November, 2003

Overview by Rabbi Mordekai Shapiro

In response to a request from a number of members of our synagogue I am devoting this month’s column to review a portion of my sermon from this past Shmini Atzeret. 

Our tradition has combined the holidays of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.  In Eretz Yisroel, as with all holidays (except Rosh Hashana) these holidays are celebrated on one day.  Outside of Eretz Yisroel, they are separated and celebrated on two days.  The main theme of Shmini Atzeret is Hashem’s desire to spend just one more day in celebration with his precious people.  This day of lingering comes on the heels of the many weeks marked by the periods of repentance, the Yomim Noraim and the sustained joy of Sukkot.  It is a period of intensity that reached a climax and now has its epilogue and farewell.  Simchat Torah, is known to all as the holiday to rejoice with the Torah.  It is a day on which the Jew literally embraces the Torah to dance and sing in an expression of ecstasy for being part of Hashem’s  chosen nation. 

In parshat V’zot Habracha the Torah uses the term ‘morasha’ in reference to the Torah.  This word means ‘an inheritance.’  It is different in meaning from the Hebrew word ‘yerusha’ that also means an inheritance.  Morasha is the object being passed from one generation to the next whereas yerusha is, that which is received by the inheritor.  How often have we heard of inheritors squandering an estate?  They were given a morasha but could not sustain it in a manner that would allow it to remain a yerusha to be passed to the next generation as a morasha.  Our Torah  must always be a morasha.  It must be nurtured and sustained by every generation to be passed on to the next generation as a thing of value to be cared for and maintained forever.  This is the purpose of Jewish education on all levels.  It is the reason why we have always valued Yeshiva education above all else.  It is the guarantee that every generation will grow up with an understanding and appreciation for the beauty of Torah as both a valued intellectual pursuit and as a way of life.  It is the guarantee that our youth will have the foundation of Torah values with which to make important life’s decisions.  It is the guarantee that at the core of our soul there will always be the flicker fueled by Torah  and not by popular culture.  Jewish education is not something that should be limited to the school calendar or its daily schedule.  Jewish education is a home-based program to be reinforced at home and in the synagogue.  That is why synagogue based youth programs built around true Torah values are so important for the life blood of every community that hopes to build a future for its children.  These programs have always been seen as an extension of a child’s formal education and the success of such programs is unquestioned.

Congregation Ohr Torah has experienced wonderful growth over the past few months.  It is manifest in an increased membership and an increase in the number of young families and children of all ages in our synagogue.  We have thus been presented with a great challenge. It is our hope that with the re-constitution of our youth program, we as a synagogue, will meet the challenge and do our part for the future of Klal Yisroel.