Juggling or Torah?
Who knew that the ancient Rabbis were not only well versed in the stories of the Torah and knew the details of Jewish law and practice but could also juggle eight flaming torches!? In multiple places in the Mishnah, Talmud and other texts we read about the incredible juggling skills of the rabbis. (See History of Jewish Juggling for all of the details). To a non-juggler reader of these texts, it might seem surprising that such holy and esteemed people could achieve such feats; to fellow jugglers, the tricks are clearly quite impossible. Eight torches, eight knives, eight glasses of wine–without spilling! We have to assume that the descriptions of the rabbis juggling was meant to be primarily symbolic, hiding within them a deeper meaning about joy, passion and wisdom.
It must be mentioned that the fact that these juggling rabbis are mentioned is a rarity in any ancient religious or cultural texts, and since they are mentioned more than once, there must be a reason for doing so. On the one hand, it is not entirely strange to have such strange descriptions in these Jewish texts, since the Talmud and other ancient texts cover an unbelievably wide range of topics. The Talmud, one of the core texts of the Jewish tradition, has a mix of halacha, and aggadah, descriptions of Jewish law and stories and folklore. You can find conversations about relationships, about Jewish ritual, about theology, education, holidays, some magical potions and recipes, health, mathematical equations, endless discussions about ethics and values and anything which the rabbis felt connected with Jewish practice and belief–which was everything. In these texts, we are not meant to believe everything as scientific truth or historical fact, and the rabbis make very clear that more often than not, the wisdom comes in the symbolism and the conversation about a certain topic, not necessarily the pshat, or the “surface meaning” of the words.
So reading about these juggling rabbis must clearly have a deeper meaning than just their incredible talent. We don’t necessarily need to believe that they actually were able to do these incredible juggling feats, but we also need to pay attention to what wisdom these stories have for us.
Yet, this didn’t stop some commentators from being bothered by what they were reading. Some pointed out that these holy wise rabbis, paragons of knowledge and representatives of Godly values, were clearly wasting their time juggling when they could have been studying Torah. (And just think of the time they must have needed to practice!)
Maimonides, one of the most well known rabbis of our tradition, was not willing to see the juggling rabbis as purely symbolic, but said that the rabbis don’t attach too much value to these entertaining acts. What they did do however, was provide the entertainment so that others who were partying at such a joy filled event didn’t go too far in their own celebration. Like so much else, whether with Torah knowledge or juggling skills, the rabbis were the ones who knew best, and everyone else were simply observers.
Rabbi Henokh Zundel ben Joseph, a nineteenth century Talmud scholar and many others said that there must be a deeper meaning to these stories, and that the symbolism must be made clear from the onset. Otherwise, all rabbis should be jugglers! According to Rabbi Henokh Zundel, we shouldn’t worry as much about the fact that it was the rabbis juggling, but what we can learn from what they are doing.
Some other commentators pointed out that there was a good reason why the rabbis chose torches instead of other props. Since the Simchat Beit HaShoeva occurred at night, it would make sense to use objects that would provide light. And what about the other props? The eggs and the knives, as any good performing juggler knows, were not necessarily much more difficult to juggle, but they looked more impressive, and therefore, were more entertaining.
And then there is the number eight, a number which comes up quite often in the description of the jugglers. While not a particularly meaningful number from a professional jugglers perspective, in Jewish tradition it is very important indeed! Most commonly we know the number from the eight days of Hanukkah. One more than seven, the number of days in a week, a number that symbolizes completion and wholeness. So eight is often thought of as that next important step into the unknown and mysterious. Or in the words of Matisyahu, the great Jewihs reggae stay: “Eight is the number of infinity, one more than you know how to be.”
Rabbi Jacob Reischer made the connection with a section of the Talmud that talks about eight rituals that are done during each of the days of sukkot before the festival where the juggling occurred. (1) the daily morning offering, (2) the morning prayer, (3) the Additional (Musaf) sacrifice, (4) the Musaf prayer, (5) the study of Torah, (6) the festive meal, (7) the afternoon prayer, and (8) the daily evening offering.
Or the number could symbolize the eight people who the Torah says should join in the celebrations, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 16:14: “And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and (1) thy son, and (2) thy daughter, and (3) thy manservant, and (4) thy maidservant, and (5) the Levite, (6) the stranger, and (7) the fatherless, and (8) the widow.”
Or finally the eight ways of understanding the Torah mentioned in the Talmud: (1) Bible, (2) Mishnah, (3) Talmud, (4) Aggadah, (5) received traditions, (6) scholarly debate, (7) the secret wisdom of the Creation story, and (8) Ezekiel’s vision of the mystical Chariot.
Connecting with this imagery, Rabbi Henokh Zundel saw the skill of juggling eight torches as showing how the rabbis were able to master all these different ways of studying Torah. Somehow the juggler could keep everything in the air, keep each torch separated, and of course not drop anything! The best rabbis can “juggle” all of their learning and keep everything organized in the process.
As you might expect beyond these few commentaries, our tradition did not have lengthy discussion about the role of the juggling rabbis. Nevertheless, the very fact that these descriptions are part of the Jewish tradition emphasizes the fact that juggling is a difficult, entertaining and a spiritual act. It represents wisdom and learning, and honors the joy that we should live our lives. Whether or not the ancient rabbis were truly able to juggle as described, the people who wrote about them clearly believed that there was quite a bit to learn from the skill!
Thanks to Eliezer Segal for much the original research, and also to Sefaria.org for many of the original texts.