On Simchat Torah, we celebrate the completion of one cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of another.
Simchat Torah
Tot Shabbat, Quarterly Congregational Dinner, and Service
Friday, Oct. 6
Come enjoy dinner with your temple friends, followed by a special service for Simchat Torah. Klezmer band Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour will perform during the dinner and the service!
Non-member guests, please call the temple office to inquire about attending.
5:30 Tot Shabbat
6:00 p.m. Quarterly Congregational Dinner (for members who RSVP'd by Oct. 5)
7:00 p.m. Erev Shabbat and Simchat Torah service in the sanctuary
Festival Service and Shabbat Morning Service With Yizkor
Saturday, Oct. 7
9:00 a.m. Torah Study, in person only for Temple Beth Shalom members
10:30 a.m. Festival Service and Shabbat Morning Service, including Yizkor, in person and livestreamed
Donate to Our Tree of Life
Simchat Torah is also a meaningful time to donate to our Tree of Life at Temple Beth Shalom.The Tree of Life hangs on the wall of our lobby, where it honors s'machot, joyous sacred moments, and relationships within our temple family. As we move forward with optimism to another year of Torah reading, financial support of our Tree of Life is one way to support and nourish our community.
About Simchat Torah
Immediately following Sukkot, we celebrate Sh'mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, a fun-filled day during which we celebrate the completion of the annual reading of the Torah and affirm Torah as one of the pillars on which we build our lives.
As part of the celebration, it is customary for the Torah scrolls to be taken from the ark and carried or danced around the synagogue seven times.
During the Torah service, the concluding section of the fifth book of the Torah, D'varim (Deuteronomy), is read, and immediately following, the opening section of Genesis, or B'reishit as it is called in Hebrew, is read. This practice represents the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah.