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Let’s Dance for Them this Simchas Torah!

Simchas Torah this week is not an easy day, as it recalls the horrors of October 7th on Simchas Torah one year ago. Many tell me that they’re simply not in the mood of dancing this year. But Jewish mysticism teaches us that joy is not the result of our blessings, it’s the cause of it.

A person who was struggling with his health once came to request a blessing for healing from the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s response was astounding. No less than four times in their brief conversation, the Rebbe urges him to personally participate in the dancing of Simchas Torah in order to draw the healing blessings he so desperately was seeking to draw upon himself!

Click on the image below to view this beautiful video:

Why does dancing on Simchas Torah have any connection to health and healing? Are we too able to draw G-d’s blessings for health, wealth and happiness in the same way? Can we cause Israel’s victory of her enemies through our dancing?!

The Zohar, the Foundational Book of Kaballah uncovers this profound truth with the following mystic meditation. Essentially, it’s telling us that the blessings we receive from Heaven are a mirror image of what is happening in our hearts. When we choose to be in a state of joy, we initiate a torrential downpour of Divine benevolence upon us; when we choose to be in a state of sadness, we initiate a very restricted and limited flow of bounty from Above:

“The Lower World is always ready to receive and is called a precious stone. The Upper World only gives it (the Lower World) according to the state of the Lower World. If its (the Lower World’s) state is of a bright countenance from below, in the same manner it is shone upon from above; but if it is in sadness, it is correspondingly given judgment.

Applying this wisdom to Simchas Torah, our saintly Rebbes tell us that this holiday is an extraordinarily conducive time to draw down “bucket loads of joy for our entire year that follows.” They tell us that “we can accomplish more for the success and prosperity of our year ahead through joy and dancing on the 48 hours of Simchas Torah than we can through the seriousness and prayer on the 48 hours of Rosh Hashanah.”

Happiness, therefore, is a vital prerequisite for healing and victory and all the other blessings we seek from G-d. But what happens if you’re not in the mood? Can you just flip a switch and dive onto the dance floor just because that’s what it says on this date in the calendar? How is this spiritual and meaningful?

Elsewhere , the Zohar points out that the Hebrew word for “joy” (besimcha) has the same exact letters as the Hebrew word for “thought” (machshava). This is not a random coincidence, the Holy Tongue is letting us know that happiness does not depend on what you have, it depends solely on what you think.

Happiness is a choice, not a result. It starts with you—not with your bank account, your relationships, or with your position in the workplace. Joy is a decision that you are going to greet life, instead of responding to whatever life throws at you.

Neither is happiness just a feeling; it’s a choice you make. It doesn’t go from your heart to your cheekbones; it goes from your cheekbones to your heart. Our joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances; it depends on our will. A bad attitude is like a flat tire. If you don’t change it, you’ll never get anywhere.

While the world teaches us that success leads to happiness. Torah teaches us that it’s precisely the opposite—it’s the happiness that leads to success. Don’t be happy when you have what you need; be happy so that you’ll get what you need!

It turns out that happiness is vital to our victory, success and prosperity. It’s an inside job. Don’t assign anyone else that much power over your life.

When we choose to be anxious by focusing on our short term problems, G-d reciprocates in kind by judging us for our short term failures. This inevitably leads to disastrous results. But when G-d sees that we have the courage to overlook our temporary struggles and adopt an attitude of joy in light of the bigger picture, this causes Him to see us in exactly the same way—overlooking our temporary shortcomings and seeing us in the bigger picture as his beloved children. The results of this approach are inevitably in our favor.

During this magnificent Festival of Simchas Torah, the Torah commands us to “be happy!” This is far less an obligation and much more a G-d given gift. We wield the power to alter the outcome of our circumstances, through the power of our mind and heart.

During this difficult war in Israel, many Jews are waiting with bated breath for good news. But Simchas Torah puts the power for victory in our hands! Instead of waiting on the IDF, IAF and Israel’s political leaders to decide if you’re going to be happy, choose happiness in order to channel Divine intervention to the battlefield!

As we approach Simchas Torah tonight, tomorrow and Friday, we invite you to join us for the joyous dancing with the Torah. Think of the Rebbe’s response to this ill man that changed the outcome of his circumstances. Instead of standing awkwardly waiting for the gourmet buffet, throw yourself into the dancing circle! Clap and sing with all your heart as you mindfully draw limitless blessings upon yourself and all of Israel through these trying times.

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Rabbi Dovid Vigler
Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens
6100 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
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