A select group of TABC juniors and seniors went on a trip on October 17th to Boro Park for a Simchas Beis Hashoeva, where they experienced a night full of dancing, singing and Torah.
Simchat Beit Hashoeva is a celebration that takes place between the first and second days of the Jewish holiday Sukkot.
This celebration dates back to the time of the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) around 1900 years ago, when Jews would have a Nisa Hachaim, which is a type of water offering during the holiday of Sukkot.
This offering was intended to ask G-d for a good, rainy season so that the crops would grow. After this offering, Jews would gather together and celebrate with dancing and singing.
According to Head of School Rabbi Asher Yablok, “a Mishnah in the book of Sukkot says that anyone who hasn't seen the celebration of Simchas Beis Hashoeva hasn’t seen a real Simcha.” (Simcha means celebration in Hebrew.)
All types of Jews dance and sing during this celebration, but highly Orthodox areas like Boro Park, New York, have a reputation for having the best dancing.
The students on this trip left from TABC and got to Boro Park at around 9:30 pm. They started their night at the Stoliner shul. Principal Arthur Poleyeff noted that the boys danced for hours in a giant snake dance.
Junior Harry Meister said that the Stoliner shul was his favorite part of the night because it was “the most lively.” He also complemented the singing.
Next, the boys went to the Bobov Succa and got to see the Bobov Rebbe dance with a violin quartet.
After that, the students met up with other yeshiva High Schools such as Heichal and DRS at the Munkatch Succa. This meeting was not planned but ended up being a great addition to a fun night.
All the schools were privileged that night to hear the Rebbe speak. He spoke about the exodus of Egypt and how it related to the Sukka. Then everyone danced there for an hour before moving onto the next place.
The final stop that night was the Stitchin shul, where the boys danced with all the Chasidim. Junior Ezra Kopstick said “the Stichin Chasid had the most intense dancing” of the night and that their energy got everyone into it.
The reason that TABC took the students to so many different places was to ensure that they got the full “Boro Park experience” on this great holiday. By going to so many different shuls and sukkahs, students were able to fully appreciate the wide range of Chasidim along with their different sects and cultures.
The trip to Boro Park isn't a new thing for TABC. The school has been taking students for the past twelve years and this trip has always been very successful, as it was this time.
Poleyeff said that the purpose of the trip was to allow the students “to be inspired” by how different people celebrate the holiday. Poleyeff also said the trip allowed the students to celebrate and dance in a way they usually wouldn't.
Kopstick said he would recommend the trip to his friends and that the experience was very inspiring because it helped him “grow my connection to Torah.”