Hakafot

You walk in there and Rosh Hashanah, it feels like Simcha Star.

Hakafos, people on people's shoulders.

I understand it.

I get it.

Um, when we even made it into services.

So in the Hakafot for Simchat Torah they had a set progression of melodies that they would sing, and one was, um, to the melody of Keep the Home Fires Burning.

But that's, like, common, right? And our music is adapted and borrowed from the culture around us, so it makes sense.

Absolutely.

And that is, it seems very far away, and so much has to happen between now and then.

But in the Hakafos for Simchas Torah, which also follow the Isle of Beis.

And what is Beis? Bochein Levavos, or Shiana.

We call upon Hashem to help, to save us.

[sniffs] He only went a couple of times, Yosef, but he loved it.

So she made Hakafos here.

We did it last year, and we actually happened to do it a little after Pesach this year.

We did Ad Kan Hakafa.

And the Rebbe says, right, we see that when it comes from your freest choice, from your own pure etzem on Hashem, that there's actually the greatest vitality and joy connected to that type of thing, which is why in Jewish life we find that the time of the year that we see the greatest outpouring of joy, Joy is ansagis, when we have the Simchas Pesach Shueva, which is the Nisr Chayayim, where it's not even a mitzvah de oraisah.

And then you have even higher on Shemini Yatzeres and Simchas Torah, when the Jews do the Hakafot, where this is something that is not even, not only is it not a biblical, a Torah obligation, it's not even a rabbinic one, it's not a Rabbanan, it literally was an initiative that came from Jewish people on their own, right? Completely not forced or even, you know, compelled or inspired from the Torah to simply express this great love for Hashem and for His Torah Mitzvahs.

And so because it came from our Bechira Chavshis, from our free choice, it came from our Etzem HaNeshama, you see the greatest expression of unadulterated pure joy.

And so there is that direct correlation between not being compelled, not being commanded, and it being from the Etzem HaNashama, that purest, freest choice, which is why this is where we have that conversation, why the Bechira Chavshis is specifically going to be found in the Rambam by Hilchas Teshuvah because he wants us to understand and appreciate how important to the process of Teshuvah Bechira Chavshis is.

You mentioned October 7th.

Molly, need I remind you? On October 7th, where were so many of our kids? They were at the Nova Festival because they saw no contradiction between, you know, Hakafot on the night of Simchat Torah and then leaving their community meal and driving to a festival of rock and drugs and all kinds of other things all night long.

Now, I don't know about you, but even if that makes them feel good and more spiritual and connected to God, I don't see that as a positive phenomenon.

Not that, God forbid, what happened then.

Also, the Mashpia came in and gave a full report, and the Rebbe was very happy with the results.

The following Simchas Torah, תרנט, 1898, during Hakafos, by the seventh Hakafah, the Rebbe was explaining the meaning of the Hakafos.

Towards the end, he said, "Thank God I established a yeshiva, and in this yeshiva, they study Nigla and they study Chassidus.

They study Nigla to understand that it also has an inner meaning.