The way Simchas Torah usually done at the shuls I've attended (all O., FWIW) is through auctions. The honors -- leading each individual hakafah and maybe some other stuff, I don't quite know what all -- are auctioned off. It's usually a humorous and spirited exchange; nevertheless, I'd rather skip it and get right to the wild singing and dancing, which I just love watching. I got there right as the auctions began on Friday morning, so I saw people "buying" (quotation marks since this is on yontif) honors for friends, for family members, for honored members of the congregation, for entire groups of people, etc. So these were the people who were carrying the scrolls and doing the chanting as each hakafah began, but the scrolls got handed around all over the place as things progressed. Also, the hakafos didn't have leaders for very long -- once the dancing started, it became more of a free-for-all, with some running, some walking, some dancing, some just jumping in place, some hanging around the bimah in order to beat out a rhythm, kids winding through the whole mess fearlessly ... I didn't stick around long enough this year to see how the aliyos were done, but I used to get a chuckle at my shul in Dallas b/c they would call up the men in random silly groups, like so: anybody with an American flag hanging in front of his house, come get an aliyah; anybody with a car fewer than 5 years old, come get an aliyah ... and so on, till everyone had their turn. Also, they'd usually set up at least 3 leyning "stations" to speed the process.
I really dislike the auctions; I've been lucky enough to not run into them much. Except the years I was in Israel, and the yeshivah auctioned things off to the highest bidder... in extra pages of Gemarah or chapters of Mishna learned, depending on the level of the student. All learning to be done by Channukah, I think.
First of all, if I haven't already said so, happy birthday ...
The auctions are something that make me glad not to be in the men's section, quite frankly (though women bid here as well). I know it's for a good cause, I know it's done in a way that technically doesn't violate yontif, etc etc etc -- I just wish it could be done before yontif and in a more private way, so that it doesn't become a show (and so that it doesn't delay the agenda for the day, which is -- dancing!).
I'm with you about the auctions; it just doesn't feel yontifdik in the right way for me. I mean, isn't there some other way to raise money for the shul...?
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The auctions are something that make me glad not to be in the men's section, quite frankly (though women bid here as well). I know it's for a good cause, I know it's done in a way that technically doesn't violate yontif, etc etc etc -- I just wish it could be done before yontif and in a more private way, so that it doesn't become a show (and so that it doesn't delay the agenda for the day, which is -- dancing!).
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I'm with you about the auctions; it just doesn't feel yontifdik in the right way for me. I mean, isn't there some other way to raise money for the shul...?
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