Rabbis discuss Simchat Torah and unity in polarized, post-Oct. 7 Jewish society

Simchat Torah should still be celebrated even in light of the war and the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, but one should still remember what happened and communities will need to decide for themselves how to recognize that, Rabbis David Fine and Meesh Hammer-Kossoy told Aaron Reich and Tal Spungin on The Jerusalem Post Podcast. 

The two rabbis joined on the podcast shortly before Sukkot to discuss the role of rabbis today in a post-October 7 world, as well as the struggles of breaking out of echo chambers in an increasingly polarized Jewish society.

Hammer-Kossoy is the head of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, which educates Jews from various backgrounds on the traditional study of classic Jewish texts and their heritage.

Fine is the co-founder of the Barkai Center for Practical Rabbinics, which trains rabbis to be community leaders. The center focuses on pastoral duties, which are often not included in Israeli rabbinic training.

Regarding Simchat Torah, both recognized the challenges in celebrating the holiday this year, as it was only one year ago that Hamas murdered 1,200 people in Israel's South and kidnapped hundreds more that same day.

Hammer-Kossoy explained that it was essential to still celebrate the holiday, citing cases such as during pogroms or when Jesuits stole Torah scrolls before the holiday where celebrations were still held. 

"On the one hand, it's the anniversary of something so very tragic, and on the other hand, it's still Simchat Torah," she said.

She continued, "We will dance again. I think it's a very appropriate message. And we will dance again. We will dance on Simchat Torah. But to ignore [the war and October 7] altogether is absolutely impossible."

Fine agreed with the sentiments and noted that each community would need to figure out how they would mark the tragedy that took place one year ago. 

"I think each community has to decide for itself... there's no right answer about this," he said. 

He noted that even among the rabbis he trains in Barkai, who are all a relatively homogenous Orthodox group, there was still a huge amount of variety in how they would mark October 7. 

"I think that there are several different ways of doing this," he said. "Some people may not necessarily agree with how another community is doing it, but as long as they're doing it in a way where they feel that they have taken into account what is going on, [then that] needs to be respected."

One of the proposed options was a silent hakafah, carrying the Torah scrolls around - which is usually accompanied by singing - which was done during the push to free Soviet Jewry.

Unity in community

Both rabbis spoke about finding of unity in their communities despite the diversity of opinion, highlighting that understanding a community's diversity brings one closer to them.

For Hammer-Kossoy, that means understanding that no one has all the answers, though people can be close.

"You've always got 98% of the truth, but no one has 100% of the truth," she explained, adding the importance of recognizing when one gets agitated in a polarized discussion. 

This would allow people to have conversations in a productive manner with curiosity and humility, she noted.

Fine cited social media as being a major source of the echo chamber trend, but noted that it has grown far beyond it and now is an issue prevalent throughout the Jewish world. 

"The only way that we can get beyond the problems plaguing our society is by getting out of our bubbles and speaking to people who are not like us," he explained, saying that rather than spending time arguing over the internet, it's better to go out and meet the person face-to-face and encounter differences.

Do politics have a place in the synagogue or the beit midrash?

While politics are not inherently bad, Fine noted that in today's climate, they would best be left outside the synagogue or beit midrash.

"I don't think that in today's environment, that [politics] has a place," Fine said. "It's just too divisive, meaning... it's not even possible to have respectful, rational conversations about these things in the synagogue or in the beit midrash." 

Hammer-Kossoy followed this up by discussing the dangers of linking Torah and politics together. 

"Power is corrupting, and Jewish tradition is very aware of the dangers of power and the way it corrupts," she explained. "We don't want that that corrupting power to poison Torah, and so therefore, I think we have to be careful about the way power and Torah come together."

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