said without a minyan. What is the great power of this day?
The Gemara relates the following story. A potential convert approached Hillel and asked to be taught the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel agreed and said, “There is one rule you need to know and from this you can derive everything else you need to do.” The Sfas Emes says the Hebrew word for foot is regel which also means “festival.” The potential convert was really asking what is the concept of the one-foot regel, the one-day holiday that contains all the other holidays. That holiday is Shemini Atzeres, which the Gemara says is an independent holiday from Sukkos. From that holiday one can learn the entire Torah.
Hillel continued responding to the gentile, telling him the concept of Shemini Atzeres. “Don’t do to your friend what you don’t want done to you.” In other words, unite with your friend. The word Atzeres means to gather together. Rav Avrohom Schorr explains that since the focus of the day is for the entire Jewish nation to unite, therefore the prayers of the day also have the ability of uniting all of one’s tefillos—even those which were davened without a minyan.
Throughout Sukkos we daven a special prayer called Hoshanos, during which we circle the bima. We ask Hashem, “Hosha-na”—Please save us. The Bnei Yissaschar notes that the word na has the numerical value of 51. We are asking Hashem to please listen to the prayers of the past 51 days, from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Hoshana Rabba, and specifically to those of the 51st day—which is Hoshana Rabba.
Rav Simcha Bunim Alter (the Gerrer Rebbe) points out that Shemini Atzeres is day 52, which is the numerical value of the Hebrew word ben—- son. This symbolizes a change in the relationship we have with Hashem. From Rosh Hashanah our focus has been on malchus— accepting Hashem’s sovereignty. We have proclaimed ourselves faithful servants of Hashem. This isn’t unique—all the nations of the world share this relationship with Hashem in some way. We see this with regard to the 70 bull offerings which were sacrificed in the Beis Hamikdash throughout Sukkos on behalf of the 70 nations of the world. However, on Shemini Atzeres only one bull offering was brought. The Gemara explains that with this one bull offering, Hashem was telling the Jewish nation, “I want a private meal with you.” This was because Hashem relates to us as a father to a child. As the pasuk says, “Banim atem l’Hashem— You are children to Hashem.”
We now understand why all our prayers are answered on Shemini Atzeres, since a child has the listening ear of a parent more than a servant has the attention of a master.
Last year’s Shemini Atzeres / Simchas Torah is one no one can forget. So many Jews were massacred. It’s hard to comprehend how such a tragedy occurred on such a special and happy day. However, as a result of the brutal attack and the pain caused, the Jewish nation truly united to help one another. Jews cast aside their differences and cared for each other like brothers and sisters— hosting displaced families, providing food, sending supplies for soldiers and many other acts of kindness and caring.
A parent wants their children to get along and be united. It pains the parent greatly to see discord or fighting between their children. On Shemini Atzeres, we focus on unity. We need to dance together in a circle and truly feel that unity.
Finally, on Shemini Atzeres we recite Yizkor for our loved ones who passed away. Just as all our tefillos ascend, so do we want all the neshamos of the departed to receive an aliyah. May we all feel and achieve unity with our fellow Jews and may all the precious neshomos ascend before Hashem.
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com
