Simchat Torah's Unique Joy: Connecting Directly with Hashem
While Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, it is on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah when Klal Yisroel is closest with Hashem, in a state of union, unlike any other day of the year. However, the day of Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah is a bit of an enigma. While this Holiday immediately follows Sukkos, it is considered a Yom Tov unto itself. (Why the halacha in Chutz Laaretz is to continue to live in the Sukkah, and why some have the custom not to, is beyond the scope of this article and worthy of further study and discussion). Yet, unlike all other Yomim Tovim, there is no special mitzvah associated with this day. Pesach has the prohibition of chametz and the commandment to eat matzah. While in exile we don't have any special mitzvah for Shavuot, in the Beis Hamikdash there is a special offering to be brought known as Sheni Halaechem (the Two Breads). Sukkos has its own special Mitzvos, and yet there is absolutely nothing for the day(s) of Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah.
Additionally, Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah is the day we celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of Torah reading. Why was this day chosen? Wouldn't Shavuos, the day we commemorate the giving of the Torah, be more appropriate? Or perhaps it should be aligned to end prior to Rosh Hashana and let us begin Bereishis on the first Shabbos of the new year.
To gain a better insight into this most auspicious day, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the difference between Mitzvos and Torah. Mitzvos are physical items that act as a manifestation of Elokus (Godliness) in this world. Moreover, the Mitzvos of Hashem act as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. For example an esrog is simply a fruit, and the lulov is a plant, but when they are taken on Sukkos, it is raised in holiness due to the mitzvah it has become a part of. Intrinsically these are not holy items, rather in the service of a Mitzvah it attains its holiness. In Lashon Hakodesh מצוה is the word for the Torah’s commandments and it is very similar to with the word tzavsa, צאוות, to connect. Essentially the two are analogous, as it is through Mitzvos, done with physical objects, acting as a bridge, that Klal Yisroel connects with Hashem.
Torah on the other hand is timeless, not bound by the physical constraints of this world, predates creation, as Hashem looked into the Torah and through it created the world. The way Klal Yisroel connects directly to Hashem, in a union, is through Torah. Torah is not a venue to connect to the divine, rather by connecting to the Torah, it is connecting to Hashem directly, without any intermediary.
On all other Yomim Tovim we connect to Hashem through his commandments, and each Holiday has its own unique requirements to facilitate that spiritual relationship. On Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah the Jewish people are attaching themselves directly, without the need for any physical objects, and becoming one with Hashem, in similar fashion as it will be after the coming of Moshiach. In essence, the celebration and joy Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah is the celebration of the Torah itself and therefore it is the day we complete it and begin the new cycle from Bresihis.
On Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, we have the unique opportunity to connect with Hashem without the need of special Mitzvos. It's a day that celebrates the Torah itself, allowing us to focus solely on our direct relationship with Hashem. This simplicity is its own form of depth, offering a spiritual experience unlike any other Yom Tov. Take this day to bask in the joy of Torah, and appreciate this unparalleled closeness with Hashem. It's a special moment that shouldn't be overlooked.
לא המתים יהללו קה ולא כל יורדי דומה, ואנחנו נברך קה מעתה ועד עולם
שמיני רגל בפני עצמו הוא" (סוכה דף מז) 1”
כד ברא קוב”ה עלמא הוה אסתכל בה באורייתא וברא עלמא ובאורייתא אתברי עלמא (נפש החיים 2
ישראל ואורייתא וקודשא בריך הוא חד הוא (זהר פ' שמות) 3