Weekly Dvar Torah: Zman Simchaseinu, the Time of OUR Rejoicing

We are in the period of the year which is called Zman Simchaseinu – the time of OUR rejoicing.

After Yom Kippur when we all came home it’s time to rejoice, but the rejoicing is plural, G-d rejoices with us and we rejoice with G-d.

Interestingly, the way we celebrate this special joy is by dancing away at the pouring of water, as opposed to the daily libations of pouring wine – which sounds more like a drink which brings to joy – we just pour plain water and we dance away the night.

What’s so special about the pouring of the water that we dance about?

The answer is simple and complicated all at once.

Wine is a tasteful drink that has a quality to simply get us excited and puts us on a high so we get into a mood of dancing, one can say it makes sense to dance after a drink of wine.

Water has no special taste and besides for quenching our thirst – which is essential to our survival – it doesn’t affect our mood.

On Sukkos we celebrate that quality of life which is plain, simple, and tasteless, once we embraced G-d and G-d embraced us, we rejoice on the simple day-to-day gifts of life, we recognize where it came from, we appreciate that the daily survival comes straight from G-d without any intermediaries.

This is pure joy that is not dependent on the level of our understanding, this comes from our existential daily being, we simply recognize who we are and what keeps us going, no need for any deep thinking.

We just celebrate our being and our existence.

And G-d appreciates this recognition, and He rejoices as well.

Guys, it’s party time, be happy that G-d gave us such a special time that all he asks for is to be genuinely happy, that’s all He asks for.

So get on with the program

If it takes good music, go for it

If it’s a good party, be there

If it’s a good Chassidic Farbrengen, find one

Just do all you can to be happy that you are a Jew and G-d gave you a special time to be happy.

Oh, what a gift!

Be Happy!!!!!!!

Have a happy joyous Yomtov,
Gut Shabbos, Gut Yomtov

Rabbi Yosef Katzman