by Rabbi Moishe Kievman
Chabad Chayil
“We Fight the Haters and Terrorists by Being More Jewish
and on This Holiday, by Being More Joyous!”
On October 24, 2024, Chabad Centers and synagogues around Florida will host celebrations in honor of the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, which celebrates the annual completion and the restarting of the annual Torah reading cycle. The holiday is observed through joyous singing, dancing, and public reading of the Torah. This year also marks the first anniversary (on the Jewish calendar) since the terror attacks that saw 1,200 Jews brutally murdered in Israel and hundreds taken hostage.
Many communities take the dancing with the Torah scrolls to the streets in front of their synagogue to demonstrate their Jewish pride, this year with added significance in the face of growing Jew-hatred.
As Jews we fight the haters and terrorists by being more Jewish and on this holiday, by being more joyous. This year’s joy, singing and dancing, will be accompanied—not tempered—by the remembrance of the souls of the victims of last year’s attacks. We keep them, the hostages, and their families in our minds, in our hearts and in our prayers.
Traditionally, the Yartzeit (anniversary of passing) customs are observed according to the Jewish date, which will occur each year on 22nd of the month of Tishrei, in addition to memorial events or services planned for October 7th.
As Jewish communities around the world remember the horrific attacks on October 7th, the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Chabad will host a Yizkor service at over 200 locations in Florida on October 24, 2024. Yizkor is a traditional memorial prayer recited on Jewish holidays by those who have experienced the death of an immediate family member.
On Shemini Atzeret – SImchat Torah, Hamas and other Gaza based terrorist groups attacked Israeli cities, towns, and settlements, launching a full-scale invasion and firing thousands of rockets, brutally murdering over 1,200, taking hundreds of hostages, and plunging Israel into war.
Yizkor is one of the most powerful services in the Jewish religion and allows community members to remember the souls of their departed loved ones in a communal setting. It is even more poignant this year as we remember the 1,200 who were killed in last year’s horrific terror attack.
The Yizkor service takes place on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, which comes at the end of the Sukkot holiday, following the “High Holidays” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The high holidays are traditionally a time of atonement and introspection where Jews pray for forgiveness and ask G‑d to grant them a good year.
The Yizkor service will honor the souls of those murdered on October 7, and will also feature a prayer for the safe return of the hostages. Chabad invites the entire Jewish community to attend the Yizkor Service and participate in acts of Torah, prayer, and charity.
Remembering the victims of October 7th is not just about shared grief over our collective loss. It’s also about remembering the eternality of each soul and how we choose to fight darkness, which is through increasing in light.
We must remember that by illuminating our own corner of the world with acts of goodness and kindness, we can impact events on the other side of the world.
During past conflicts and times of crisis, The Rebbe suggested that to elicit divine protection, people should increase their joy and performance of mitzvahs, or good deeds.
Simchat Torah follows the “High Holidays” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and is celebrated by families and individuals attending synagogue, where they dance with Torah scrolls in circuits known as “hakafos,” as well as festive holiday meals.
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on 22nd and 23rd of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (this year of 5785 it begins at sundown on October 23rd and ends at nightfall on October 25th, 2024) and are the culmination of the Jewish fall holiday season. Sometimes referred to collectively as Simchat Torah, this holiday celebrates the conclusion, and renewal, of the yearly Torah-reading cycle (the Pentateuch) as well as the connection between G-d and the Jewish People. This milestone is marked with joyous dancing, traditionally following seven circuits known as hakafot, as the Torah scrolls are held aloft. Both days are also celebrated by nightly candle lighting, festive meals at both night and day, and desisting from work. For more visit www.ChabadChayil.org/SimchatTorah.
This year more than ever, it is so important for every Jew in Florida to join their local synagogue for the Simchat Torah celebration as a show of Jewish unity on the Jewish anniversary of the horrific attacks that took place Oct 7. Remembering those martyrs who were murdered a year ago is not just about shared grief. It’s about remembering the eternality of each soul and that the way we choose to fight darkness is through increasing in light. We must remember that by illuminating our own corner of the world with acts of goodness and kindness, we can impact events on the other side of the world.
I encourage you to attend your local Chabad or Synagogue to enjoy the holiday to its fullest. Of course you can always join us at The Family Shul for services or a holiday dinner, but you would need to RSVP in advance at (305) 770-1919 or TheFamilyShul.com.
About the author:
Rabbi Kievman together with his wife are the ambassadors of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. They are the founders of Gan Chabad Preschool, your local CTeen & CKids chapters, CHAP – an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools and direct Chabad Chayil. He’s the rabbi at The Family Shul and can be reached at (305) 770-1919 or rabbi@ChabadChayil.org. You can also support the community with your partnership at ChabadChayil.org/Donate.
Leave a Reply