Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah 5784

by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

Simchat Torah is one of the most joyous holidays. Many synagogues have some very unique traditions – such as rolling out the entire Torah, and pointing out specific parts – even making it a scavenger hunt of trying to find certain sections, like the Ten Commandments for example. Everyone, including children below the age of b’nai mitzvah, receives an aliyah. There is joyous dancing with all the Torah scrolls, and some rabbis even do somersaults between hakafot, the dance processions with the Torah scrolls. People often have special drinks and snacks between aliyot. Special individuals are honored with the aliyah to complete the reading of the Torah, when we reach the end of the book of Deuteronomy, Sefer Devarim, the Chatan or Kallat Torah, and the aliyah when we begin reading the Torah once again, in Sefer Bereshit, the book of Genesis, called the Chatan or Kallat Bereshit.  All these rituals are joyous and fun. I would like to suggest some other rituals that we should incorporate into the post Simchat Torah, after the holiday concludes, the next day. We should make it our responsibility to commit to incorporating Torah study into our lives. Torah is not just the Five Books of Moses, but anything related to Judaism; make studying something about Judaism part of your daily life. Create your own, personal interpretations of Torah. Another ritual to include in your life, post Simchat Torah, is to make sure we all make a contribution to Torah Fund, for it is our responsibility to support the future of Conservative / Masorti Judaism by supporting our five Conservative / Masorti Seminaries.

Support Torah Fund: https://inspired.jtsa.edu/give/314821