simchat torah
The final holiday of the season is Simchat Torah (rejoicing in the Torah). In Israel, it is merged with Shemini Atzeret as one holiday. This is one of the happiest days of the Jewish year. On this day we read the last portion of the Torah (V’zot Habrachah), and then we immediately resume with the first portion, Bereshit. This shows the continuity of the Jewish cycle.
On the evening preceding Simchat Torah, during the evening service, all the Torah scrolls are removed from the ark. They are carried in a procession around the sanctuary (Hakafah), which often involves much dancing and merriment. This occurs seven times and is followed by the reading of the concluding passages of the Torah.
With the conclusion of Simchat Torah Sunday night, we will arrive at the conclusion of the series of holidays which began three weeks ago with Rosh Hashana. We then have two months to prepare for the next holiday, Hanukkah, so that we can all return to our daily lives, focus on school, work, etc., and I can give my email a break.
This page was originally created by John Davis and Michael Kay, and can be found at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jdd16/guide/.
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