What the Torah Makes
Does Torah make you happy? Not a cynical question. But on Simchat Torah, shouldn’t we ask?
People say that the universe keeps doling out the same lessons until we learn them. Do you believe that? I do.
Halfway to the holiday, I start feeling nervous. “Where is Josh going for Simchat Torah?” asks Josh’s father. “I don’t know,” I reply.
In the third installment of The Jew-Date Diaries , “Rivka” learns that sometimes Mom really does know best.
So God shows up and asks if you want 613 Laws. The Jews took all of them. According to the story, they did not ask why. But if ancient Jewry was anything like my relatives, I’ll never believe it. The Jews I know would never settle for anything without asking why.
The next two months are a whirlwind on the Jewish calendar. With the holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah rolling out one after another in September and October, it is enough to get your head in a twist and your tongue tied. Why are they called the High Holidays? [...]