Hakafos
It is a universal custom among the Jewish people to make hakafos on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.
The Arizal explained the deeper levels of meaning in very many different mitzvos and minhagim. He wrote detailed explanations even of the custom to beat the aravos on Hoshana Rabba. But he wrote nothing at all about the meaning of hakafos on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah.
We do know that after the Arizal finished his hakafos – which he would do in Maariv, Shacharis, Musaf, Minchah and even Motzaei Yom Tov – when he passed by a shul where they were still doing hakafos, he would go in and join them.
We see how important the hakafos were to the Arizal, so it is surprising that he wrote nothing of their deeper meaning. It is also surprising that hakafos, which would seem to be relevant only on Yom Tov itself, are practiced on Motzaei Yom Tov as well.
On Hoshana Rabba we make seven hakafos with the lulav. When we finish them, we don’t add an extra hakafah. We finished the mitzvah and that’s it. But when we make hakafos with a Sefer Torah, there is no such thing as “we finished the mitzvah and that’s it.” We make seven hakafos, and again and again and again.
When we make the hakafos during Sukkos with the lulav, we recite hoshanos. We don’t sing them; we recite the words. But on Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah when we make hakafos with the Sefer Torah, it is accompanied by songs and melodies.
Song expresses something very deep. There are various emotions that we express to Hashem. We thank Him and we plead with Him. When we plead, we say Hosha-na (“Please save!”) and when we thank, we say Halleluyah (which is the essence of the Hallel.) When a person cannot express the deep emotions he feels, either because he doesn’t know how to or because he is so overflowing with feeling that he can’t express it in words, he breaks out in song.
When a Jews takes the Arba Minim, which symbolizes the taking of his heart, eyes, lips and backbone, and he circles the bimah, he feels great happiness. But he still manages to recite the hoshanos. When he holds a Sefer Torah, it’s beyond him. All he can do is dance and sing.
The meaning of hakafos is so powerful that it can’t even be put down on paper. There is simply no way to describe what happens in the world when Jews dance and make hakafos to rejoice over the Torah.
The chagim are over. There is no more shofar, no lulav and no sukkah. But Simchas Torah, joy over the holy Torah, is not confined to a specific holiday. When it comes to the Torah, you never “finish the mitzvah and that’s it.” You can finish the mitzvah of sukkah or lulav but you can’t finish the mitzvah of learning Torah. So we dance and circle and sing endlessly.
We can make hakafos with the Sefer Torah in every tefilah because Torah is not limited to a specific time. It is non-stop deveikus.
Even after we make Havdalah, and the Yom Tov is over, we can keep on celebrating, because with Torah there is no separation between sacred time and mundane time. Torah is limitless and endless.
Hashem showers us with “candies” when we dance and celebrate over His holy Torah. He grants us the ahavah, achvah, shalom v’rei’us of Torah and yiras Shamayim. And we ask Him to send us also the “candies” of abundant parnassah, of the ability to learn Torah with physical and emotional health, and to have blessing and success in all our undertakings.
The Zohar states that all the gates are open on Shemini Atzeres.
May Hashem help us to all rejoice together in Simchas Hatorah.
