Jewish Men Dancing

Jewish Men Dancing

Mothering & Religion

Mothers usually like to impart some kind of moral, ethical, religious, spiritual, cultural or communal education to their children. When my kids were little, Chabad was perfect for my family. No membership required and the kids could run up and down the aisles during services and even the rabbi’s own children could interrupt him with questions. Fit my kind of parenting to a tee. Plus, I was intrigued by the traditions that went back to ancient times. Made me so happy to see that the religion of my ancestors and of all the martyred European Jews was alive and well and thriving.

Differences Between Men & Women

I also grew to love and appreciate Chabad for recognizing and acknowledging that there’s a real difference between men and women. (Now, the following are my own musings and not necessarily the philosophy of Chabad...) Women are just naturally and automatically spiritual beings. They really don’t need a whole lot of coaxing or ritual requirements and because of their responsibilities to children’s needs, women can’t be required to perform many time-bound rituals. Mothering itself is such moral, spiritual work, one doesn't need much more ritual than that! Plus it creates the next generation of Jewish people and sets the tone for the entire home! Men, on the other hand, absolutely need to have many more ritual obligations and requirements than women do, like being part of a minyan, or they just won’t show up. So, nowhere else but at Chabad, will you get to see the wondrous, rare sight of Jewish men dancing and singing together on a Jewish holiday.

Jewish Holy Days

Many people aren't aware of this but the High Holy Days for the Jewish people lasts for an entire month and consists of several different holidays that start with Rosh HaShanah and end with a holiday called, "Simchas Torah". This Wednesday 10/3 at 7pm and Thursday 10/4 at 7:30pm, Chabad by the Sea will host a dancing and singing service/party for Simchas Torah.

Rosh HaShanah & Yom Kippur

The progression of the Jewish High holy days goes something like this: First there are the prayers of the new year that focus on the "King's Coronation." Next, there are the ten days of repentance and repair work between man and his fellow culminating in the day long fast and prayer of Yom Kippur. On this day, while fasting from sundown to sundown, they read from a prayer book which lists all the wrongs they may have committed throughout the past year along with all the incredible forgiveness that's given to mankind despite all the wrongs.

Sukkot

A few days later there's the holiday of Sukkot and the Jewish people are all sitting under the sky in vulnerable, little huts they've built in their yards, enjoying meals together. If you were lucky enough to attend a service at Chabad during this time, you got to see the men marching seven times around in a circle with their fascinating ritual objects: a fruit called an "estrog" and twigs, leaves and branches tied together, called, a "lulav". While marching, they chanted the ancient Hebrew prayer seven times with a cry that pierced the heart,

"Help us, we beseech You: For Your sake, our God, help us, we beseech You.

For your sake, our Creator, help us, we beseech You.

For your sake, our Redeemer, help us, we beseech You.

For Your sake, You who seeks us, help us, we beseech You."

Simchas Torah

Then, the last in the series of holidays, Simchas Torah, should not be missed by anyone in the Santa Cruz Jewish community as it is the most festive. On Simchas Torah, you will see the Jewish men dancing around in circles with the Torah in their arms and children on their shoulders. The Torah is sacred to the Jewish people. It is the Five Books of Moses written by hand on parchment scrolls. A part of this Torah is read each week throughout the year, so that by Simchas Torah, the entire Torah is completed. The word, "simcha" in Hebrew means "happiness" or "celebration" or "joy".

As the Chabad rabbi's father-in-law, Rabbi Lerman said, "What we didn't accomplish through tears on Yom Kippur, we accomplish through joy on Sukkot and Simchas Torah." Do you like to sing Jewish songs or to dance to Jewish songs? Come see Jewish men dancing together with the Torah at Chabad by the Sea 406 Mission St. on Wednesday or Thursday night this week. The women will be dancing together too!

Join a Spiritual Community

One of our many tasks as mothers is to raise children who know right from wrong. Joining a spiritual community is one of the ways we can connect with others and support our own learning. Jewish or not, it’s important for all of us to know there’s a Higher Authority in our lives and that there are rules we need to live by in order to make this world a better place. There are also roles that help us find our purpose, and rituals and holy times that mark our days with gratitude.

Allison Gilbert, LMFT

www.MothersHaveNeedsToo.com