In
Jewish synagogues, is announced by a
few melodious invocations imploring
God to Hoshiah Na ("Save us") and
ending with the refrain, Aneinu
B'yom Koreinu ("Answer us on the day
we call"). In Orthodox synagogues,
the hakafot are accompanied by
traditional chants, including
biblical and liturgical verses and
songs about the Torah, the goodness
of God, Messianic yearnings, and
prayers for the restoration of the
House of David and the Temple in
Jerusalem. Congregations may also
sing other, popular songs during the
dancing. Children are often given
flags, candies and treats. The vigor
of the dancing and degree of festive
merriment varies with congregational
temperament.
In Orthodox synagogues, the dancing
is mainly carried out by men and
boys; very young girls may also be
sent in to dance on their father's
shoulders. Women and older girls
look on from the other side of a
mechitza (partition) in accordance
with the rules of tzniut (modesty).
In Conservative congregations, men
and women dance together. In some
congregations, the Torah scrolls are
carried out into the streets and the
dancing may continue far into the
evening.
After the hakafot, a portion of the
last parashah of the Torah, V'Zot
HaBerachah (This is the Blessing...)
in Deuteronomy is read. The part
read is often 33:1-34:12, but may
vary by synagogue custom, although
Deuteronomy is never read to the end
in the evening. Simchat Torah is the
only day on which the Torah is read
during the evening service in
Orthodox and Conservative Jewish
synagogues.
Morning festivities
The morning service,
like that of other Jewish holidays,
includes a special holiday Amidah,
the saying of Hallel, and a holiday
Mussaf service. When the ark is
opened to take out the Torah for the
Torah reading, all the scrolls are
again removed and the congregation
engages in the seven hakafot once
again.
Early Priestly Blessing
In many
congregations, one deviation from an
otherwise ordinary holiday morning
service is the performance of the
Priestly Blessing as part of the
Shacharit service, before the
celebrations connected with the
Torah reading begin, rather than as
part of the Musaf service that
follows. This practice hearkens back
to an old custom for the kiddush
sponsored by the Chatan Torah (see
below) to be held during the Simchat
Torah service itself. Since the
Bible prohibits Kohanim (descendants
of Aaron) from performing the
priestly blessing while intoxicated,
and there is concern that Kohanim
may imbibe during the Simchat Torah
festivities, the blessing was moved
to before the time when alcohol
would be served.[1] In some
congregations, the Kohanim deliver
their blessing as usual during the
Musaf service of Simchat Torah. (In
Orthodox congregations in Israel,
the Kohanim deliver their blessing
at both Shacharit and Musaf
services.)
Some congregations serve hard liquor
along with other refreshments during
the Simchat Torah dancing. The
Orthodox Union recently advised its
member synagogues not to serve
alcohol to minors. [2]
Torah reading and customs
After the hakafot and the dancing,
three scrolls of the Torah are read.
The last parashah of the Torah,
V'Zot HaBerachah, at the end of
Deuteronomy (33:1-34:12), is read
from the first scroll, followed
immediately by the first chapter
(and part of the second) of the Book
of Genesis (1:1-2:3), which is read
from the second scroll.
An aliyah for all
In many congregations it is
customary to call all eligible
members of the congregation for an
aliyah to the Torah on Simchat
Torah. In some congregations, the
first five aliyot are reread so that
everyone has an opportunity to
recite the blessing. To save time,
some congregations call people up in
groups. Others hold a series of
separate minyanim for the Torah
reading.
Kol HaNe'arim
Another custom is to call all the
boys (in some Modern Orthodox,
Conservative and Liberal/Reform
congregations, both boys and girls)
to a special aliyah called Kol
HaNe'arim (all the children). In
many Orthodox congregations, a large
talit is spread out over the heads
of all the children as the blessing
over the Torah is pronounced, and
for the congregation to bless the
children by reciting (in Hebrew) a
verse from Jacob's blessing to
Ephraim and Menashe, Genesis 48:16:
May the angel who redeems me from
all evil bless the children, and may
my name be declared among them, and
the names of my fathers Abraham and
Isaac, and may they teem like fish
for multitude within the land.
The blessing of the children is
omitted from the 1985 edition of
Conservative Judaism's Siddur Sim
Shalom prayer book, but was
reinstated in later versions of Sim
Shalom. Most Conservative
congregations still perform it.
Chatan Torah and Chatan Bereishit
Two members of the
congregation are called up to the
last aliyah which ends the Book of
Deuteronomy and the first aliyah
which begins Genesis, respectively.
The former honoree is called the
Chatan Torah (Bridegroom of the
Torah) and the latter honoree is
called the Chatan Bereishit
(Bridegroom of Genesis). In return
for these honors, these synagogue
members each sponsor a kiddush for
the entire congregation on a
subsequent Shabbat.
As traditions evolve, a third honor,
called Chatan Maftir (Bridegroom of
the Haftarah) has been nominated at
some synagogues [citation needed]. A
traditional speech praising all the
honorees is read, and members of the
congregation hold a talit over the
heads of the (Chatan Torah and)
Chatan Bereisheit as they stand when
the Torah is read, symbolizing a
chuppah (wedding canopy).
Haftarah
After the portion
of Genesis is read, the Maftir,
Numbers 29:35-30:1, is read from a
third Torah scroll. The passage
describes the prescribed sacrifices
performed for the holiday. The
haftarah (reading from the prophets)
is the first section of the Book of
Joshua.
History of the holiday
The name Simchat
Torah was not used until a
relatively late time. In the Talmud
(Meg. 31b) it is called simply the
second day of Shemini Atzeret.
In the ninth century, some European
Jewish communities assigned a
special reading from the Prophets to
be read on this day. In the
fourteenth century the reading of
Genesis was added immediately upon
the completion of Deuteronomy. In
southern European countries it then
became a general practice to remove
all the Torah scrolls from the ark,
and to sing a separate hymn for each
scroll. In northern European
countries, those who had finished
the reading of Deuteronomy made
donations to the synagogue, after
which the wealthier members of the
community would give a dinner for
friends and acquaintances. By the
end of the fifteenth century it was
a common though not universal
practice for the children to tear
down and burn the sukkahs on Simchat
Torah (Joseph Colon, Responsa, No.
26); and shortly afterward many
Rabbis permitted dancing in the
synagogue at this festival (ib.).
In the sixteenth century the
practice of taking out the scrolls
and filing solemnly around the bimah
on the night of the 23nd of Tishri
became customary; and on the same
evening, after the procession, a
number of passages from the Torah
were read.
In Poland it was the custom to sell
to the members of the congregation,
on the 23nd of Tishri, the privilege
of executing various functions
during the services on Shabbats and
festivals; i.e., the synagogue used
this occasion as a fund-raiser.
People who made these donations were
called up to the Torah and given a
congregational blessing.
It became a custom for every male
member of the congregation to read
from the Torah, the passage Deut.
33:1-29 being repeated as many times
as was necessary for this purpose.
Today this practice is still
followed in Orthodox synagogues;
Conservative synagogues adapt this
practice by also including women.
One person is given the privilege of
completing the reading of the Law
with Deut. 34:1-12; he receives the
name of Chatan Torah (bridegroom of
the Torah). After him comes the
member who recommences the reading
of the Torah with Gen. 1. He is
called the Chatan Bereshit
(bridegroom of Genesis). |
