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A correspondence my colleague, Rabbi Aaron Moss, had with one of his congregants...

Thanks for the invite, but I won't be able to attend your Simchas Torah celebration this Saturday night. I have booked tickets to a game and I don't want to miss it. Anyway, I only go to synagogue for the High Holydays. You don't expect me to give up a game for another prayer service, do you?

Answer:

I agree, it would be foolish to book tickets to an event and then not show up. That's why you should come to shule on Saturday night.

Simchas Torah is a celebration of Jewishness, the grand finale of the High Holyday season. All the hard work of the High Holydays comes to fruition on this day. The prayers and Shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah, the fasting and supplication on Yom Kippur, are all just the build up to the final crescendo, the dancing on Simchas Torah.

We pray to be blessed with a sweet new year on Rosh Hashanah; we ask that our soul be cleansed on Yom Kippur; but it is through the joy and dancing on Simchas Torah that we actually bring down all the blessings that we have prayed for.

To go to shule for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and then miss out on Simchas Torah is like waiting in line to buy tickets to a game and not showing up to the game itself. At the height of Yom Kippur your soul was given a ticket. You claim your place on Simchas Torah.

So you have two tickets, one to be a passive spectator at a game, the other to be an active participant in a holy moment. You choose which is not worth missing: to watch the strength of the human body, or to experience the exhilaration of the human soul.

Some people think synagogue services are boring. They have never been to a Simchas Torah service. Try it once and you'll be a fan for life.

Good Shabbos and Good Yomtov,

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Rabbi Chaim Bryski

Rabbi Chaim Bryski attended rabbinical college in Morristown, NJ and Johannesburg, South Africa. He completed his Rabbinical Degree (Smicha) in Brooklyn, NY, at the Central Rabbincal Seminary. He moved to Thousand Oaks in 2001 to establish and direct the Thousand Oaks Jewish Center

Rabbi Bryski's areas of expertise include Jewish Law, the Talmud, and mysticism. He has extensive experience teaching Kabbalah and has lectured in many U.S. cities as well as South Africa and the former Soviet Union. He is also an Affiliate Director of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute-Thousand Oaks branch, and teaches on a variety of topics.

Rabbi Bryski enjoys leading inspirational tours of "Chasidic" New York and Eretz Israel. He enjoys hiking, nature and teaching Judaism. He is excited to share the relevance and wisdom of Judaism with those who are unfamiliar with it.

He and his wife, Rebbetzin Shula Bryski, are the proud parents of five children. Rabbi Bryski loves to take his children camping and on outdoor trips.

Rebbetzin Shula Bryski

Shula Bryski was raised in Crown Heights, New York, and attended Seminary in Melbourne, Australia. She studied early childhood education and earned a teacher’s certificate. After completing her studies, Rebbetzin Shula led a music program that instructed young children in the Yiddish language through music. She taught over 200 children each week with the innovative use of instruments, drama, and song.

Rebbetzin Shula moved to Thousand Oaks eight years ago together with her husband to establish and co-direct the Thousand Oaks Jewish Center. She enjoys programming its Women's Circle programs and is also Director of the Hebrew School. Her warmth and experience combine to make her an effective teacher and motivator.

In her free time, Rebbetzin Shula enjoys playing with her five children. She also enjoys writing, and playing and teaching piano.

A Q&A From Sydney, Australia

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