Holiday concert is cause for celebration
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
It may not be a holiday every Jew has heard of, but concert-goers will celebrate Simchat Beit Hashoevah on Oct. 3 with a performance by Israeli singing star Yoel Sharabi.
Simchat Beit Hashoevah, Rabbi Laibel Blotner of Chabad explains, is "a time of joy for the Jewish people.
"In the time of the Temple, there was what was called the Simchat Beit Hashoevah. ... They used to have rejoicing every single night on this holiday."
In the past, Simchat Beit Hashoevah (which means "the rejoicing of the water-drawing") was celebrated with all-night dancing and revelry in the temple.
"And it wasn't just the regular people dancing," Blotner adds. "The biggest rabbis used to participate. They used to juggle things and dance, do somersaults, all kinds of activities."
In 1981, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, began a movement to once again celebrate the holiday.
"His motto was always, 'See to it that the streets should dance.' The Talmud says that someone who has never seen this joy has never seen joy in their life," Blotner says.
In Phoenix, Chabad of Arizona will mark the occasion with the Sharabi concert. Tickets are $10 for children under 18, and $20 for adults. For $200, patrons receive four tickets and an invitation to a post-concert reception with Sharabi. Blotner says Sharabi's versatility will appeal to a wide audience.
Sharabi, a tenor, performs modern Israeli, classic Yeminite and traditional Hasidic songs, and plays the piano, drums, recorder and guitar. He has sung the national anthem at Shea Stadium and performed at director Steven Spielberg's wedding
Blotner says the concert is an important step forward toward the widespread celebration of the holiday in the Valley.
"In major communities throughout the world, it's sort of caught on and become very popular. And we thought here in Phoenix, even though we've had this in the past on a smaller scale, it'd be a nice thing to have for the community - a communitywide celebration with a concert to sing and dance on a larger scale like they do in bigger communities."
Details
- Who: Chabad of Arizona
- What: Concert with Yoel Sharabi
- When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3
- Where: Radisson Resort and Spa 7171 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
- Cost: $10-$20; $200 patron seating (includes four tickets and reception)
- Call: 602-944-2753
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