DANCING THROUGH THE DARKNESS

The sun is just a few hours from setting over West Bloomfield, its golden rays light the walls of Fleischman Residence, casting long shadows that seem to hold both ancient wisdom and the weight of current struggles. The air is thick with hope, yet conflict and uncertainty hang like a storm cloud over everyone’s minds. But this afternoon, in the lobby something else was stirring — something brighter, defiant, and resilient. Members of The Shul in West Bloomfield came to hold a Torah Dance Party with the residents.

In Oak Park, Prentis residents will dance with their Torah around the dining room celebrating not only Shabbat, but the holiday of Simchat Torah – the day when Jews around the world celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of reading the Torah. This is a time not of solemn prayer, but of jubilation. Normally, the synagogues would be filled with laughter, singing, and dancing, as congregants held the sacred scrolls high above their heads. But this afternoon, the celebration felt different, infused with deeper meaning.

There is something about Simchat Torah that doesn’t allow sadness to take root. As residents watched the Torah scrolls being carried around the room, passed from hand to hand, many remembered the essence of this holiday. It was about renewal. The cycle of the Torah reading reminds us that even in the darkest of times, the Jewish people always find a way to start again.

Music swelled, and feet began to tap and move. Slowly at first, then with more certainty, some joined the circle of dancing, others clapped in support. The voices of old and young rose in song, their arms linked, their movements in unison. Some wept softly, others sang louder, but all were connected by the shared hope that the new Torah cycle would bring peace, that the violence would one day end.

“Am Yisrael Chai! The people of Israel live!” They chanted a phrase that echoed with the unshakable belief in survival.

To dance with the Torah in the middle of a war was a reminder that joy, hope, and faith are powerful forms of resistance. Simchat Torah is not only about celebrating the past, but about envisioning a future where peace could reign, where children could play in the streets without fear, and where the only sounds of footsteps are from joyous dancing, not fleeing.

We think of IDF soldiers on the battlefield, of the friends they had lost, and of the uncertain days ahead. But in these moments, our hearts are lighter, and even amidst the chaos, there is room for joy, for hope, and for life to go on. Simchat Torah teaches us that life is a constant cycle of endings and new beginnings. In the context of war, it becomes a reminder that, just as the Jewish people continue to read from the Torah year after year, so too do they continue to live, thrive, and seek peace despite the challenges they face.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.