Join us tomorrow- Thursday at 6pm for Simchat Torah… Let’s dance again! Let’s dance for them! We will honor the lives taken last year by coming together in Jewish pride… Am Yisrael Chai flags, delicious buffet dinner + bar, Hakafot dancing + swag! RSVP at chabadpalisades.com/dance

As we approach Simchat Torah, a day of joy and celebration, I want to share a story from the life of the Alter Rebbe that offers a deep and simple lesson about how we can approach the challenges life sends our way.

Once, the Alter Rebbe was in a port town where he came upon a man who was fainting repeatedly. No matter what the people around him tried, they couldn’t stop him from collapsing again and again. The Rebbe asked, “Why does he keep fainting?” The people explained that the man had just received terrible news—his entire shipment of merchandise, his livelihood, had sunk to the bottom of the sea. He couldn’t bear the loss and fainted every time he remembered it. 

The Alter Rebbe had an unusual approach to this problem. He knelt beside the man and whispered, “Your merchandise is fine, it’s on its way.” To everyone’s surprise, the man immediately opened his eyes, got up, and began to recover. He ate, drank, and regained his strength. Amazed, the people asked the Rebbe, “Are you a prophet?”

The Alter Rebbe replied, “It’s better to have wisdom than prophecy,” and explained that G‑d never gives us challenges we can’t overcome. Since the man was overwhelmed by this trial, it was a sign that his loss couldn’t be as dire as he thought. G‑d doesn’t test us with anything beyond our ability to bear, and with each trial, He gives us the strength to overcome it. 

This Simchat Torah marks the first year of commemoration since the events of October 7th last year. We all experienced pain, fear, and loss during that time, and the challenges that followed were overwhelming. For many, it may feel impossible to find joy in this season, a time usually filled with celebration and dancing with the Torah.

Yet, just as the Alter Rebbe whispered words of hope to the man in his story, Simchat Torah whispers to us as well. It reminds us that even in the darkest moments, there is strength within us to rise and move forward. Our trials may seem insurmountable, but this is precisely when we must lean into the resilience and joy that the Torah brings into our lives.

Simchat Torah doesn’t ask us to forget our grief or the hardships we’ve faced. Rather, it asks us to embrace the Torah with our whole selves—our pain, our strength, and our hope. In doing so, we affirm that despite the tragedies we’ve endured, we are still capable of finding joy, of dancing, and of continuing forward.

May this Simchat Torah give us the strength to rebuild, to honor the memory of those we’ve lost, and to draw on the wisdom of the Torah to guide us through whatever challenges lie ahead.

Wishing you a meaningful and joyful Simchat Torah,
Rabbi Zushe Cunin