Thread by @JYuter

1. Opinion: I've never been a fan of Simhat Torah. I don't mean Shemini Atzeret (no beef there), but the holiday of Simhat Torah was a later invention and I'm not a fan of what it's turned into.

2. First, the best scholarship I know of on Simhat Torah is Avraham Ya'ari's Toledot Hag Simhat Torah. If your Hebrew is decent, I highly recommend the book:
tablet.otzar.org/en/book/book.p…

3. My objections vary by community. For example, in some places, Simhat Torah is simply an excuse to get drunk. Not a fan of that in general.

4. Others know my longtime objection to dancing on Shabbat and Yom Tov, which isn't my objection as much as the Mishna's. People didn't pay attention to this law back then either and the Sages said, "better they sin in error than sin intentionally."
sefaria.org.il/Beitzah.30a.7?…

5. All that aside, I'm personally bothered by a certain fetishization of the physical Torah scroll itself. This requires some explanation because the Torah scroll is "sacred" and subject to particular rules regarding its treatment.

6. The sanctity of a Torah scroll is not derived from ink on parchment in certain patterns but in the religious intent behind it.

7. For example, a Torah scroll written by gentiles should be buried and those written by heretics should be burnt, even though they're the same letters w/the same ink on the same parchment as a kosher Sefer Torah.
sefaria.org.il/Gittin.45b.3?l…

8. Two Torah scrolls may be identical physically, but one may be valid and another invalid, depending on the status of the scribe. This means there's something else beyond the physical object which bestows significance.

9. The Torah scroll is understandably a powerful symbol for Judaism, but this comes with the risk of worshipping the symbol instead of its substance.

10. The Torah scroll is not meant to be an object of worship. It's contents are supposed to be studied and ultimately practiced. The "simha"/joy spoken of in the Talmud is the joy associated w/fulfilling the commandments. E.g. Shabbat 30b
sefaria.org.il/Shabbat.30b.5?…

11. That our current reading schedule happens to complete the Torah every year is not in and of itself a cause for celebration. It's just how things are and it'll happen whether or not people observe the Torah or even attend synagogue to hear it.

12. There can certainly be joy over the commandments at the opportunity to learn the texts anew as a means for growth. But this is different than fixating on the physical scroll itself.

13. So perhaps if there even is such a thing as an "ideal" Simhat Torah, maybe it involves taking some time out of the dancing and drinking to appreciate its contents and meaning. /fin