Accepting the yoke of Torah with joy

ענין שמחת תורה לאשר המה ימי שמחה צריכין לקבל עתה עול תורה.

The matter of Simchas Torah: since these are days of simchah, we must now take upon ourselves the yoke of Torah.

Because these are days of joy, they are precisely the right time to accept ol Torah (the yoke of Torah) upon ourselves.

כי כל מצות שקיבלו בשמחה עדיין עושין בשמחה.

For every mitzvah that was accepted with simchah is still performed with simchah.

A mitzvah taken on joyfully retains that joy forever, as Chazal teach regarding mitzvos received b'simchah.

וכן שמעתי בשם הרב הק' ז"ל מקאצק הטעם שכיון שיש לבנ"י שמחה בימים אלו מניחין השמחה בתורה.

And so I heard in the name of the holy Rav of Kotzk, of blessed memory, the reason: since Bnei Yisrael have simchah on these days, they place that simchah upon the Torah.

The Kotzker explained that we take the natural joy of these festival days and "invest" it specifically into the Torah, so that the Torah becomes the object of our joy.

ואמת כי עצרת הוא כנופיא כדפרש"י ז"ל שבנ"י מתאחדין ביום זה.

And it is true that "Atzeres" means a gathering, as Rashi explains, that Bnei Yisrael become unified on this day.

Rashi reads "Atzeres" as an assembly; on Shemini Atzeres all of Bnei Yisrael come together in achdus (unity).

ולכן זוכין לתורה כדכתיב מורשה קהלת יעקב.

And therefore they merit Torah, as it is written: "the inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov" (Devarim 33:4).

Because the Torah belongs to the kehillah (congregation) as a whole, it is precisely through this unity that they merit the Torah.

ובתחילת השנה צריכין לקבל עול תורה.

And at the beginning of the year we must accept the yoke of Torah.

The start of the year is the time to renew our acceptance of ol Torah for the year ahead.

ועי"ז יטול הקב"ה מאתנו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ.

And through this Hakadosh Baruch Hu removes from us the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly labor.

As the Mishnah in Avos teaches, accepting ol Torah causes Hashem to lift from us the burdens of malchus (government) and derech eretz (earning a living).

הגם שאין המכוון בקבלת עול תורה כדי ליטול מאתנו עול מלכות.

Although the intent in accepting the yoke of Torah is not in order that the yoke of government be removed from us —

One should not accept Torah merely as a means to escape life's burdens; that is not the proper kavanah.

אעפ"י כן למען לא יפול לב אדם עליו איך מקבל עליו בהיותו יודע טירדת עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ.

nevertheless, so that a person's heart not fall within him — how can he take this on, knowing the bother of the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly labor —

A person might despair, wondering how he can possibly add the yoke of Torah given how preoccupied he already is with earning a living and civic burdens.

על כן מבטיח לנו המשנה כי בהיותינו מקבלין עול תורה יטול מעלינו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ.

therefore the Mishnah assures us that when we accept the yoke of Torah, He removes from us the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly labor.

The Mishnah reassures him: taking on Torah will not crush him, for Hashem will in turn ease the other burdens.

שלא יהי' לנו עיכוב.

So that we will have no impediment.

Nothing will then stand in the way of our avodas Hashem.

וכיה"ר:

And may it be His will.

The Sefas Emes closes with a tefillah that this indeed come to pass.

Summary: Simchas Torah is the ideal time to renew our acceptance of the yoke of Torah, because a mitzvah received with joy is performed with joy forever. The unity of Bnei Yisrael on Shemini Atzeres earns them the Torah, the inheritance of the whole congregation, and the Mishnah reassures us that accepting ol Torah does not add to our burdens but rather lifts the yokes of government and livelihood from us.