בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
Simchat Torah: The Ultimate Jewish Wedding, Hebron, and Becoming a Haber
The Joy of the Bride and Groom
According to the Arizal, the celebration of Simchat Torah represents the wedding day of the Jewish people, the Groom, and the Torah, the Bride. Actually, the entire holiday season of Tishrei is a build-up towards this awesome and joyous day. Rosh Hashana till Yom Kippur represent the spiritual “surgery” meant to separate the bride and groom who were joined together “back to back” so-to-speak, i.e a more superficial connection, just as Adam and Eve were separated in this way. However, this separation is just a vital step towards bringing “the bride and groom” to a much deeper frontal connection achieved through the embrace and wedding canopy of Sukkot and ultimately consummated on Simchat Torah. Similarly, this holiday season comes to awaken us from our relatively more superficial connection we had before to Hashem and His Torah, bringing us to a much higher level of awareness, closeness, and connection to Hashem and His Torah.
The Zohar and the Secret of Hebron
According to the Zohar (p. Shlach), Hebron shares a root with chibur (connection) and haber (companion). The Zohar teaches: “Hebron—that is Torah, for all those who are occupied with it are called haber (a Torah scholar).” Hebron is the earthly anchor of eternal attachment where heaven and earth are fused into a single unit.
The Torah as the Ultimate Kallah (Bride)
This mystical tradition maps the bond between a Jew and the Torah onto marriage:
The Night of Preparation: On the holiday of Shavuot, the mirror holiday of Simchat Torah – as both are the eighth day after seven days or weeks and both are called “Atzeret”, we stay awake studying Torah as shoshvinim (attendants) preparing the Kallah (Bride/Torah) for her wedding.
The Dance of Love and Joy: On Simchat Torah, the custom is to call the last Aliyah “hatan Torah” and also many have the custom of having tallitot serve as the chuppah (canopy) while we cradle the Torah scroll like a bride, sealing an eternal covenant, as the Torah is also called “brit” – a covenant (similar to Kiddushin).
The Meaning of Haber in context of Hebron: A haber – a Torah scholar, coming from the verb root “hibur” connection, represents an intimate partner to the Torah bound by an inner, trusted connection, not a distant academic. Embracing the Torah declares it is not a foreign text, but the DNA of our soul joined to us as closely as a spouse. Hebron too is our very DNA – the common roots of our entire People.
Bringing the Wedding Home
The real challenge of Simchat Torah begins after the music fades. By living as a devoted haber to Jewish wisdom throughout the year, we ensure the fiery love of the holiday infuses our everyday lives.