Next: 23 to 24 Oct 2027
Simchat Torah
Rejoicing with the Torah: scrolls are carried in dancing circles and the yearly reading starts again.
When is Simchat Torah in 2027?
Simchat Torah 2027 runs from 23 to 24 October 2027. Other years: 2026, 3 to 4 October 2026; 2028, 12 to 13 October 2028.
About Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah, "rejoicing with the Torah", follows Sukkot on the 22nd or 23rd of Tishri, together with Shemini Atzeret. It marks the completion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the immediate beginning again with the first verses of Genesis. In the synagogue, all the scrolls are taken from the ark and carried around the room seven times in hakafot, circles of dance and song, with the congregation singing, clapping and sometimes dancing in the streets. Children join in, waving flags and sweets. Those called to read the end of Deuteronomy and the beginning of Genesis are called Chatan Torah and Chatan Bereishit, "bridegroom of the Torah". The mood is joyful and informal, in contrast to the solemn days before it.
Simchat Torah dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Simchat Torah date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 to 4 October 2026 |
| 2027 | 23 to 24 October 2027 |
| 2028 | 12 to 13 October 2028 |
What is eaten
- sweets
- festival meals
Traditions of Simchat Torah
Also part of it, and being written: Torah (The five books read in the cycle.).
More marked on Simchat Torah
๐ฎ๐ฑ Jerusalem, IsraelSukkotืกืืืืช
A seven-day autumn Jewish festival of temporary booths, harvest prayers and hospitalitySpiritual
๐ฎ๐ฑ IsraelTallitืืืืช
A four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worshipSpiritual
๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel and 4 moreTorah readingืงืจืืืช ืืชืืจื
The public reading of the Torah scroll in synagogue, chanted to a special tuneSpiritual
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Simchat Torah" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sukkot: Zachi Evenor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Shemini Atzeret: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tallit: Mushki Brichta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Torah reading: Sagie Maoz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source