BY Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

Many Bnei Torah, this Simchas Torah, are well aware of the famous statement of Rav Boruch Ber. It was a statement that he had burst out with in the middle of Hakafos one simchas Torah.
Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz zt”l (1862 – 1939 (5 Kislev, 5700) was the Rosh Yeshiva of Knesses Beis Yitzchok – the other Yeshiva in Slabodka. He was also one of the most prominent students of Rav Chaim Brisker.
What was the statement? “Vei es tantz zich – lerent zich!” This means, “The way you dance on Simchas Torah is the way you will be learning [throughout the year]!”

Rav Avrohom Pam zt”l once said that if chas v’shalom a sefer drops, most people perform an act of Kavod HaTorah and kiss the sefer. Even more so, he stated, would be to also learn from it and make the sefer’s words a part of you.

“This,” said Rav Pam, “is how we must also view SImchas Torah. We express our ahavas haTorah – our love for Torah, by kissing it and dancing with it. After hakafos and simchas Torah end, however, in a similar vein we must express our love and kavod haTorah by learneing ever more vigorously.”

Rav Henoch Leibowitz zt”l explains that on Simchas Torah we read of Moshe Rabbeinu’s imminent death and his deep expression of love for Klal Yisroel by giving them brachos (See Midrash tanchuma Vaeschonon 6). “This expression of ultimate love was necessary,” explains Rav Henoch, “so that Klal Yisroel can reach for the highest level of avodas Hashem.” By the same token, we recite the brachos of krias shma before we say the shma to highlight to ourselves Hashem’s deep love for us – “Ahava Rabba ahavtanu.”

We see from these three giants the paramount importance of the expression and recognition of love – in the development of our Avodas Hashem. May the hakafos that we dance on this Yom Tov, inspire us all to greater growth in Torah and Dveikus Bashem and bias go’el tzedek amain.

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