This week marked the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, traditionally a day of dancing and singing, as the cycle of public Torah readings ends, and a new cycle begins. Yet again, our celebrations are inevitably muted by last year’s October 7, 2023 barbarities, falling as they did on Simchat Torah. And marked by the passing of another year without peace or the return of our hostages.
I was struck by Elie Wiesel’s biblical observation about rejoicing under adversity:
"The Gaon of Vilna [a renown rabbinical scholar] said that 'You shall rejoice in your festival* is the most difficult commandment in the Torah'. I could never understand this puzzling remark. Only during the war did I understand. Those Jews who, in the course of their journey to the end of hope, managed to dance on Simchat Torah, those Jews who studied Talmud by heart while carrying stones on their back, those Jews who went on whispering Hymns of Sabbath while performing hard labour…. This was one commandment that was impossible to observe – yet they observed it."
This year’s true Simchat Torah message is resilience in the face of adversity.
This week, many of our friends and allies celebrate Diwali. Diwali represents the festival of lights, a time for family and community. It symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. May our communities – indeed, all communities and people of good will – work together to allow light to triumph over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
Happy Diwali. May the light of Diwali illuminate your homes and hearts with happiness, peace and prosperity.
*Deuteronomy 16:14
About the Author
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.