Transcript [00:05] Hello, this is CJ Burroughs with the [00:08] International Fellowship of Christians [00:10] and Jews. Throughout this season of Holy [00:13] Days, Holy People, we've explored some [00:15] of the holiest days on the Jewish [00:17] calendar. And today we arrive at one of [00:20] Judaism's happiest celebrations, [00:23] Simha Torah. The name means rejoicing in [00:27] the Torah. It's a day of singing, [00:29] dancing, of children laughing and [00:31] beginning God's word all over again. [00:35] >> But since October 7th, 2023, [00:39] those two words, Simha Torah, carry [00:42] another memory as well. Before we [00:45] remember that tragic day, let's first [00:48] discover why this joyful celebration has [00:51] been treasured by Jewish families for [00:53] generations. [01:02] >> [music] [01:03] >> Every Sabbath in synagogues around the [01:05] world, Jews participate in the public [01:08] reading of the Torah, beginning with [01:10] Genesis chapter 1 all the way through to [01:13] the final words of Deuteronomy. When [01:16] this annual cycle of readings is [01:18] complete, we celebrate with a very [01:20] special day called Simhka Torah, which [01:24] literally means rejoicing in the Torah. [01:27] In the synagogue, all the Torah scrolls [01:30] are taken out of the ark and carried [01:32] around the sanctuary seven times. [01:35] They're singing and dancing, and it's [01:36] the children who lead the procession. We [01:39] kiss the Torah as it passes by and show [01:42] our love and reverence for it. And we [01:45] give thanks to God for the gift of his [01:48] word. On Simka, Jews are reminded that [01:52] learning and studying God's word is a [01:55] lifelong process. There's always more to [01:58] understand and to learn. In fact, the [02:01] Hebrew term for a great Torah scholar is [02:04] tamida, meaning wise student. For we [02:08] remain students of the Bible all our [02:11] lives. What an incredible document. The [02:15] Torah, the Bible is binding us Jews [02:19] together despite differences of race, [02:21] age, what country we live in. And not [02:24] only that, what a wonderful book this is [02:27] that binds Jews and Christians together [02:30] as well. [02:37] Every year, Jewish families celebrate [02:39] the completion of reading the Torah. [02:41] [music] [02:42] But the celebration doesn't end there. [02:45] As soon as the final verses of [02:46] Deuteronomy are read, Genesis begins [02:50] again. It's a reminder that God's word [02:53] [music] is never finished with us. [03:00] What does a Torah celebration look like? [03:04] Well, imagine that you are passing [03:06] outside a synagogue on Simra Torah [03:08] night. You're going to hear singing from [03:11] the street, people calling out in tune [03:13] as loud as they can, filling the world [03:16] with the melody of Torah. There are kids [03:19] running past to get inside of the [03:22] synagogue, laughing and pulling their [03:24] friends with them, eating candy and [03:26] sweets to represent the sweetness of the [03:29] Torah. As you step inside, you're going [03:31] to see men and women on their separate [03:33] sides dancing and singing in circles. [03:37] There are no instruments, only the [03:39] sounds of the congregation as they raise [03:42] their voices up in song and praise to [03:45] God. Like one person with one heart, [03:49] everyone is moving together in the same [03:52] direction. And people of every [03:54] background are joining together and [03:56] holding hands inside of the synagogue. [03:59] You see, synagogues are usually filled [04:01] with a different type of service. The [04:03] prayer is usually generally serious and [04:07] introspective. [04:08] Nothing like the holy bed of simkra. [04:12] So why do we celebrate? [04:15] Why do we completely change our demeanor [04:17] from serious and introspective to one of [04:20] a holy party on simr? [04:24] Well, the short answer is simply to [04:27] celebrate God's word. Prayer throughout [04:29] the year is about working on our [04:31] relationship with God and with [04:32] ourselves. Essentially, it's for us, the [04:35] prayer. But on Torah, it's about [04:38] celebrating God and the Torah on this [04:40] one day. It's for him. This holy day is [04:45] so important. The Old Testament commands [04:47] us in two separate locations to have a [04:51] separate celebration immediately after [04:53] the 7-day feast of tabernacles. So [04:56] essentially, we have seven days of the [04:58] feast of tabernacles and on the next day [05:02] we have a separate holiday that the [05:04] Torah commands us in two places to [05:06] celebrate the very next day. When we [05:09] read about this holy day in numbers, the [05:12] text says, "In addition to what you vow [05:16] and your free will offerings, [05:19] offer these to the Lord at your [05:21] appointed festivals, your burnt [05:24] offerings, grain, grain offerings, drink [05:28] offerings, and fellowship offerings." [05:31] Why does the text here say your free [05:34] will, your burnt offerings, your [05:37] appointed festivals? Why doesn't it say [05:40] our festivals? [05:43] Where is God here? The renowned medieval [05:46] French rabbi named Rashi comments on the [05:49] repeated use of the words you and your [05:52] in the specific verse that we just [05:54] discussed from Numbers. He tells us that [05:57] by stressing your and not using the word [06:00] our that God is saying to us on Torah, [06:05] your parting is difficult for me. Your [06:10] parting, not our parting. Why? Because [06:14] God never leaves us. He's always waiting [06:17] there, right by our side for us to [06:20] return to him. But after the seven days [06:22] of the feast of tabernacles, of staying [06:24] in our hut, after those seven days of [06:27] being so close to God, we go back to the [06:29] world. And sometimes we might stray from [06:32] that closeness to God that we developed [06:34] over the high holidays. So God is [06:37] inviting us. Okay, now that you ended [06:42] the feast of tabernacles, [06:45] come come and spend one more day of [06:49] closeness with me. Spend one more day [06:54] together. He doesn't want us to go back [06:56] into the world and lose our closeness to [06:59] him. This is his gift to us. A parting [07:02] gift to say, even after these high holy [07:05] days end, don't go too far because I'm [07:08] always by your side. We just built this [07:11] amazing closeness to God through our [07:12] worship all over the high holy days. We [07:15] worked on ourselves and strengthened our [07:17] relationship with him. But now, when we [07:20] feel like we know how things go, that we [07:22] know we're close to God, this is the [07:25] real test. All the holy days leading up [07:28] to this were like the engagement and [07:31] wedding stage of a relationship. Our [07:34] whole world was our closeness to God. [07:36] But now the wedding is over and before [07:38] we go back into the world, God says, [07:40] "Let's spend one more day together." [07:42] Like a couple on their honeymoon, [07:44] setting the foundation for the rest of [07:47] their lives, or in this case, the rest [07:49] of the year. We just need one more day [07:52] to capture some of that closeness we [07:54] just built and take it with us into our [07:56] year. [07:57] But the question that we all should be [08:00] asking is how how do we take that [08:04] closeness with us? This day is also [08:07] about celebrating the Torah. [08:10] Torah literally translates to the joy of [08:14] the Torah of the Bible. On this day, we [08:17] finished the weekly Torah reading or [08:20] para cycle. We finished reading the [08:23] entire Bible. And what do we do once we [08:26] finished that cycle? Immediately we [08:29] start it again at brachit at Genesis. We [08:34] celebrate to show our joy at having [08:36] completed the Torah and the joy that we [08:39] get from studying God's word. The [08:41] closeness we feel from that. So what [08:44] exactly is the para cycle? The word [08:48] parsha means a division. The Torah was [08:51] divided up into sections and every week [08:53] we read a designated section of the [08:55] Torah during the Sabbath services. Over [08:58] the year we read through the whole Torah [09:01] from beginning to end. In Deuteronomy, [09:04] Moses instructs the tribe of Ley and the [09:07] elders of Israel to read the Torah out [09:10] loud. So that's essentially when we [09:13] started and we never stopped. We never [09:16] stopped reading the Torah. The year is a [09:19] continuous cycle of reading because [09:22] there's always more and more to learn [09:25] from the words of God. We always have [09:28] more ways to grow from studying the [09:31] scriptures. [09:32] But wait, why do we complete and restart [09:35] it now? So Torah is not the start of the [09:40] year. We know that Rosha Shana, the [09:43] Hebrew new year, was 3 weeks ago. So why [09:46] are we starting the yearly cycle of [09:48] Torah reading not at the beginning of [09:50] the year? You see, we just spent the [09:53] past 21 days of these high holy days [09:57] intensely worshiping God and feeling [10:00] close. Now that these days of worship [10:02] and prayer are over, how do we take the [10:05] closeness and the nourishment for our [10:07] soul that we just collected and bring [10:10] that into our yearly life? [10:13] That's why we start reading the Torah [10:15] again. [10:36] [music] We begin our reading of the [10:37] Bible again with a Torah portion brace [10:40] sheet that starts with Genesis 1 and the [10:43] story of creation. This story isn't just [10:46] about something that occurred many years [10:48] ago, but about something we believe that [10:51] happens every day as we recite in our [10:54] daily prayers. God renews the work of [10:57] creation every day constantly. What that [11:01] means is that when we wake up every [11:03] morning, everything is brand new. a new [11:05] opportunity of life. A tree, no matter [11:08] how many years old, was created again [11:11] today. It's not just there today because [11:13] it was there yesterday. It's there [11:15] because God decided it should be there [11:19] right now. If that's true for trees, how [11:22] much more so for people, my friends, if [11:25] you are alive today, it's because God [11:27] thinks you still are needed in the world [11:30] today. You have a mission and calling in [11:33] life yet to achieve. Sometimes we may [11:36] feel God isn't aware of the challenges [11:39] we face daily that he has forgotten [11:41] about us. But in truth, God is present [11:44] and involved every moment of our lives. [11:47] He cares about us, loves us, and watches [11:50] over us every minute of our lives. [11:58] Simha Torah is one of the happiest days [12:01] on the Jewish calendar. It's a day when [12:04] Jewish families gather to celebrate [12:06] God's word. Synagogues are filled with [12:09] singing. Children dance with joy. The [12:12] Torah is carried through the [12:13] congregation as worshippers rejoice in [12:16] the gift God has given to his people. [12:20] But on October 7th, 2023, [12:23] that celebration became one of the [12:25] darkest days in Jewish history. [12:28] That morning, 83year-old Tamar was [12:32] visiting her daughter's kibuts for Simha [12:34] Turra when Hamas terrorists attacked. As [12:38] gunfire echoed outside, Tamar, her [12:41] family, and her grandson hid inside [12:43] their safe room for 36 terrifying hours. [12:48] Again and again, terrorists tried to [12:51] break through the door. Every time they [12:54] tried to break down the door, Tamar [12:55] later recalled, "I chanted the Schma [12:58] Israel prayer, and God heard me." The [13:02] terrorists even shot at the lock. [13:05] Tamar's grandson braced himself against [13:07] the door and was wounded by the gunfire. [13:11] Moments before the terrorists broke [13:12] through, Israeli soldiers arrived. God [13:16] heard my prayers and saved us, Tamar [13:18] said. Not every family received that [13:21] miracle. When fellowship staff met [13:24] 74year-old Ella, the first thing she [13:27] showed them was a necklace holding [13:30] photographs of two of her adult [13:32] children. They had come home to [13:34] celebrate Simhurra with family, and both [13:38] were murdered on October 7th. [13:41] I have no more tears to cry from sorrow, [13:44] Ella said. Nobody was there to save [13:46] them. [13:49] One woman survived after praying through [13:51] the longest hours of her life. Another [13:54] survived only to mourn the children she [13:58] would never see again. Today, the [14:00] International Fellowship of Christians [14:02] and Jews continues to stand beside both [14:05] women, providing food, aid, comfort, and [14:09] a reminder that they have not been [14:11] forgotten. Even after the darkest Simha [14:14] Torah in modern history, God is still [14:18] faithful and his people do not stand [14:21] alone. [14:26] Yet Jewish families still celebrate [14:28] Simha Torah. They still dance. They [14:31] still begin again with Genesis because [14:34] God's word and God's faithfulness have [14:37] never failed his people. [14:44] You know, as soon as we celebrate the [14:47] completion of the Torah, we start it all [14:50] over again. This shows our enthusiasm to [14:53] learn more, that our job is never done, [14:56] that our learning is never done. Every [14:59] time we finish a book of a Torah, we [15:01] call out [15:05] strong, strong, and we will become [15:07] stronger. This teaches us that as soon [15:10] as we think we know everything, we need [15:12] to go over and start again. As soon as [15:15] we think we are strong in something, [15:17] there's always more to learn. One of my [15:20] favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein [15:23] who was talking to a group of second [15:24] graders and said, 'You think you have [15:27] questions about math? I can assure you [15:29] my questions are much greater. Every [15:32] time I read the Bible again, I see [15:35] something new in the text, something new [15:37] in myself, even something new in the [15:39] world. I build my relationship with God [15:42] stronger. I've seen big rabbis who are [15:45] 95 years old who are still continuously [15:47] going over the words of the Bible [15:49] starting at Genesis and learning [15:52] something new every time. What Torah [15:55] comes to show us is that the Bible isn't [15:57] like any other of our favorite books. [15:59] It's something much more. It's divine [16:02] and it's eternal. We never finish [16:05] getting what we need out of it. We never [16:06] finish reading it. We never get tired of [16:09] it. And the words never get old. We've [16:12] accomplished something great, but we [16:13] will continue to grow more. And [16:16] similarly, we completed the high [16:18] holidays, but it's not an end. It's [16:21] still the beginning of the year. And [16:23] with the Bible as our continuous [16:25] companion, we will take the inspiration [16:28] of the holiday season into the year and [16:31] continue to rise to even greater heights [16:33] in our connection to God. God himself [16:37] tells us how important it is to be in [16:39] his word. continuously and honestly how [16:44] simple it is. In Deuteronomy 30, it [16:47] says, "Now what I am commanding you [16:49] today is not too difficult for you or [16:51] beyond your reach. It's not up in heaven [16:54] so that you have to ask who will ascend [16:56] into heaven to get in and proclaim it to [16:58] us so that we may obey it." Nor is it [17:00] beyond the sea so that you have to ask [17:02] who will cross the sea to get it and [17:04] proclaim it to us so that we may obey [17:06] it." No, the word is very near you. It [17:10] is in your mouth and it is in your heart [17:12] so you may obey it. The Bible is within [17:16] our reach. His word should continuously [17:20] be near us in our heart and our life. [17:23] And we can find the joy in his word [17:25] every day if we just look and build that [17:28] relationship. We can take his word with [17:31] us in our heart through the day. [17:38] Simha Torah reminds us that every ending [17:41] is also a beginning. Each year, God's [17:44] people return to Genesis. Each year, [17:48] they discover something they never saw [17:50] before. And each year, God proves once [17:53] again that his word is [music] living, [17:56] enduring, and forever worthy of our joy. [18:01] Thank you for joining us throughout this [18:03] season of Holy Days, Holy People. We [18:06] pray these special programs have helped [18:08] you better understand the biblical [18:10] festivals, the Jewish roots of your [18:12] faith, and the God who remains faithful [18:16] through every season.
