Lessons from Simchat Torah: Embracing Complexity and Uncertainty

As the holiday of Simchat Torah approaches, Israelis are reflecting on the past two years, noting a potential increase in a sense of security this year, not due to forgetting but perhaps due to a maturation of perspective. This sentiment was challenged by a recent incident where a Flydubai plane carrying 174 passengers experienced a life-threatening emergency mid-flight. The co-pilot reportedly attacked the captain, causing the aircraft to dive sharply. Passengers and crew managed to regain control, and the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia, with all aboard returning home. While acknowledging the professionalism and correct decisions that averted disaster, the author suggests that a sense of wonder at what could have happened, but didn't, points towards faith.

The article draws a parallel to a recent experience where Sheikhs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi asked Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon to lecture on divine intervention in the 'War of the Uprising' (Mלחמת התקומה), expressing admiration for Israel's successes. This external perspective highlights how those within a situation can sometimes struggle to see what outsiders perceive. The author posits that faith is not the certainty of a positive outcome, but the courage to live with uncertainty, referencing Rabbi Sacks' interpretation of the Binding of Isaac. Abraham's test, according to Rabbi Sacks, was not the potential sacrifice itself, but the profound uncertainty of how to reconcile God's promise of progeny with the command to sacrifice his son.

Reflecting on the Sukkot holiday, the author emphasizes the human need for order and control, the desire to separate good from evil, joy from sorrow, and clarity from the unknown. However, drawing from the creation narrative where order is established through separation (e.g., separating waters), the article suggests that perhaps this year, the lesson of Simchat Torah, which falls on the anniversary of the October 7th massacre, is not to separate but to embrace complexity. It is impossible to celebrate as if nothing happened, yet allowing the memory to overshadow joy is also detrimental. The human psyche is capable of holding both, and the Sukkah itself invites us to dwell in impermanence, accepting the unknown future with the prayer for light, and the reminder that even in uncertainty, one is not alone.