Join us at 5:45 PM for a delightful pre-service reception featuring a selection of hearty appetizers!

Celebrate Simchat Torah with us as we unroll the Torah for an enlightening tour led by our clergy and high school students. Don’t miss the lively tunes from our volunteer Klezmer band, Grateful Klez! It’s a perfect opportunity to deepen your understanding of the Torah and dance joyously with our community.

Please register (below) in advance to help us ensure a warm welcome for all and to minimize food waste.

What is Simchat Torah?

Immediately following Sukkot, we observe Sh'mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, a 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, the Torah scrolls are 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.

Visit sholomchicago.org/hhd for more information about the 5785 High Holy Days!