J
ust before Succos here in Israel an anonymous e-mail informed me of the Talmudic comment that “whoever had not seen the simchas beis hashoeivah the Holy Temple’s water-drawing ceremony had never in his life seen a simchah”(Talmud Succah 51). Then it graciously reminded me that the season for simchas beis hashoeivah — the intermediate days of Succos — was just around the corner.
I wondered what were they selling? The answer appeared a few lines below: We were invited to a musical concert and if we wanted to have a simchah-filled evening it would cost us $50 (not shekalim). And if we really wanted to feel the joy we could sit in the VIP section and have front row seats for two plus “a lavish meat buffet” for only $400 (not shekalim). Well I thought $400 seems a little steep but maybe they meant that the heavy VIP kavod and heavy meal would make our simchah full and satisfying the kind that we “have never seen in our lives.”
There were two odd items about the notice: Firstly was this a benefit for some charity? Apparently not: No sponsors were listed. Secondly why were they charging dollars and not shekalim? One did not have to be Sherlock Holmes to realize that the target of this notice was not shekel-holding Israelis but those who visit Jerusalem with dollars in their pockets aka American tourists.
If the anonymous promoters of the event want to profit off gullible tourists that is their business. But what is my business is their commercialization of the concept of simchah and their cavalier use of an ancient sacred event in order to make a few dollars (not shekalim).
