Hit the road, Jack! - It is nice to be back to the real world following all the holidays.It is a custom among Chassidim to announce at this time of year after Simchat Torah, "V'Yaakov halach l'darko" - "and Jacob went on his way." Following the excitement, tumult, hustle and bustle of the holidays, “Jacob”, the Jewish people, go back on their regular path, to their normal, everyday, lives.
However, more reflective, after the holidays are over, Jacob goes on "His way" - in the ways of G-d, studying Torah and performing mitzvot (commandments). We have completed, for the time being, the more spiritual days of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah.
But, we shouldn't think that with the holidays over, our religious observance must be placed on hold until the next Jewish holiday appears on the calendar.
Indeed, we can bring the spirituality of those days, the concentrated observance of mitzvot, into our mundane lives every single day of the year!
So… Hit the road, Jack!
Rabbi Chaim
ChabadTexas.org Editor
רווווו wrote...