Simchat Torah

Now stop and think.

They call it Simcha Torah.

Now Simcha Torah, there's nothing wrong with reading the Torah in a year.

But Simcha Torah, and when they finish reading it, they come dancing out into the streets, and they're dancing with the Torah scroll.

This is a very good tradition, dancing with the Torah scroll, because it does teach you something, but it also, at the same time, you're being misled.

And how, like, you got to stop and think how.

and then Hopefully you come back somewhere in the middle and start to figure out both sides.

Yeah,

That's not mentioned anywhere.

Interesting enough, just as an aside, many have the custom, like in my family have the custom, that actually we use honey with the challah through Shemini Atzeres, or through Simchas Torah, right? Instead of salt.

Instead of salt.

Honey with the challah the entire time, instead of salt.

Ele Advarim, Ele numeric value thirty-six.

Together it's eleven chapters in the Torah all together from, uh, the beginning of Deuteronomy, Sefer Devarim, first Parashat Devarim, and ri-- the last Parashat, Vezot Habrachah, which we normally finish on Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret, second day, and right after that we start Bereshit Bara Elokim.

Why we start right away? 'Cause we're gonna read Bereshit the Shabbat after.

Why we start right away the first Aliyah of Bereshit? To show you there's no such thing to finish the Torah.

The High Holidays invite us to slow down, reconnect, and create meaningful moments with the people we love.

From Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah, these holidays are filled with opportunities to celebrate gratitude, kindness, reflection, and joy.

Here are five ways you can bring the holidays into your home.

Read a holiday story or two.

Some of the most meaningful holiday moments happen around the dinner table.

Ask family members what they are grateful for, what they hope for in the coming year, or what kindness they would like to show someone.

On Simchat Torah, celebrate the joy of Jewish learning by reading together and talking about your favorite stories.

"Bless This World" by Leslea Newman is one of PJ Library's featured new titles for 2026.

And then it comes to Yom Kippur and you're not sure if you should be happy or depressed.

And then Simchat Torah, you don't know if you should be happy or depressed.

You're too drunk to know.

You're too

And then there'll be the days in between and coming to Yom Kippur.

And after Yom Kippur, Sukkot.

And after Sukkot, Simchat Torah.

So, now in fact...

I think it's kind of objectively the best.

I really loved Simchas Torah as a kid because of the ecstatic nature of...

Maybe Simchas Torah is better, but it's been...

The whole idea of joy has been...

I feel really complicated about it.

It used to be they finished the parish every three years.

Every three years, Simchas Torah was.

So it's coming back to this.

To change what Chazal and the Gemara set up is even more difficult.

I want to wish you all a Shana Tova u'metukah, a happy and sweet new year.

In the coming weeks, when there is a Sunday that is Chag, which is happening on Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah, three out of the next four weeks, We will still have the same number of episodes per week, but the first part of the week will be released on Monday.

During the week of Yom Kippur, our schedule will be normal.

Even when the calendar is wacky, we keep learning Torah.