Shemini Azerat/Simchat Torah - שמחת תורה

Sh’mini Atzerat:

Although this marks the eighth day of Sukkot, Sh’mini Atzerat is an independent festival with its own biblical source. We chant the prayer for rain as Israel anticipates the winter season (as opposed to summer, the dry season). Sh’mini Atzerat also marks the last official day of Sukkot, and we, therefore, offer our reluctant farewell to the sukkah.

Simchat Torah: In Israel and in Reform communities, Sh’mini Atzerat and Simchat Torah are celebrated on the same day. In Conservative and Orthodox communities outside of Israel, Simchat Torah has its own day, the ninth day of the Sukkot festival. On this festival, we celebrate the completion of the cycle of reading the Torah. On this day, we read the final passages from Deuteronomy and immediately recommence the cycle with the beginning of Genesis.

Many Rabbis teach that the Torah is a spiral rather than a circle. Although the Torah is repeated on a yearly basis, if we see the stories in the same way each time, then we have not grown. As such, the Torah does not change, but people do. Judaism is a path of growth and development and like other spiritual texts, the Torah works by drawing a continually deeper part of us out in the process of reading and studying.

This is a joyous occasion, complete with singing and dancing, which often continues long into the night. Children are given sweets, which are associated with sweet occasions in Judaism.

If a man is called to read the last few lines of Deuteronomy, he is called the Chatan Torah (groom of the Torah) and if a woman is called up, she is called the Kallah Torah (bride of the Torah). Likewise, the male readers of the beginning of Genesis are referred to as the Chatan Bereshit (groom of creation) and female readers are referred to as the Kallah Bereshit (bride of creation).

The last passages of Deuteronomy chronicle the death of Moses. In some way, Simchat Torah honours Moses’ death, but the day also clearly ties the death to the first chapter of Genesis: the Creation of the universe. In this way, Simchat Torah also reminds people that life transcends death and that the world is a never ending cycle of death and rebirth.

References:

Black, N.(Ed.) (1989) Celebration – The Book of Jewish Festivals, Jonathan David Publishers, Inc. New York.

Falcon PhD, Rabbi T. and Blatner, D. (2001) Judaism for Dummies, Hungry Minds, New York.