SIMHAT TORAH

Simhat Torah means the “Joy of Torah” and it is a day of great celebration.  There are two critical tasks to be completed on this day.  The first is to read the last section of the Torah and thus bring the full reading of The Torah to a close.  The second is to begin reading the first sentences of the Torah and thus initiate our study of Torah for the upcoming year.  The lesson: there is no end to our study of Torah.  Once we finish the scroll, we begin reading it anew.

Why all this fuss over the Torah?  The Torah is, first of all, the word of God.  The Torah is the constitution of the Jewish people.  Together with our love for God and our people, the Torah has kept us united however dispersed we have been throughout the world.  With the rebirth of the State of Israel, Torah has become even more important.  Along with political and military power comes great responsibility.  The only time power is abused is when one has it to abuse.  We have more power now than ever before in our history.  We must look to the Torah and ultimately to God in order to wield this power with the highest of ethical and moral standards.

From a purely technical point of view, Simhat Torah is Yom Tov Sheini, the second day of Yom Tov or Shemini Atzeret.  Unlike most second days of Yom Tov, this one has a character separate and apart from its predecessor.  On Shemini Atzeret we pray for rain and on Simhat Torah we hope to dance in the streets.  On Shemini Atzeret we remember our departed and on Simhat Torah we fill the synagogue with life.  On Shemini Atzeret we read Yom Tov portions of the Torah but on Simhat Torah, we focus on that end of the Torah and its beginning.

The person honored with the last aliyah to the Torah should be a very special person.  So, too, the person honored with the first aliyah to the Torah should be a very special person.  They are referred to with special names:

The Last Aliyah to the Torah	Hatan or Kallah Torah  meaning—The Groom or Bride of the Torah
The First Aliyah to the Torah	Hatan or Kallah Bereishit  meaning—The Groom or Bride of the Beginning

There is a custom to call everyone to the Torah on Simhat Torah, even the children.  The children stand beneath a large tallit and receive a blessing from the rabbi and the cantor.

Whenever we receive an aliyah or honor to the Torah, it is a blessing.  Make sure to attend Simhat Torah services and bring your family.  This is one holiday when there is no mistaking it—it’s great fun to be a Jew..