When a person receives a gift, the main joy is in the beginning.  On the other hand, after you already use an object and get used to it, naturally the joy diminishes.  This is the reason that even according to the Halacha, one must bless Shehechiyanu when buying new clothing or an important object for the first time.

If so, the question arises why in the celebration of the Torah things are reversed?  Why is the holiday of “Simchat Torah” set for the end of the Torah, and not set for the beginning of the Torah, on Shavuot, or on Shabbat Genesis?

In physical things, the main joy is in the beginning and then it fades away, but in spiritual things, as time goes by and you discover their strength and importance, the joy only keeps growing.  For example, a wedding between a loving man and woman.  The wedding is a great joy, but the hope is that in the celebration of the following wedding anniversaries, the joy of the couple will only increase, because they keep discovering more and more the best in their partner.

Things are even more true about the Torah.  When the people of Israel received the Torah, and also when a Jew begins to study the Torah, it is difficult at first to see the greatness of the Torah, and it may be seen as a mere book of laws.  But when they labor in the Torah and see the word of God revealed in the Torah and mitzvahs, suddenly you get to see the divine light in her and understand that the way to cling to God is through studying the Torah, and the joy only keeps increasing. Therefore, the main joy is in the end of the Torah.

On Simchat Torah we all dance in a circle.  Just as in a circle the distance between every point on the circumference and the center of the circle is equal, so the soul of every Jew is tied to the Torah equally, and no one is better than his fellow man.

But this day of Simchat Torah it’s the opportunity for everyone to commit him or herself to be more educated in the Torah laws and messages, so we could incorporate the Judaism habits to our daily lifestyle.

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach,

Rabbi Refael Cohen