Simchat Torah, Shmimchat Torah

We do not have services at the temple on Simchat Torah. We do not have services at the temple for Shemini Atzeret even though they traditionally include Yizkor. We do not have services for the first day of Sukkot. I would be more accurate to say that we didn't this year (or last). Sure, we'll have a special service on Friday night to celebrate the essence of Simchat Torah - we finish Deuteronomy and start right in to Genesis. We'll present consecration certificates to our newest religious school students. We'll march around with the Torah and dance to the rhythms of our Shabbat Hallelu band. It will be great. But, technically, Simchat Torah is tonight and tomorrow day. On one hand, our offices are closed in observance of the holiday but on the other, we have a board meeting tonight. On one hand, we celebrate the cycle of Torah reading, on the other, we don't do it on the "right" day.

Why all the ambivalence? Good question.

At a Reform temple like ours, we try to balance tradition with contemporary pragmatism. As a rabbi, I try to balance my personal beliefs and practices with the culture of the congregation. I firmly believe that this is not my temple; it's your temple. Sure, my voice carries weight and you look to me for guidance and leadership. I believe that Simchat Torah is tonight. I believe it's important to celebrate Simchat Torah. I also believe we should try to avoid hypocrisy or ambiguous standards. I also believe that we should not tilt at ritual windmills. We tend to have scant participation in weekday festival observances. We get more involvement and better quality engagement with the rituals when we do them at a time that draws people in. It doesn't seem right to cancel a board meeting because of the importance of the festival's date when we don't also hold service for the same reason? That seems like the decisions of pure convenience that are usually the target of stereotypical critiques of Reform So we're left with this quandry: simchat torah, shmimchat torah. Does it really matter when we observe it? And if we don't have services, should we still "observe" the holiday in other typical ways - i.e. closing the building and cancelling meetings?

I know what I'll do for myself. I'll find a place to go to services tonight. That's easy because it's my personal practice. But what about the community? How do we shape a practice for the community that hews to the traditions of Judaism, responds to the realities of today, and doesn't sell either one short?