Shavuot/Simchat Torah: Appreciating the Gift

The Maggid was once asked: "Why do we have two holidays, Simchat Torah and Shavuot, to celebrate the same event? Both commemorate the Jewish people receiving the Torah at Sinai. Why not combine them into one grand celebration?"

The Maggid responded with the following parable:

The Anxious Prince

Once upon a time, in a kingdom long ago, a king and queen were childless. Desperate for a child, they sought the counsel of a wise old sage. The sage granted them a powerful blessing, but with one peculiar condition: if the child were a girl, no man could see her until her wedding day, or else she would die.

When the queen gave birth to a daughter, the king prepared a secluded island where the princess would be raised in the finest royal style. Only women could enter her world—female educators, maidservants, and attendants. The princess grew up in this secluded paradise, a beautiful young woman, but the rest of the world knew only her legend.

Years later, when the princess was of marriageable age, the king approached a respected nobleman and suggested he marry his daughter.

"Of course! I'd be honored!" the nobleman said. "When can I meet her?"

The king, with a solemn tone, explained that his daughter could not be seen before the wedding.

"Well, I must decline," said the nobleman. "How can I marry someone I’ve never seen? She could be unpleasant, or worse—hideously scarred. I need to know what I’m getting into."

The king, of course, had heard this objection many times. One after another, suitors turned down the match, demanding to meet the princess first. They were all skeptical, not trusting the king’s assurances that his daughter was beautiful and kind-hearted.

Finally, one young man, brave and confident, agreed. "If she shares the noble character of her royal parents, then I will marry her without seeing her first. I trust you, and I trust my fate."

The wedding was set, and invitations went out to the entire kingdom. The celebration was grand—music, dancing, feasting—but despite all the revelry, the groom remained anxious. Though the bride was as beautiful as the king had promised, the groom’s mind still raced with fear. What if, despite her beauty, something ugly—some hidden flaw—lay beneath the surface?

The tension was palpable throughout the wedding. The groom, despite his growing affection for his bride, was filled with doubt. His joy was overshadowed by his fears, and by the end of the night, he realized he’d been so nervous he hadn’t even enjoyed the feast.

Months passed. The groom came to know his bride, to discover her wisdom, kindness, and grace. Her beauty was matched by her inner qualities. Slowly, he understood what the king had meant: she was everything he could have hoped for, and more.

Yet, he couldn’t help but feel cheated. Why had he spent the wedding in turmoil? He hadn’t been able to express his joy, to celebrate fully. So, the prince went to the king and said, "Father, I am delighted beyond measure with my wife, but I must confess—on our wedding day, I was filled with worry. I couldn’t even eat, I was so anxious. It’s as if I missed out on my own wedding celebration!"

The king, wise as always, smiled and nodded. "Then, we shall have another celebration. This time, there will be no doubt. Only you, my son, will dance. Let your joy be known to all."

And so, they threw a second party, where only the prince danced to show the world, at last, the true joy of his heart.

The Complete Joy of Simchat Torah

The Sages taught that when the Torah was offered to the world, the nations raised many questions. They sought clarity, they debated, they doubted. But the Jewish people, with their unshakeable faith, responded: "Na'aseh veNishma"—"We will do, and then we will understand."

They accepted the Torah, not because they understood everything in it, but because they trusted in the wisdom of its Giver. This is the essence of Shavuot—celebrating that initial, unquestioning commitment to God's law.

Yet, even in that moment of total commitment, the journey was not complete. The heart and mind were still not in perfect harmony. The mind had grasped the words, but the heart had not yet internalized their true meaning. The trust was there, but the joy was still to come.

It was only after living with the Torah, after a full cycle of learning and experiencing its teachings, that the Jewish people were finally ready to celebrate with true joy. On Simchat Torah, after having finished reading the entire Torah, they could rejoice, not just in the Torah itself, but in the transformation it had brought to their lives.