Simchat Torah, has been described as a 'take-to-the-streets dance party, a meeting of the biggest book-club gathering of all time'. The name means “Joy of the Torah”, the Torah is the Hebrew Bible which we call the Old Testament in particular the first 5 books, the 5 books attributed to Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

Most Christians follow a daily Bible Reading Plan, some of these take you through the Bible in a Year (that’s quite a large reading every day). Others stretch it out over a longer 3 year period. Still more follow set liturgical readings from whichever denomination they follow. We here try to keep it brief and follow the set liturgical readings, although we vary occasionally if the subject of the day warrents it. It should really not be a surprise that those who practise Judaism have a "through the Torah in a Year Bible reading plan" that they follow. Today is the end of their liturgical reading cycle and the day that they start back at Genesis and they make a real party out of it.

They celebrate the written word of God today, mostly in synagogues. They take out the Torah scrolls and parade them around the synagogues in 7 hakafot [Torah processions.] They sing about the Torah, and dance with the Torah scrolls. Children carry special “Simchat Torah flags” and may also receive candy. After the dancing, Torah readers read from the end of the scroll, and then from the beginning of the scroll.

The Jews call themselves “the people of the book” they have protected and worshipped the written word of God for thousands of years and consider it their most precious possession. They love God’s written word, and many spend their lives, studying it, arguing about it and struggling to obey it. We should value the word just as greatly, we are blessed to have the New Testament and the teaching of God’s Son and the presence of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth to guide us and give us the wisdom to understand what we are reading, at a far deeper level. So Rejoice in the WORD today!

Today is meant to be a joyous day - but sadly it is also the Hebrew anniversary of the Simchat Torah massacre which happened on 7 October 2023. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost loved ones in that barbaric event and to Israel. We rejoice in the hopes that the hostages are now being returned, and the War is at an End.