What Is the Nature of Simchat Torah’s Joy?

Joyous cries of ‘Ashreinu ma tov chelkeinu’ and ‘Vetaheir libeinu’ belted out, circles of old and young interlocking with each other, a proud man clutching a sefer Torah in the centre, swaying back and forth with delight. Simchat Torah is the peak of the High Holy Days; the climax of a period which began with the repentance of Rosh Chodesh Elul, leading us to the shofar blow of Rosh Hashanah, the sincere vidui of Yom Kippur and the beautiful mitzvot of Sukkot. 

What is the nature of this day’s joy? 

Rav Yitzchak Hutner explains that we are leaving a special period of closeness with Hashem and we are forced to leave behind our precious tashmishei kedusha (holy objects). We have no Shofar to pierce our hearts, no arba minim to shake in victory and no sukka to bask in Hashem’s love. The only tangible thing we can hold onto in order to stay connected is the Torah. The joy of Simchat Torah is a joy of hope and encouragement, that a year of inspiration and closeness awaits us as long as we continue clutching our Sifrei Torah.

For women, who are not obligated in Torah learning the way men are and who are often occupied with the needs of their family, how do we capture this joy of Simchat Torah? In what way do we hold onto the Torah throughout the year, if we rarely find a moment to learn it?

The final parsha of the Torah, Vezot HaBracha, contains Moshe’s blessings to the twelve tribes. These eternal blessings are laden with wisdom, spoken by a leader who possessed a deep understanding of the unique traits and mission of each tribe. Glancing at the verses, we see that Yissachar and Zevulun’s blessings are given as a duo, since they form a powerful partnership of what we call today ‘learning’ and ‘earning.’ Zevulun traveled by ship to perform trade which enabled Yissachar to be able to learn Torah. The verse (Deut 33:18) says וְלִזְבוּלֻ֣ן אָמַ֔ר שְׂמַ֥ח זְבוּלֻ֖ן בְּצֵאתֶ֑ךָ וְיִשָּׂשכָ֖ר בְּאֹהָלֶֽיךָ, ‘And to Zevulun he said, rejoice, Zevulun, when you go out, and Yissachar in your tents.’ 

The Midrash¹ highlights that Zevulun is mentioned earlier in the verse, although Yissachar was the older brother, because it was Zevulun’s involvement in commerce which enabled Yissachar’s Torah learning. Without Zevulun’s business, there would be no Yissachar. King Shlomo, the wisest of all men, wrote in his book of Proverbs (3:18) about the Torah “It is a tree of life, to all those who grasp it.” The verse does not say that Torah sustains those who learn it, rather, it writes, those who grasp it, cling to it, hold onto it. For this reason, Zevulun is mentioned first and is coupled with his “kollel life” brother, eternally inscribed next to him in his tribal blessing, to remind us that anyone who facilitates Torah merits its life-giving power, depth and sweetness.

The same could be said of the Jewish woman. The Jewish woman, with her gentle encouragement, enables her husband and children to attach themselves to learning Torah. 

This can be through compliments “I’m so proud you woke up early to learn!” Through managing the practical aspects of the home and sometimes, through saying nothing at all. The Jewish woman is greatly valued and praised for fulfilling her role as facilitator. In fact, the Gemara tells us that a woman’s path to Olam HaBa is secured through her support of her husband and children’s learning (Brachot 17).

It is important to stress that the role of the Jewish woman extends beyond facilitator when it comes to her own growth and self-improvement. Rebbetzin Tziporah Gottlieb is one such role model who teaches that each woman must take spiritual responsibility for her obligations in Torah and ensure that she learns the details of the halachot pertaining to her. This includes both mitzvot between us and Hashem as well the interpersonal mitzvot. In addition, a woman should try and carve out time to learn whatever inspires her –  מה שלבה חפץ. A woman should seek out an area of Torah which will help propel her growth; whether that be a mussar classic (self-improvement book) or a hashkafic work. This should help generate her overall passion and focus on her growth, even when she is low on time, energy and resources. 

Overall, the joy of Simchat Torah for the Jewish woman stems from her own love and support of Torah. The Torah that accompanies the Jewish woman through her year is what King Shlomo calls “Torat Imecha,” (Proverbs 1:18) the Torah of the Jewish mother. It is a Torah of nurture, a Torah of encouragement, a Torah of love. Sometimes that Torah guides the Jewish woman in shul and sometimes in the kitchen. Sometimes that Torah guides the Jewish woman as she rises for Shacharit, and sometimes as she puts her children to sleep at night. We hold onto the joy of being a “machzik Torah,” a supporter and facilitator who knows with full confidence that she is a joint partner in all the learning that takes place as a result. 

This role of the Jewish woman is multifaceted and necessitates both wisdom and intuition. Chacham Yaakov Hillel brings the verse from Eshet Chayil ‘She bestows upon him good and no evil – all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:12) and asks why we need to be told both that the Jewish woman bestows good and that she performs no evil. Chacham Yaakov explains that while in English, good connotes the absence of bad, this does not play out in reality. A woman who bestows so much good and comfort on her husband, encouraging him to relax in the evenings instead of ‘burdening’ himself by going out learning is not a woman who is free of “ra.” It takes fine skill, of head and heart, for a woman to be giving to her husband, making the home a place of warmth and comfort – and simultaneously enabling him to want to leave and learn. 

A woman can tap into the joy of Simchat Torah when she wants to plan a family outing – and she schedules it around her husband’s davening and learning schedule. She is a true enabler when she would prefer an extra pair of hands at home or a longer conversation with her husband – and she instead chooses to allow him to learn undisturbed. When she takes the time to prepare a special treat for her son’s first Chumash siyum. 

If we return to our initial verse, we see that it is only when Zevulun rejoices as he leaves his home for business pursuits, that Yissachar is able to learn in his tent with serenity. It is this same inner joy which permeates each woman as she takes steps towards honouring and loving Torah, enabling her husband and descendants to learn its holy words forevermore. This is our joy on Simchat Torah, this is the song of our hearts and the dance of our souls reflected in the men’s tapping feet and jubilant melodies.

¹ Bereishit Rabba 99:9