Simchat torah

In the past few decades there has been a custom in Jerusalem to go to the Jerusalem Western Wall in the morning of Simchat Torah In big groups, the whole families with friends and relatives, walk through the Old City of Jerusalem singing and dancing. Thousands of people, old and young, march in groups of 8-10, and in front of each group the Torah scrolls are carried. They spend hours dancing with the Torah scrolls, both at night and during the following morning. Children of Israel rejoice at their annual completion of reading the Torah, and during the same festival, they begin to read the Torah from the beginning once more.

Simchat Torah marks the end and beginning of the annual cycle of public Torah readings. Simchat Torah is rejoicing with the "Torah". At both the morning and evening services in the synagogue, the ark is opened, and the Torah scrolls are carried around the synagogue in seven circuits – hakafot. The dancing and singing with the Torah often continues much longer, and may overflow from the synagogue onto the streets all over Israel.

On simchat torah three scrolls of the Torah are read.

In Jerusalem, Chief Rabbis of Israel and Israeli politicians take part in festivities in one of the city parks. Representatives of different congregations and communities of Israel – Hasidim, Yemenites and others – take it in turns to make one of seven hakafot corresponding to their customs and traditions.

The Simchat Torah service is identical with Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, the two jewish holidays coincide. Outside Israel, Simchat Torah is the day after Shemini Atzeret.