Topics Page: Simchat Torah

(1) The Order of Simchat Torah: In places where they do two days of Yom Tov, Kiddush on the ninth night includes Shehecheyanu. The next day, we take out three Torah scrolls. From the first, we read "And this is the blessing" [Deuteronomy 33:1] until the end of the Torah. From the second, we read from "In the beginning" [Genesis 1:1] until "that God made" [2:3]. From the third, the maftir reads the same as the previous day. The haftarah is "After Moses died" [Joshua 1:1]. Rem"a: The last day of Yom Tov is called "Simchat Torah" because we rejoice on it, making a festive meal in honor of the finishing of the Torah. It is customary for the person who finishes the Torah and the one who starts Genesis to make a donation and invite everybody to a party (Tur). It is customary in these countries to take all of the Torahs out of the Ark on Simchat Torah at night and in the morning and to sing songs and praises. Every place should follow its customs. It is also the custom to circle the synagogue's Bimah with the Torah scrolls just like we circle with the lulav. This is all done out of joy. It is also the custom to have many readers from the Torah. We read the same section many times, and this is not forbidden (Minhagim, Rivas"h 84). It is also the custom to call up all of the children to the Torah and to read "the angel who has redeemed me..." [Genesis 48:6]. In the evening, we read the special sections from the Torah that are normally auctioned off, every place according to its custom. It is also the custom that even a child can finish off the Torah, even though there are those who say that specifically a scholar should finish it (Mordechai's small notes). Nowadays when the chazzan does the actual reading, there is no issue (his own opinion). In a place with only two Torah scrolls, we read "And this is the blessing" from the first, "In the beginning" from the second, and then we go back and reuse the first for the section associated with the day. This is done whenever three Torahs are needed but there are only two (found written somewhere).

(1) Hakafot for Simchat Torah

(2) The custom is to take out all of the Torah scrolls in the ark, both in the evening service and in the morning service. At night, the custom is that, after we circle the platform seven times with the Torah scrolls, we return the Torah scrolls to the ark and leave one Torah scroll out. And three men read from it in the section of Zot HaBerakha. The custom during the day is to add many readers. And we are also accustomed to call all of the children to the Torah scroll. But it is fitting that an adult recite the blessing over the Torah and that the children listen and fulfill [the practice in that way]. And we read the section of, "May the angel who redeems, etc."

(3) The prayer leader says each verse and the congregation repeats the verse each time.

(4) It has been clearly demonstrated to you that the Lord alone is God; there is none beside Him (Deuteronomy 4:35). Who alone works great marvels, His steadfast love is eternal (Psalms 136:4). There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and there are no deeds like Yours (Psalms 86:8). May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works (Psalms 104:31). Let the name of the Lord be blessed now and forever (Psalms 113:2). May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He never abandon us or forsake us (I Kings 8:57). Declare, "Deliver us, O God, our deliverer, and gather us and save us from the nations, to acclaim Your holy name, to glory in Your praise" (I Chronicles 16:35). [The Lord reigns, the Lord has reigned,] The Lord will reign for ever and ever (Exodus 15:18). May the Lord grant strength to His people; may the Lord bestow on His people wellbeing (Psalms 29:11). We open the ark. When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say, "Advance, O Lord; may Your enemies be scattered, and may Your foes flee before You (Numbers 10:35). Advance, O Lord to Your resting-place, You and Your mighty Ark! Your priests are clothed in triumph; Your loyal ones sing for joy. For the sake of Your servant David do not reject Your anointed one (Psalms 132:8-10). In that day they shall say, "This is our God; we trusted in Him, and He delivered us, this is the Lord, in whom we trusted; let us rejoice and exult in His deliverance" (Isaiah 25:9). Your kingship is an eternal kingship; Your dominion is for all generations (Psalms 145:13). For instruction shall come forth from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3).

(2) A question regarding the matter of crowns for a Torah scroll being used on the heads of those reciting Torah, or on children, on the day of Simchat Torah, and if that is permissible or not?

(3) Answer: The truth is that it would be better were we to not engage in practices like this because it is using something sacred. There is a teaching in Tosefta Megillah 2:8: One who fashions (an ark [to house the Torah]) or wrappings for a [Torah] scroll -- as long as they were not yet used for a higher purpose, they may be used for a profane purpose, but if they had been used for a higher purpose, they may not be used for a profane purpose…however a person could lend their garment to the Torah scroll and take it back from it. Yet, as I’ve heard it, the basic idea of the custom in most places among the Jewish people but I’ve never heard anyone happy about it. Even in this city, I remember when I was young and they would take the crowns of the scrolls and put them on the heads of children and walk them around the building having been placed there by a guardian but the Sages of that generation did not prevent their hand. May it is because they weren’t using them for a profane need, rather to honor the Torah and to amplify and elevate honoring the Torah of our God as if a Torah scroll itself was being put on their head to make that a crown for their head, just as it is written: “Tie it as a crown for me,” (Job 31:36). And maybe there’s a generous perspective here, and on that perspective they are actually sanctifying them by putting on that thing on that day on the head of every Jewish person, but it is not intended for such or attached to him, such as something designed to have tefillin put into - if one puts tefillin into something it is forbidden to wrap up coins in it because that vessel has been designated for that use. So once someone puts tefillin in it, it is a sacred object, but here from the outset it is understood that sometimes this object is sacred and sometimes it is mundane, but this is not its intended purpose. Rather, it is like someone who puts a Torah scroll in the ark, and they also intend to put other objects inside of which it is not its intended purpose. It’s the same as wrapping something, it is not permissible to use it for a mundane purpose once it has been used for a sacred purpose. But we have it written in Yerushalmi Megillah chapter 3: Rebbi Jeremiah went to the Gaulanitis. He saw them putting a hammer into the Ark. He went and asked Rebbi Meir, who told him, I am saying that they stipulated this from the start. Rebbi Jonah made for himself a chest and stipulated about it, the upper part for scrolls, the lower part for implements. This is a big proof to what I’m saying. The end of the matter is to leave the Jews alone about this, just like is said in the Yerushalmi, the general principle for all things regarding customs without clear reason or origin, any halakhah that is weak in your hand, go after the custom, and a custom of the Jewish people is Torah. In any event, putting them on the heads of servants and maids would be disgraceful and deserving of rebuke to teach them not to do this. But I have found in a legal response of Rav Hai Gaon: a crown that is put on a Torah scroll on Simchat Torah is forbidden to put on the head of a groom since this would be using it for mundane purposes, and we only elevate in matters of sanctity and do not descend, those are his words. But maybe that is specifically regarding a groom’s head since that is using the crown for a mundane purpose, but here they are not acting out of profane necessity, rather to honor the Torah, just as I have written.

(1) It was my custom to see the Rebbe every year after Simchat Torah. He would always ask me if I truly rejoiced on the festival. Many times he told me how the community celebrated in his house and how much pleasure he derived from their joy.

(2) Once in the middle of the year the Rebbe spoke to me about Simchat Torah. He asked me, “Do you now feel joy in your heart then? Or at least do you feel this happiness at another time during the year?”

(3) Thank God, in His great kindness, He helped me to rejoice wholeheartedly many times during the year. I felt a joy so great that it simply cannot be communicated to another. For the joy of being a Jew, of being of Jewish descent and believing in God, depends on how much one ponders it and cannot be expressed (see “His Wisdom” #1). This is written about elsewhere. Especially the clinging to God at a time of joy, that even the least Jew feels, simply cannot be put into words.

(4) The Rebbe very much wanted us to be joyous all year round, particularly on Simchat Torah, Purim, Shabbat and festivals. The Rebbe told me that once on Simchat Torah, he was so overjoyed that he danced all by himself in his room.

It has been clearly demonstrated to you that the Lord alone is God; there is none beside Him (Deuteronomy 4:35). Who alone works great marvels, His steadfast love is eternal (Psalms 136:4). There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and there are no deeds like Yours (Psalms 86:8). May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works (Psalms 104:31). Let the name of the Lord be blessed now and forever (Psalms 113:2). May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He never abandon us or forsake us (I Kings 8:57). Declare, "Deliver us, O God, our deliverer, and gather us and save us from the nations, to acclaim Your holy name, to glory in Your praise" (I Chronicles 16:35). [The Lord reigns, the Lord has reigned,] The Lord will reign for ever and ever (Exodus 15:18). May the Lord grant strength to His people; may the Lord bestow on His people wellbeing (Psalms 29:11). We open the ark. When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say, "Advance, O Lord; may Your enemies be scattered, and may Your foes flee before You (Numbers 10:35). Advance, O Lord to Your resting-place, You and Your mighty Ark! Your priests are clothed in triumph; Your loyal ones sing for joy. For the sake of Your servant David do not reject Your anointed one (Psalms 132:8-10). In that day they shall say, "This is our God; we trusted in Him, and He delivered us, this is the Lord, in whom we trusted; let us rejoice and exult in His deliverance" (Isaiah 25:9). Your kingship is an eternal kingship; Your dominion is for all generations (Psalms 145:13). For instruction shall come forth from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3).

(1) [ALL THE SOULS OF THE HOUSE OF JACOB, THAT CAME INTO EGYPT, WERE THREESCORE AND TEN.] An exegate says that three score and ten is a round number, since in fact they numbered sixty-nine. However, this commentator erred, since we find Scripture stating, with regard to Leah’s offspring who numbered thirty-two, all the souls of his sons and daughters were thirty and three (v. 15). The Midrash tries to solve the problem by saying that Jochebed was born between the ramparts when they entered Egypt. However, this, too, presents a problem, viz., why doesn’t Scripture record the great wonder of Jochebed giving birth to Moses when she was one hundred and thirty years old? Furthermore, why does Scripture note that Sarah was ninety when she bore a son? And as if we didn’t have enough problems with the above, the liturgical poets composed a hymn for Simchat Torah reading, Jochebed my mother will be comforted after me thereby indicating that Jochebed was two hundred and fifty years old at the time of Moses’ death. As to the Midrash which states that Ahijah the Shilonite lived for hundreds of years, it is an aggadic statement or an individual opinion. I believe that the way to solve our problem is by recognizing the fact that the Bible includes Jacob among the seventy who came into Egypt and starts the count of the seventy from him. The verse (15) is to be interpreted as if it read: all the souls of his sons and his daughters plus himself were thirty-three. Proof that this is the way to interpret this verse is that Scripture previously states, And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons (v. 8). Should one argue and say, “Does not Scripture explicitly state, And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls (Ex. 1:5)? Know that Scripture isn’t concerned with noting that one of the seventy did not come from Jacob’s loins, as it didn’t bother to leave out Benjamin when it said, These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram (Gen. 35:26), even though Benjamin was not born there. We have two proofs in our own Torah portion that this is the style of Scripture. First, the Pentateuch states, And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons (v. 8). The Torah thus includes Jacob among the sons of Israel. It does so because Scripture speaks of the majority of those who came to Egypt. Secondly, Scripture states, all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were three score and ten (Gen. 46:27). However, Manasseh and Ephraim did not come into Egypt, they were there to begin with, having been born in Egypt. In the same vein another verse reads, Thy fathers went down into Egypt with three score and ten souls (Deut. 10:22). However, as noted, Manasseh and Ephraim did not go down to Egypt. This verse is also proof that Jacob is counted among the seventy, for he had a soul and he was the most important of them all.