• Simchat Torah celebrates the completion of the reading of the entire five books of the Torah. The reading takes an entire year to complete
  • Simchat Torah means“The Joy of the Torah” and the Torah is the star of the holiday
  • It is a joyous and festive holiday which is celebrated by taking all the Torah scrolls out of the ark in Synagogue and spending the evening dancing, singing, and rejoicing
  • The scrolls are carried around the Synagogue sanctuary in seven circles called hakafot
  • As many people as possible are given the honor of carrying a Torah scroll in these processions. Many children sing and dance with small toy Torahs
  • In some neighborhoods there are outdoor street parties celebrations while carrying the Torah
  • The Torah is always new and never finished. Therefore, Jews do not wait until the next Shabbat to start the reading of the Torah all over.
  •  After the completion of the last book, Deuteronomy, we immediately read the first verses of Genesis.( the first book)
  • The greeting for Simchat Torah is “Chag Sameach!” (Happy Holiday)