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Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah immediately follows Sukkot, and is the last of the major autumn holidays that begin with Rosh Hashanah. In Jewish synagogues around the world, we read a portion of the Torah each week in sequential order. Simchat Torah is the holiday that celebrates finishing the final book of the Torah and starting over at the beginning. Simcha means joy, so this is our joyous holiday of singing and dancing with the Torah! On the evening on Simchat Torah, the last section of Deuteronomy is read and then the very beginning of Genesis is read. To do this, we unroll the entire Torah around the sanctuary, and everyone has an opportunity to hold it and see the scroll. As part of the Simchat Torah celebration, all the Torah scrolls in a congregation are removed from the ark and paraded around the synagogue. These are called hakafot (circuits).

 

Find out more about Simchat Torah from Rabbi Amy & Rabbi Michael:

upcoming holiday events & programs

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Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784