Simchat Torah

Background
Simchat Torah ends the series of fall holidays that began with Rosh Hashanah. The focus is on the importance of the Torah, the central sacred text of the Jews. The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Customs
In synagogues, Jews read in sequence a portion of the Torah each week, in such a way that it takes one full year to read it in its entirety. On Simchat Torah, we read the final part of Deuteronomy and immediately begin again in Genesis. We carry the Torah scroll around the room with singing and dancing—a time of joyous celebration.

Greetings
Gut yontiff or chag samayach—both mean good holiday in Yiddish and Hebrew. They are the appropriate greetings for the day.