Simchat Torahשִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה

Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah (also Simkhes Toreh, Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תורָה, lit., “Rejoicing with/of the Torah,”) is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shmini Atzeret (“Eighth Day of Assembly”), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei. Simchat Torah falls between late September and late October on the Gregorian calendar. At its heart, Simchat Torah is a celebration of the Torah cycle's seamless renewal: the moment the final verses of Deuteronomy are read, the congregation begins again at Genesis 1:1, so the Torah is never treated as "finished." This embodies the principle that a completion must immediately give way to a new beginning, expressing the community's lifelong commitment to study. Its deeper theme is joy made physical: communities dance and sing with the scrolls themselves, voicing a collective love of Torah. In the 20th century the day also took on added meaning as a public expression of Jewish identity and solidarity, notably among Soviet and diaspora Jews.

Simchat Torah is bound to Shmini Atzeret on 22 Tishrei, immediately after the seven days of Sukkot (between late September and late October on the Gregorian calendar). Because Jewish holidays begin at sunset, it starts the evening before. Timing differs by community: in Israel, and in most Reform congregations, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are merged into a single day on 22 Tishrei, while in the Diaspora (Orthodox and Conservative practice) Simchat Torah is a separate second day on 23 Tishrei. Exact civil dates shift each year with the Hebrew calendar, and the single-day vs. two-day distinction depends on your rite and location.

Three Torah scrolls are used. From the first, the final parashah Vezot Haberakhah (Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12) concludes the Torah; from the second, Genesis 1:1–2:3 is read at once so the cycle restarts without a gap; and from the third, the maftir is Numbers 29:35–30:1 (the Shmini Atzeret offering). The Haftarah is from the opening of Joshua, narrating Joshua's succession of Moses, most Ashkenazi congregations read Joshua 1:1–18, though some traditions read Joshua 1:1–9 (rite-dependent). There is no unique festival trope here: unlike Eicha (Tisha B'Av), Esther (Purim), or the High Holiday melody, Simchat Torah uses the standard Torah cantillation (taamei ha-mikra). The distinctive musical character is one of joy, the Sephardi tradition chants it in Maqam Ajam, the maqam of happiness, and congregations add celebratory acclamations such as the communal "Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek!" on completing Deuteronomy.

The most visible custom is the hakafot: the scrolls are carried in seven joyful circuits around the synagogue, with dancing, singing, and children waving flags, on both the evening and the morning. Uniquely in the year, the Torah is taken out and read at night on Simchat Torah eve. It is customary for every adult to receive an aliyah, so the opening portions are repeated as many times as needed (large congregations sometimes split into simultaneous readings). In Kol HaNe'arim ("all the children"), youngsters below bar/bat mitzvah age gather under an outspread tallit and recite the Torah blessings together. The person who concludes Deuteronomy is honored as the Chatan Torah ("Groom of the Torah") and the one who begins Genesis as the Chatan Bereshit ("Groom of Genesis"). Upon finishing the book, the whole congregation proclaims "Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek" ("Be strong, be strong, and may we strengthen one another"). Specific honors and choreography vary by congregation.