at shul. This holiday falls on the 8th, or 9th day following Sukkot, depending on what tradition you follow. Or, if you're Reform like the shul I attend, you can celebrate it whenever the rabbi decides to celebrate it, even in the midst of sukkot! I really don't know why the rabbi chose last night for Simhat Torah, but it was a fun time nevertheless.
Simhat Torah (Joy of the Torah). We finish the annual cycle of reading the Torah and immediately go to the beginning and start over again with Genesis 1:1. The holiday of Simhat Torah is not prescribed in the Torah. But, we felt that God gave us a truly wonderful gift in the Torah that it is our duty to study it faithfully and thank Him for it.
Being in the klezmer band, I played with the band while congregants walked through the sanctuary holding the torah scrolls. Only adults (13 and older) get the privilege of processing through the sanctuary holding the Torah scroll. These processions are called hakafot.
It's a pretty neat thing to see people rejoicing in the Torah.
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