Simchat Torah, Tuesday, October 18: 9am Morning Service (In-person only)
with Rabbi Ebn Leader
Rabbi Ebn Leader will lead Hakafot at TBZ again this year, and try to facilitate a process in which the dancing and chanting of Simchat Torah is a preparation for the central element of the ritual, which is the reading of the last words of Devarim and the first words of Bereshit. This leads to a more contemplative service than what most of us usually experience on Simchat Torah.
For each of the seven hakafot one song will be chanted, which we will sing for approximately 10 minutes. Each one of the hakafot will be dedicated to one step through the symbolic sequence of sefirot from Hesed through Malchut. We will introduce each hakafah with an intention related to the specific sefirah.
* 9:00 – 10:30 Shacharit and Hallel.
* 10:30 Hakafot, chanting and walking. This should take approximately 1.5 hours.
* Torah reading. (We will do group aliyot rather than individual aliyot for every person in order not to lose the energy of the Hakafot)
* Silent time for Mussaf, and ending.
Even though this model does not put as much emphasis on the “fun” aspects of Simchat Torah, it will hopefully allow for the emergence of another kind of joy and appreciation for the place of Torah in our lives.