from Rabbi Shalom Bochner, CNS Director of Lifelong Learning
If you are only going to observe one Jewish holiday, 
which one should it be? For me, the answer is Simchat Torah. While my favorite holiday is Sukkot without any doubt, Simchat Torah is the quintessential Jewish holiday. It has three basic ingredients: Jews, celebration and Torah. There are no special supplies, other than flags. (Why are there flags anyway?!). There are no special foods to prepare or eat, no 25 hour endurance challenges without food, no strange sounds to make on animal horns, no all-night study sessions, and no days to count towards. This party is fully accessible; we don't encounter Torah as teachings or detailed instructions on Simchat Torah, we encounter it in pure joy, as a dance partner, in a timeless dance for everyone. On Simchat Torah we don't need to build a fort in our backyard and we don't need to search and destroy small pieces of bread crumbs. On Simchat Torah we just need to dance... Click here to continue reading!
