Monday, September 23, 2013

Simcha, Dancing Sukkos > Simchas Torah

Quotes from my upcoming book on Simcha

The Crown of Shoes – It is said in the name of the holy Baal Shem Tov that the angel Michoel weaves a crown from all the worn out shoes of Jews who danced and rejoiced during Simchas Torah. (Pisgamei Chassidim)

Dancing in Joy Higher than the Prayers – Rav Aharon Karliner taught that when we dance and rejoice on YomTov festivals, this is the highest of all spiritual levels, even higher than the highest level of prayer. This is because when we pray we do so with our mouths, however when we dance wse uplift our entire body above the ground in sheer joy of YomTov. (Beis Aharon)

Reaching for the Heavens – Rav Aharon Karliner once asked his followers rhetorically, "Why do Chassidim dance?" "I will tell you, they dance because they always seek a way to uplift themselves at least one handsbreadth higher above the earth!" (Sichas HaShavua)

Spontaneous Dance – The first Gerrer Rebbe, author of Chiddushei HaRim used to say that the verse in Koheles "a time for dancing," does not fit the same grammatical meter used to poetically balance out the other verses; each other verse begins with a Lamed, however this verse says in the Hebrew Es Rekod, instead of Es Lirkod. "The reason for this is," he explained "is because you don't command someone happy to dance, rather the happiness naturally causes you to break into spontaneous dance, "SeTantz Zich Alayn!" - (Siach Sarfei Kodesh #8)

Dancing Sifts and Separates the Body and the Soul – The first Gerrer Rebbe, author of Chiddushei HaRim taught that the Hebrew word for dancing meraked, is the same word used for sifting the good from unwanted waste; meraked is one of the thirty nine forbidden categories of labor on Shabbos. This teaches us that dancing achieves the same result as sifting. When you dance in holiness then you separate the good from the unwanted waste, you separate the body from the soul and you can reach such lofty levels as to divest yourself completely from this world entirely. (Ramasayim Tzofim 20:33)

Dancing Above The Physical – When a person dances they lift themselves up above the ground as they spring and hop. This hints to us that all forms of physical actions should similarly be sanctified and refined, so that they separate us from the physical desires and lusts and passions of this world. Just as the forbidden category of work on Shabbos is called meraked, this also means to dance, when we dance we uplift ourselves above the physical. (Shem MiShmuel Korach)



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Kol Tuv,
R' Tal Moshe Zwecker
Director Machon Be'er Mayim Chaim Publishing
Chassidic Classics in the English Language
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