what is simchat torah and how is it celebrated

I could never understand this puzzling remark. Read about Simchat Torah around the world in 2020. In some congregations, the Torah scrolls are carried out into the streets and the dancing may continue far into the evening. Simchat Torah or Simhat Torah (Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה‎, lit., "Rejoicing with/of the Torah", Ashkenazi: Simchas Torah) is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. It is an important day for agricultural purposes. Simchat Torah is actually the second day of the Sh’mini Atzeret festival and is a Yom Tov. In 2020, Simchat Torah (which comes on the heels Shemini Atzeret) begins at nightfall on Oct. 10 and ends the following night. [dubious – discuss], In the 9th century, some European Jewish communities assigned a special reading from the Prophets to be read on this day. 2. Although the blessing of the children is omitted from the 1985 edition of Conservative Judaism's Siddur Sim Shalom prayer book, it was reinstated in later versions. After the hakafot and the dancing, three scrolls of the Torah are read. We celebrated Simchat Torah and now it’s time to celebrate FREE WAFFLES!!! The highlight of the second day, Simchat Torah (“The Joy of the Torah”), is the hakafot, held on both the eve and the morning of Simchat Torah, in which we march and dance with the Torah scrolls around the reading table in the synagogue. That is why each year, it seems like Sukkot concludes in a dizzying, indistinguishable blur of festivities. Das Lesen der Tora am Festtag Simchat Tora ist eine sehr große Ehre. People who made these donations were called up to the Torah and given a congregational blessing. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth Day of Assembly"), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei (occurring in mid-September to early October on the Gregorian calendar). In the 17th century, Rebecca bat Meir Tiktiner of Prague composed a poem about Simhat Torah. Although Sukkot itself is celebrated from the 15 th of Tishrei until the 21 st of Tishrei, on the 22 nd of the month, we celebrate the holiday known as Shemini Atzeret. In many congregations, a large talit is spread out over the heads of all the children as the blessing over the Torah is pronounced, and for the congregation to bless the children by reciting (in Hebrew) a verse from Jacob's blessing to Ephraim and Manasseh, Genesis 48:16. The custom was started by the former Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Yedidya Frankel.[1]. Another custom is to call all the children (in Orthodox congregations boys only) to a special aliyah called Kol HaNe'arim ("all the children"). 3. [6] The Jews of the Soviet Union, in particular, would celebrate the festival en masse in the streets of Moscow. Simchat Torah markiert Ende und Anfang des jährlichen Tora-Zyklus. Women and older girls often have their own dancing circles sometimes with the Torah scrolls, or look on from the other side of a mechitza (partition), in accordance with the value of tzniut (modesty). The haftarah (reading from the prophets) is the first section of the Book of Joshua. The Torah is the wisdom of G-d as is comes down from the loftiest heights and descends into our material world. In the 16th century, the practice of taking out the scrolls and filing solemnly around the bimah on the night of the 23rd of Tishri became customary; and on the same evening, after the procession, a number of passages from the Torah were read. Simchat Torah celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, as well as the beginning of a new cycle. On this holiday we celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle. On each occasion, when the ark is opened, the worshippers leave their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that can last for several hours. And just as the head benefits from the mobility of the feet, so does the Torah become exalted by the commitment of the Jew.[5]. This Crash Course in Jewish Holidays presents them as two separate days. Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." the synagogue used this occasion as a fund-raiser. Those Jews who, in the course of their journey to the end of hope, managed to dance on Simhat Torah, those Jews who studied Talmud by heart while carrying stones on their back, those Jews who went on whispering Zemirot shel Shabbat (Hymns of Sabbath) while performing hard labor . This is thought as an act of submission to the will of God as expressed in the dictates of the Torah. For each of the Hakafot a single member of the community held the Torah and circled the Teba, while the rest of the congregants singed songs in Hebrew and Ladino in honor of the Tora, from their seats, looking at the Tora with admiration and affection and kissing it from afar. Others hold a series of separate minyanim for the Torah reading. Though it is a component of Sukkot, people are no longer obligated to eat and sleep in the sukkah, and in fact it is forbidden to do so. The scrolls are carried around the sanctuary in seven circles called hakafot. SHEMINI ATZERET . In northern European countries, those who had finished the reading of Deuteronomy made donations to the synagogue, after which the wealthier members of the community would give a dinner for friends and acquaintances. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. In many congregations, one deviation from an otherwise ordinary holiday morning service is the performance of the Priestly Blessing as part of the Shacharit service, before the celebrations connected with the Torah reading begin, rather than as part of the Musaf service that follows. It is an act that causes the Jew to inherently and naturally observe the Jewish faith. In Orthodox and Conservative communities outside Israel, Shemini Atzeret is a two-day holiday and the Simchat Torah festivities are observed on the second day. It is celebrated by taking all the Torah … After the portion of Genesis is read, the Maftir, Numbers 29:35–30:1, is read from a third Torah scroll. This is a joyous holiday and the Torah is celebrated with great delight. Most Conservative congregations still perform it. (In many synagogues, hakafot are conducted also on the eve of Shemini Atzeret.) In Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, directly after Sukkot. In Poland it was the custom to sell to the members of the congregation, on the 23rd of Tishri, the privilege of executing various functions during the services on Shabbat and Jewish festivals; i.e. Like Easter, it's a movable feast - which is observed on the 22nd-23rd day of Tishrei. The morning service, like that of other Jewish holidays, includes a special holiday Amidah, the saying of Hallel, and a holiday Mussaf service. The Simhat Torah festivities begin with the evening service. David Geffen is a former Atlantan and Conservative rabbi who lives in Jerusalem. In Israel and among Diaspora communities that only celebrate one day of holidays, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated as a combined festival. Simchat Torah is celebrated by taking all the Torah scrolls out of the ark in synagogue and spending the evening dancing, singing, and rejoicing. In the 14th century, the reading of Genesis was added immediately upon the completion of Deuteronomy and the Shulhan Arukh (written about 1565)[3] only mentions this without mentioning the presumably later custom of southern European countries to remove all the Torah scrolls from the ark and to sing a separate hymn for each one. Traditionally, Simchat Torah is celebrated immediately after Sukkot. Many Hasidic communities have Hakafot on the eve of the first day of Shemini Atzeret as well. Simchat Torah is directly related to another holiday . For Christians, this celebration is a wonderful opportunity to recommit ourselves to God and His eternal Word. ve-samachta be-chagekha was one commandment that was impossible to observe—yet they observed it. All Rights Reserved. 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