Some Random Yom Tov Thoughts

We have a child in our shul, about ten years old, who has (I believe) Down's Syndrome. He's an adorable kid and is well-liked by everyone in shul. To look at him, you wouldn't know his age; you'd assume he was about six. He usually stands on a chair at the opposite side of the bimah from me when I'm laining and watches and listens intently while I lain.

So, this year, he came to shul with his stuffed Torah for Simchas Torah dancing. One of the happiest moments that I had during the dancing was watching him, with his stuffed Torah, dancing happily with a huge smile on his face, as a group of six to ten year olds danced around him. It was very heartwarming to see. Very often, kids that age can be very cruel to someone who is different, but they made him feel like he was the center of the world as he davened with his Torah. Seeing that the other kids chose (even if only for a short dance) to make him feel special really warmed my heart.

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I found that it's very heartbreaking to see *very* young kids who stay in shul for yizkor.

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It's interesting where little theological battles will break out. During one of the hakafos on Simchas Torah night, a group of Chabad bochrim came into our shul and began dancing. As it happened, the song that was being sung at the time was "Olam Habah is a gutta zach..." The Chabad bochrim started singing it too, but in a slightly different version. So it went, with the rav emphasizing his version and the Chabad group emphasizing theirs. No harsh words (or any words other than the song) were said, no one made any untoward gestures and no one made any faces, but make no mistake, there was a subtle little battle being played out.

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One of the saddest things I heard over Yom Tov: shvartzes have no relationship to HaShem. This from a little kid.

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At home, we try very hard to drill manners into our kids... especially table manners. Yet, there are times that they fail and forget something. But it's nice to know that when we go to someone's house for a Yom Tov meal, they can act like perfectly civilized gentlemen and ladies. Good job kids! I'm proud of you.

The Wolf

So, How Does Your Shul Rate On Simchas Torah?

Lakewood Falling Down posted a list of things that he doesn't like about his shul's services on Simchas Torah. Here's his list and how my shul fared:

Bidding wars. The first issue is the silly grins the gabboim get on their faces when the bidding on aliayas starts. You also can’t really judge how bad the economy is when some Hocker bids $15,000. 00 on Chosson Torah. Many shuls have tried different approaches to stop the madness, but to no avail. And why should they when a large chunk of change will be coming the shul’s way and you get a Kiddush sponsored to boot!

In my shul, we don't sell aliyos, or any other honor. There are only a few times that money is even mentioned in the shul at all. One is before the Yomim Noraim. Another is after an aliya, a person has the option of giving something to the shul (but it's by no means obligatory). And, lastly, sometimes, when Yizkor is said, the rav will work a sentence into his speech about giving in memory of those who have departed (but there is no public announcements of donations). So, to get back to the point, Ata Horaisa is not sold. In fact, the rav says Ata Horaisa and then various other members of the congration get to say the following pesukim.

Next is the “cool guys” who go out for a smoke with all of the kids milling around. Way to set an example you Hockers.

No one in my shul goes out to smoke.

The orchestration. This is a time of year when shul board members and hockers come into their full prime. From telling you where you can dance (or even worse, that you have to dance), to what kind of candy you are allowed to even give your own kids, these guys are in their element on Simchas Torah. Heaven forbid you want to sing a different song after singing the same “Anah, anah anah…” 200 times.

In our shul, there are pretty much no set rules. While there are certain piyutim/mizmorim that are sung with some hakafos (such as Ain Adir, HaAderes V'haEmunah, etc.), and a somewhat rigid time limit on hakafos, there are no other real rules. No one tells anyone where to dance, no one polices the candy and there is no official list of "approved songs."

The dancing. I don’t really know what non Jews call dancing, but endlessly marching around in circles and occasionally stomping one foot seems a lot more like an ancient druid ritual than dancing. This is what Jews call dancing. Why can’t I stand on the side if I feel like it without some board member or hocker trying to pull me into a circle just so I can get my foot stomped on?

Yeah, well here's one where we fall fail on LFD's list. We also do the "dance in a circle" bit, but I think that's pretty much universal.

The time. There should be a Kol Korei on Hakafos that last more than 15 minutes, and that’s stretching it. I always get so mad, some hocker/board member has stretched the Hakafa out really long and had been holding the heaviest torah, and sweating all over it. They come over and practically dump the darned thing in your lap and go on to more pointless foot stomping. It’s really annoying.

Actually our hakafos are rarely longer than 10 minutes. I think there was one that got extended to fifteen this year because the dancers didn't want to end it, but that was it.


No real food in most shuls on Simchas Torah night. I need to have something more that cake if I’m going to be held hostage until 11:00 at night. BTW, I’ve offered to co-sponsor some food along with two other friends, but the “board” doesn’t want it so it will not be happening. And for the record, I’m not davening with my shul on Simchas Torah.

Since we do limit the amount of time for hakafos, we don't have this issue. We were done shortly after 9:00. As such, we didn't need "real food" in shul. By day, the rebetzzin provides stuffed cabbage (yum!).

The drinking. This is not Purim, get a life people!

We have a few drinks out, but I have yet, in my five Simchas Torahs there, to see anyone even tipsy, let alone drunk.

The sugar factories. When I was a kid, we got peanuts, chick peas, sponge cake and a lollypop. Last year there was so much candy I thought my kids would go into sugar shock. Certain shul members noticed that the gross lollipops that the shul picked out. They looked like a male’s privates with a hole in the center that squirts up goo when squeezed. Thank you Pazkes. I can’t imagine a more obscene candy, yet the Cahreidim haven’t banned it yet.

We're guilty of this one too. Sure the kids have candy, it's almost as big a tradition as dancing with the Torah. :)

So, we fail on two of LFD's points -- and those are the two least worrisome in my book. How did your shul do?

The Wolf