Most religions don’t throw a party when their sacred book ends. Judaism throws one when the Torah ends and then immediately starts reading it again from the beginning, because apparently we can’t get enough. That’s Simchat Torah (seem-KHAT toh-RAH), Hebrew for “Rejoicing with the Torah,” and if you’ve never been, it’s the most fun you can have in a synagogue. No JewBarrassment if that sentence surprised you.
Simchat Torah 101
Simchat Torah lands at the very end of the Jewish fall holiday marathon. The month of Tishrei (TISH-ray) packs in Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the weeklong festival of Sukkot, and just when you think the Jewish holidays are finally wrapping up, Simchat Torah arrives as the grand finale. In 2026, it begins at sunset on Saturday, October 3 and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 4.
Here’s where it gets slightly confusing, so hang with us. Simchat Torah is attached to a holiday called Shemini Atzeret (sh’MEE-nee aht-SEH-ret), the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” which follows the last day of Sukkot. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated together on one day. Jewish communities in the Diaspora (that’s everyone living outside of Israel) traditionally observe them over two days, with Simchat Torah on the second. Many Reform congregations combine them into a single day too, which is why your synagogue and your cousin’s synagogue might celebrate on different days and both be completely correct. Welcome to Judaism. It’s flexible AF.
The World’s Longest Book Club
To understand the celebration, you need to know what’s being celebrated. Every Shabbat, most synagogues around the world read a portion of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses that open the Hebrew Bible. Week by week, portion by portion, the whole community moves through the entire thing over the course of a year. The tradition of the Torah reading cycle is ancient, and the cycle that became standard in most Jewish communities goes back well over a thousand years. This custom gets discussed in the Talmud, which is basically the Jewish tradition’s Rabbi All-Stars debating everything.
On Simchat Torah, the cycle ends. The very last portion of Deuteronomy is read aloud, and then, without so much as a bathroom break, the reading starts over with the Book of Genesis. “In the beginning,” again. That’s the whole point: the Torah isn’t a book you finish. It’s a book you circle back to, year after year, finding something new each time because you’re not the same person you were last year.
Ending and beginning in the same breath is a pretty fantastic idea when you think about it. Simchat Torah takes that idea and adds dancing.
What Actually Happens: Dancing with the Torah
The party starts at the evening service. The ark (the cabinet at the front of the synagogue where the Torah scrolls live) is opened, and every scroll comes out. What follows are the hakafot (hah-kah-FOTE), seven celebratory circuits around the synagogue with the Torah scrolls carried in joyful, singing, dancing laps. The hakafot are repeated during the morning service.
And when we say dancing, we mean it. Congregants take turns carrying the scrolls. People sing at full volume. Kids ride on shoulders and wave paper flags, a tradition that’s been delighting children (and terrifying anyone standing at eye level with a flag stick) for generations. The bimah (BEE-mah), the platform where the Torah is normally read with great decorum, becomes the center of something closer to a wedding reception. In many communities the dancing spills out of the sanctuary entirely and into the street.
If you’ve ever felt like synagogue was formal or intimidating, Simchat Torah is the counterargument. Nobody is checking whether you know the words. The only skill required is clapping.
Everyone Gets a Turn
Simchat Torah has a radically inclusive streak. On a regular Shabbat, a handful of people receive an aliyah (ah-lee-YAH), the honor of being called up to say the blessings over the Torah reading. On Simchat Torah, many congregations try to call up every single eligible adult who wants one. The Torah belongs to everybody, and on this day the synagogue puts its money where its mouth is.
One of the sweetest moments might be kol hane’arim (kohl hah-neh-ah-REEM), “all the children.” Every kid in the room gathers under a giant tallit (tah-LEET), a prayer shawl held up like a canopy, for a group aliyah and blessing. If you need a reminder of what this whole tradition is for, watch a five-year-old peek out from under a tallit while a room full of grownups sings over them.
Wait, What’s Shemini Atzeret?
Fair question, and honestly, even the rabbis hedge on this one. Shemini Atzeret is its own holiday with its own customs, including the prayer for rain that kicks off the rainy season in the Jewish calendar’s agricultural rhythm. The name translates to something like “Eighth Day of Assembly,” and the classic explanation is that after a week of Sukkot, God says: “Stay one more day, this has been nice.” We find that explanation kind of lovely, so we’re not going to poke at it too hard.
One honest note: since 2023, Simchat Torah also carries the weight of the October 7 attacks in Israel, which took place on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah in Israel. For many Jewish communities around the world, the day now holds grief alongside its joy. Communities have largely responded by continuing to dance, holding both at once, because that’s what this tradition has always done.
Make It Your Own
You don’t need to read Hebrew, own a tallit, or know a single melody to show up for Simchat Torah. Find a local congregation (many open their doors wide for this one), stand near the back if you’re nervous, and let the room carry you. Clap along. If someone invites you to carry or dance with a Torah, they’ll show you what to do. And just walk; the dancing is optional, the smiling is not.
At home, festive meals with Kiddush (KID-ish), the blessing over wine or grape juice, round out the day. And the greeting is easy: “Chag Sameach!” (KHAG sah-MAY-akh), meaning “happy holiday,” works perfectly.
Want a running start on the whole fall holiday season? Our free High Holidays booklet is pretty fantastic, and did we mention it’s free? Download it here, read our guide to Sukkot for the week that leads into all this, browse our overview of Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and other holidays, and sign up for our newsletter so the next holiday never sneaks up on you.
Simchat Torah FAQs
What do Jews celebrate on Simchat Torah?
The completion and immediate restart of the annual Torah reading cycle. The final verses of Deuteronomy are read in the morning, followed right away by the opening of the Book of Genesis, and the whole thing is celebrated with singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls in the evening.
What is the purpose of Simchat Torah?
Beyond marking the reading cycle, Simchat Torah makes a statement: the Torah is a source of joy, not just study, and it belongs to every Jewish person, not just scholars. That’s why the celebration is physical, loud, and open to everyone, kids very much included.
What do Jews eat on Simchat Torah?
There’s no single required food, but stuffed dishes like stuffed cabbage are traditional in some Ashkenazi (from the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe) communities, sometimes said to resemble rolled Torah scrolls. Sweets for the kids are basically mandatory. For ideas, check out JewBelong’s recipes section.
Can you say “Happy Simchat Torah“?
Absolutely. “Happy Simchat Torah” works, and so does the all-purpose “Chag Sameach,” which covers any Jewish festival. Nobody will be JewBarrassed either way.
What happens during the Torah reading on Simchat Torah?
After the hakafot, the final portion of Deuteronomy is read, with many congregations extending aliyah honors to as many people as possible. The person honored with the final aliyah, which completes the Torah, is traditionally called the Chatan Torah or Kallat Torah. Then, without wasting any time, another scroll is opened and the Torah begins again with the first verses of Genesis, sometimes with the reader barely pausing for breath. The person honored with this first aliyah is called the Chatan Bereishit or Kallat Bereishit. It’s a very Jewish idea: finishing the Torah isn’t really an ending. It’s just an excuse to start all over again.
