The twenty-second day of Tishri is Simchat Torah, the Joy of the Torah. It is the time when we finish reading the Torah and immediately begin again.
Originally, our sages divided the Torah into portions so that the entire Torah was read every three years or so. Each portion was read four times a week: on Mondays, Thursdays, and twice on Shabbat. Mondays and Thursdays were opportune times to read Torah because they were market days, and everyone would gather at those times. It also guaranteed that no three days would go by without reading Torah.
During the medieval period the Babylonian communities switched to larger Torah portions, so they were able to finish reading the Torah every year. They then planned the portions so that the Torah would be completed each year at the end of Sukkot. The holiday celebrating the completion of the Torah reading and the immediate resumption of the cycle is Simchat Torah, the Joy of the Torah.
Simchat Torah is celebrated with much joy. The Torah scrolls (Sifrei Torah) are paraded (traditionally, seven times) around the synagogue with singing and dancing. These parades around the sanctuary are called Hakafot.
In the past hundred years the addition of children marching with flags was instituted. Many congregations now welcome new students into their Religious School at Simchat Torah with a ceremony called Consecration. The purpose of Consecration is to emphasize to children and parents how important and special we view Jewish education. Each new student is given a small Torah to carry at that time.
Traditionally, on Simchat Torah three scrolls are used for the Torah reading. One is turned to the end of Deuteronomy, and one is turned to the beginning of Genesis. (The third is used for the traditional reading, the Maftir.) Doing this guarantees that there is no pause between our completion of the Torah and our immediate beginning again.
At Temple B'rith Shalom we have begun the custom of using only one scroll and visibly rewinding it back to the beginning so that everyone can see the physical process of beginning again. We hope that all of you will join us to celebrate this special occasion.
