Thursday, October 23, 2008

Moving Right Along


HERE

Simchas Teyreh has come and gone, now the only thing we cling to is Shabbos Bereishis. It's the last remaining link to the month that irrigates the rest of the year. For some of us it's business as usual already, for others there's still a few days till normal order resumes. For some of us Simchas Teyreh is all about celebrating accomplishments, a time to reflect on all the Torah we learned throughout the year and to celebrate it. Every song and dance is all about Ashrei Mi SheAmolay BaTeyreh, the Bnei Teyreh are the real mechutonim of the Teyreh, they say. "Toras Hashem Temimoh," they sing, and they claim to see the sweetness of the Teyreh in their everyday lives. Good for them. Many most definitely do, and there's much to envy there, but that's not the point of this thread. Like many other Mitzvos and Minhogim, how we do it may not be very different, it's WHY we do that is like night and day.

Notice I haven't said anything that would make you think I'm attacking any which way of celebrating ST, I just naturally have my preference. The elitist approach of this being a Ben-Teyreh YomTiff may work when selecting students for a school, but Simchas Teyreh is all about unity. "Kosheh Olai Pridaschem", G-d says that it's difficult for him to see how his beloved children are separated by classes and levels of frumkeit. Nice orderly dancing with only a select few dancing and most not participating but just standing by may tickle your fancy, but you sure have lots of explaining to do as to why you like that. I'll take dysfunctional dancing any day. I do notice that many of you feel the need to come to Chabad for free booze, often young men - well underage. Is it that you too want the chassidishe spirit, or is it just the booze? Take it from me - just drinking without friends sitting with you is for losers. Why not have a little kiddush before Hakofes and you'll feel much better. (Not that I'm condoning irresponsible drinking, c"v.)


Ad kan when we talk of the yeshivishe/modern crowd. When it comes to the large chassidishe heyfen something puzzles me. Many of the chassidishe Rebbes wait till 12-1 o'clock in the morning till they start Hakofes. They daven maariv at the z'man and then everybody goes home and has seudas yomtiv. I'll go out on a limb and say that the meal lasts until 10 pm. What does one do all that time until the Hakofes start? In Lubavitch Hakofes would also start quite late, but there was very often a long farbrengen by the Rebbe That would fill up the time quite appropriately. I don't believe there's a pre-Hakofes tish in Skver or in Bobov, so what does "Ben-Zion Doe" or "Yankev Yossef Doe" do till the Rebbe comes in? I had a chance to go see the action in Skver, but I had nobody to go with, and I didn't want to do it by myself. Most of the guys I asked - non-Lubavitchers - said they weren't interested, and mouthed off about Skver. I guess they had bad experiences there, although Skver does do a good job with those kinds.

16 comments:

Tzemach Atlas said...

farbrengen before hakofos??? you don't know what you are talking about. The only reason Hakofos started late in 770 was so that small shules can have hakofos without the 770 competition.

Anonymous said...

in the beis hamikdosh that you don't want rebuilt, only the baalei ruach hakodesh danced by simchas beis hasho'eiva.
nothing pc about that!

Anonymous said...

r u going to throw a Simchas Torah (achas bashanah) going to Skver instead 770?
I heard that in 770 they have the Bal Shem Tov's Sefer Torah, the Moshiach's Seifer Torah!
I heard that hakofes are very special in the Rebbe's room

Anonymous said...

tzemach,
actually, the rebbe did farbreng before hakofos, also most men went on tahalucha then (and would rush back after tahalucha to get to some of the farbrengen.

Anonymous said...

Hirshel
In the Polish/Galicianer chassidim no alcohol is permitted till after the hakofas according to the Reb Elimelech that was the Rebbe of all this chasidim.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Yes, I know that minhag from my childhood. I thought it had something to do with not being Oleh while "shikker." Although what can 2 ounces of Kedem wine do already! Is it really a takonoh from the Rebbe Reb Meilech?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

in the beis hamikdosh that you don't want rebuilt, only the baalei ruach hakodesh danced by simchas beis hasho'eiva.
nothing pc about that!


nice of you to compare SBH to Hakofes...

Anonymous said...

The Shaar Yisoschor brings (Maamar Zman Simchoseini #20)in the name of Haichel Habrocho (Komarno) pr. Shemini that the Noam Elimelech assured drinking any mashkeh on the last days of Yom Tov "shelo yisorev zar b'simcho shel kedisho". See there b'arichis.

Anonymous said...

Tzig! S'iz doch altz hevel havolim- Ein oid milvado!

Anonymous said...

if you have a problem with hamon am just being spectaters, then yes, there is a great comparison of hakafos to sbh.....
hayetochen a chosid like you is already sober?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

single malt and lots of food.

Tzemach Atlas said...

there was never a farbrengen on Shemini Atzres that't what I mean.

Anonymous said...

Free Booze

And how mnay baalei batim in Chabad who paid for the booze drink it to celebrate the Torah?!
The Rebbe should have relied on the R' Meilech as well....

Anonymous said...

On Simchas Torah morning, after I duchened, I was waiting for my Aliya (in a Chabad Shule). I didn't get into the Hakofos too much because I'm not on the madreyga to leave what ever else is on my mind behind, having only had a coffee for breakfast prior to that.

An elterer chossid, who had made kiddush, suggested I make kiddush. I felt uncomfortable because I hadn't had an aliyah yet and wasn't sure that it was at all muttar. (I make on 86ml of scotch) He said it was okay, it was only a problem with Shmoneh Esreh, but I wasn't convinced. Anyway, as I was discussing it with another Rov, someone walked by and told me that he had just come from the Lakewood Kollel, where they had been discussing the same thing and were making chilukim between wines and types of alcohol.

Oy vey! When I heard that, I said it must be muttar, and promptly made kiddush. I have to say, it always works and lets me leave shtusim and havolim aside.

Anonymous said...

Why would there be a problem making before your aliyah?
The problem is eating before davening shachris, no?
Even if there would be a chiyuv medrabonon to hear krias hatorah on yom tov, teimah would probably be permissable.On top of that there is no chiyuv to get an aliyah.So I don't get the whole thing

Anonymous said...

The issue is shikrus not teimah