שַׁבַּת שַׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה : Shabbat Simchat Torah

October 2-3, 2026
Tishrei 22, 5787

Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12 (Chatan V’Kallah Torah)
Genesis 1:1-2:3 (Chatan V’Kallah Bereshit)
Maftir, Numbers 29:35-30:1

This week we celebrate the exuberant festival of שַׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה (Simchat Torah), bringing the month of Tishrei and the sacred festival season to its joyful summit. In celebrating the completion and immediate restart of the annual cycle of reading the Torah, our sanctuaries fill with dancing, song, and unconditional gratitude.

We read the final portion of the Torah, וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה (V'Zot HaBerachah), recounting Moshe's parting blessings to each of the tribes of Israel and the account of his passing on Mount Nebo. Without pause, we roll the second scroll to the very beginning, opening Parashat בְּרֵאשִׁית (Bereshit) to read the account of creation, proclaiming that our learning is an unbroken circle that never ends.

Below, we look at the core themes of this sacred day through three unique lenses.

A Love Affair Between a People and a Book

On Simchat Torah, we take the sacred scrolls out of the ark and join together in seven joyous circuits (הַקָּפוֹת, hakafot). In his reflection on the supreme bond between the Jewish people and the Torah, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks describes how our tradition transforms a book into a living covenant of love:

"The Torah is less like an object than a person. In its presence we stand as if it were a king. On Simchat Torah we dance with it as if it were a bride. If one is, God forbid, damaged or destroyed we bury it as if it were a human; we mourn as if we had lost a relative. Judaism is the story of a love affair between a people and a book, the Book of Books." Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

When we embrace the scroll in dance, we affirm that our faith is not a dry legal code, but a heartfelt relationship, an enduring commitment that has sustained our souls across every exile and challenge of history.

The Unbroken Circle: Finishing and Beginning Anew

The Torah concludes with the passing of Moshe and praises the mighty acts he performed "in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:12). Yet before the final words have settled in our minds, the Chatan V’Kallah Bereshit immediately rises to proclaim: "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

As we learn from Rabbi Adin Even Israel Steinsaltz, this deliberate ritual structure teaches that the Torah is never an assignment to be completed, put away, or treated as finished business. A book that is merely read ends at the final chapter; a book that is lived begins anew every single day. The moment we complete our reading is precisely the moment we return to the beginning with fresh eyes, recognizing that we are different people this year, ready to discover deeper layers of wisdom and light.

The Closed Scroll: Joy That Belongs to Everyone

During the hakafot of Simchat Torah, we do not only read from the open scroll; we wrap it tightly in its velvet mantle, or Mizrachi case,  crown it, and dance with it in our arms. 

As we learn from Sivan Rahav Meir, dancing with the closed scroll holds a deeply egalitarian message. When the scroll is open and read, differences in knowledge inevitably appear, some can interpret every nuance while others may struggle to read the Hebrew letters. But when the scroll is held shut, intellectual hierarchies dissolve. The accomplished scholar and the complete novice hold the Torah with the exact same embrace. Simchat Torah reminds us that the Torah is the collective inheritance of every single Jew, and its joy belongs equally to all.

הַפְטָרָה: Haftarah Reading: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua) 1:1-18

Following the passing of Moshe at the conclusion of the Torah, the Haftarah opens with Adonai commanding Yehoshua to rise, cross the Jordan, and lead the people into the promised land:

מֹשֶׁ֥ה עַבְדִּ֖י מֵ֑ת וְעַתָּה֩ ק֨וּם עֲבֹ֜ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֣ן הַזֶּ֗ה אַתָּה֙ וְכָל־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לָהֶ֖ם לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

"Moshe My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I give to them, to the children of Israel." (Yehoshua 1:2)

Adonai charges Yehoshua with the immortal instruction to cling to the words of Torah day and night, promising G-d’s divine presence:

לֹֽא־יָמ֞וּשׁ סֵ֧פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֣ה הַזֶּה֮ מִפִּיךָ֒ וְהָגִ֤יתָ בּוֹ֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה לְמַ֙עַן֙ תִּשְׁמֹ֣ר לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּת֣וּב בּ֑וֹ כִּי־אָ֛ז תַּצְלִ֥יחַ אֶת־דְּרָכֶ֖ךָ וְאָ֥ז תַּשְׂכִּֽיל׃ הֲל֤וֹא צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ חֲזַ֣ק וֶאֱמָ֔ץ אַֽל־תַּעֲרֹ֥ץ וְאַל־תֵּחָ֖ת כִּ֤י עִמְּךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר תֵּלֵֽךְ׃

"This book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your ways prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be terrified, neither be dismayed; for Adonai your G-d is with you wherever you go." (Yehoshua 1:8-9)

Questions to Contemplate

When holding or looking at the closed Torah scroll during the dancing, what does it mean to me personally that this heritage belongs to me without precondition?

As we turn the scroll back to Bereshit and start the narrative anew, what fresh beginning or renewed intention do I want to bring to my life in the coming year?

Compiled by Rav Baruch Shamash