"There is no more supportive environment than Kehillat Nashira to try things for the first time ..."
In this beautiful reflection, Amy, a Kehillat Nashira community member, shares her experience on Simchat Torah this year. Amy highlights the power of saying 'yes' when offered the opportunity - whether it's holding the Torah, participating in an Aliyah or trying something new.
Let this be an invitation to step forward and say 'yes' with full support from the Kehillat Nashira community.
Watch below:
Read Amy's words as follows:
"After another wonderful Simchat Torah at Kehillat Nashira I have been thinking about what it means to me to be able to hold our Torah.
The first time I went to a Kehillat Nashira Simchat Torah service I was offered the scroll, but I shook my head. I wanted to, but I didn't know how it would feel. It looked awkward, solid and very heavy. What if I dropped it and everyone had to fast for 40 days? That would have been an awkward community lunch! Afterwards, I regretted it and made up my mind to say yes the next time.
A year later I held out my arms and, when the Torah was placed into them, I was surprised that it felt strangely familiar. I knew what to do.
That’s because it was familiar – it was the size and weight of my youngest child.
Joshua is no longer Torah-sized, but I still think of this every year. It makes the act of holding it, moving with it, feel familiar and intimate. It rests against my shoulder and I find my hands automatically coming up to cradle it; my movements are gentle. Rather than being intimidated, I am simply mindful that I am holding something precious.
I felt this more acutely than ever last week with our beautiful new Torah cover dedicated to the memory of Ayelet Arnin, a young woman who was murdered at the Nova festival.
In the biography that Rabbi Miriam provided, Ayelet’s brother Nimrod, who was one of the Nova organisers, wrote: “I’m sorry that I didn’t get to hug you and say hi when you came to the party, I was sure that we would have more time to dance together.” It was profoundly moving to dance with the Torah that now bears her name, and an honour I was glad to be able to accept.
Having the opportunity to relate physically to the Torah – to understand its weight and feel; to touch it as it goes past you; to stand next to the leyner and see the hand-inked words, and the care with which each letter was written - changes your relationship to it. It is so meaningful to be part of a community where that experience is available to both women and men.
If you are offered an aliyah and find yourself hesitating because you don’t know what to do or you’re worried you will do it wrong, I would encourage you to just say yes and see what happens. There is no more supportive environment than Kehillat Nashira to try things for the first time and you may find that you experience them in unexpected ways or relate differently to them afterwards."
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