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cellioI'm really glad that the Reform movement follows the Israeli calendar for the festivals. This means that tonight and tomorrow we will combine Sh'mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, while others in the disapora will have this on two days.
Why do I care in this case? Because I just don't get Sh'mini Atzeret. I mean, it's a torah-mandated holiday so we have to keep it, but all attempts to infuse it with meaning have thus far fallen flat for me. (Yeah, yeah -- an extra day of assembly after the festival of Sukkot, because we're that special to God that he asked us to stick around. Kind of works intellectually but not emotionally or spiritually for me.) It's sort of a naked holiday (similar to the last day of Pesach in that respect) -- you have the holiday liturgy but no ritual specific to this holiday, and it's just kind of... eh.
Simchat Torah, on the other hand, is fun. It's when we complete the annual reading of the torah and immediately start again. We take the torah scrolls out and dance around with them and sing and have fun. My congregation is, I'm told, somewhat staid by comparison (I'm not sure I could really use the word "dance"), and one of these days I'll find a congregation that goes all-out just so I can see what's possible, but my congregation does a pretty good job. And tonight will be the debut of our new in-house band; I'm looking forward to hearing them.
Why do I care in this case? Because I just don't get Sh'mini Atzeret. I mean, it's a torah-mandated holiday so we have to keep it, but all attempts to infuse it with meaning have thus far fallen flat for me. (Yeah, yeah -- an extra day of assembly after the festival of Sukkot, because we're that special to God that he asked us to stick around. Kind of works intellectually but not emotionally or spiritually for me.) It's sort of a naked holiday (similar to the last day of Pesach in that respect) -- you have the holiday liturgy but no ritual specific to this holiday, and it's just kind of... eh.
Simchat Torah, on the other hand, is fun. It's when we complete the annual reading of the torah and immediately start again. We take the torah scrolls out and dance around with them and sing and have fun. My congregation is, I'm told, somewhat staid by comparison (I'm not sure I could really use the word "dance"), and one of these days I'll find a congregation that goes all-out just so I can see what's possible, but my congregation does a pretty good job. And tonight will be the debut of our new in-house band; I'm looking forward to hearing them.
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Date: 2004-10-06 11:17 am (UTC)Alas, we haven't been outside since '01 (they used to close off an avenue and there would be blocks of people dancing outside...) but it's still a lot of fun!
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Date: 2004-10-06 11:57 am (UTC)Monica, if you decide to come (likely next year, at this point ;-), you're invited to stay; I'm about a half mile from Tremont St.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-10-06 12:57 pm (UTC)