<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> <span style="font-size: 19px; "> </span><span style="font-size: 19px;">The question has been raised why we dance with the Torah on Simchas Torah and </span><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> why not on Shavuos. After all, Matan Torah is a major highlight of Judaism. One would</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> expect to <b>dance with the stars</b> (every portion of the Torah) when the Torah was given.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> The answer I have given is rather simple. When we received the Torah, we said n<i>a'a'seh v'nishma,</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> accepting it blindly and having no idea what was in store. But after we read and studied it --</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> finishing it was a major achievement. THEN we could dance, which would explain why we dance on</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> Simchas Torah and not on Shavuos. </span></div><span style="font-size: 19px;"> </span><div> <span style="font-size: 14px; "> </span><b style="font-size: 14px; ">I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.</b></div><div> <font size="2"><b>Mikhail Baryshnikov</b></font><br><br></div></body></html>