The High Holidays season runs from Rosh Hashanah to Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and finally Simchat Torah. But the last celebration has a surprising history: the Torah doesn’t mention Simchat Torah, nor does any biblical source, and it wasn’t practiced during the time of the Temple. Shemini Atzeret is a biblical holiday, but the custom of celebrating the completion of the Torah reading schedule developed much later. Despite it being an integral part of the high holidays and also so connected with the Torah itself, Simchat Torah was only added to the Jewish calendar in the 11th century.
What is the history of Simchat Torah?
For centuries, Jewish communities did not all read the Torah on the same schedule. In the land of Israel, communities typically completed it over three to three and a half years, reading shorter portions each week. We have proof as early as the second century BCE that the triennial cycle was originally maintained. Portions were short to teach Torah to the community, as most were illiterate — this was the only way to make it accessible to the wider community.
When the people of Israel were exiled to Babylonia, they swapped an annual Torah reading cycle instead. It’s not clear when or how it became officially established, but in Babylonia, the format of Jewish leadership changed. For the first time, Jewish leaders taught in centralized yeshivot rather than operating within smaller communities. Together, these changes ultimately helped establish the annual cycle, creating larger Torah portions read weekly.
As the annual cycle became customary, communities began celebrating its completion in the eighth century. By the 11th century, those celebrations had officially developed into Simchat Torah.
What is the triennial cycle today, and how does it differ from the original?
Today, some congregations of non-Orthodox movements, primarily Reform but some Conservative, follow a triennial cycle of reading the Torah. However, this is different from what was historically practiced in the land of Israel.
Under the original triennial cycle, communities read through the entire Torah over roughly three to three and a half years. Congregations using a modern triennial cycle follow the same weekly cycle as those on the annual cycle, but read about a third of each portion at a time. After three years, they have read the entire Torah.
How did Simchat Torah become part of Sukkot?
The last day of Sukkot is a separate holiday called Shemini Atzeret, which was intended to be a day of personal connection with Hashem. Shemini Atzeret offers a quieter moment, as if summarizing the high holiday period more intimately. The central practice is the prayer for rain. In addition, the prayer of Yizkor is recited, remembering loved ones who have passed away.
In the Diaspora, Shemini Atzeret is observed for two days. That practice dates back to a time when communities relied on messengers to declare that the new month had begun, so an additional day was observed to account for uncertainty. The custom remains even though the calendar is now fixed.
During the eighth century, the final day of Shemini Atzeret was chosen to be Simchat Torah given the timing at the end of the High Holidays and exactly because of the quieter nature of the holiday. The various practices, the celebration, and the time to finish reading the Torah were chosen to be exactly at this point when the High Holidays come to a close.
In Israel, Simchat Torah is combined with Shemini Atzeret and celebrated on the same day. In diaspora communities, Simchat Torah gets its own entire day, further creating the feeling that it is an official holiday, giving it the feel of a separate holiday, even though it developed much later than Shemini Atzeret.
What are the main practices of Simchat Torah?
On Simchat Torah, Jews celebrate the Torah through reading, singing, and dancing. Customs and practices vary by community, but these are some of the most familiar:
- Dancing with the Torah: A hakafah means lap or circle. The general idea is to go around the sanctuary with the Torah seven times. However, in most congregations, the hakafot become a celebration of song and dance as all the Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and the congregation immerses in the happiness and celebration of the Torah. People are honored by holding the Torah during the seven hakafot. The hakafot take place both in the evening and during the daytime. This is the only common practice that occurs at night; the rest of the traditions only happen in the morning service of Shacharit.
- Giving every individual an aliyah: An Aliyah is the honor of being called up to the Torah and reciting blessings over a reading for men over 13 (and women over 12 in non-Orthodox congregations). On Simchat Torah, everyone is encouraged to have an Aliyah while the final portion of V’zot habracha is read. Multiple Torah scrolls are used to grant an Aliyah to every member of the congregation. To be efficient with time, the portion may be read multiple times.
- Including the children: All of the children of the congregation gather near the Torah under a tallit, or prayer shawl, for the second- to- last Aliyah, ‘Kol Hanearim’, meaning “all the children.” There are various explanations as to the source and meaning of the practice, but the general idea is to bless the children who are the future of the Jewish people, and to make them a clear part of the Torah. Traditionally, “Hamalach Hagoel Oti” — a song from Jacob’s blessing to his grandsons Ephraim and Manashe — is sung before or after the Aliyah. Many congregations follow Kol Hanearim with handing out candy bags to the kids, associating the Torah with sweetness.
- Finishing the Torah and beginning again: The final Aliyah of the final portion of the Torah is an honor called Chatan Torah. Following this, the person, called Chatan Bereishit, is honored with reading the beginning of the Torah of Bereishit, Genesis. In congregations that give these honors to women, the titles may be Kallat Torah and Kallat Bereishit. These are honors given to people of the community that have shown excellence, effort, and dedication. It is through these honors that we recognize the cyclical nature of the Torah, and we also note how it plays an active role in the community.
Remembering October 7 on Simchat Torah
For Jews worldwide, Simchat Torah now carries the memory of October 7, 2023.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked communities in Israel, murdered, kidnapped, and raped Israelis, took hundreds hostage, and sent rockets throughout the Jewish State. The war that followed brought further loss, injury, and displacement, as well as long separations for families of those called to reserve duty.
On Simchat Torah, many communities will do a hakafah to commemorate October 7 and all those affected, in many cases, in memory of someone from the community. There are many ways to honor and commemorate the victims of October 7, and many communities will make sure to do something special during Simchat Torah celebrations.
Simchat Torah is a fascinating holiday that is rooted deeply within Jewish tradition, despite being formally created in the Middle Ages. It connects us to the ancient traditions of teaching Torah, reminding us how it is truly so central to our lives.
