Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret. Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret 22nd Tishri are one day. In Israel, where Simchat Torah is not celebrated on a separate day – since all Festivals are observed for a single day, the customs of Simchat Torah are observed together with those of Shemini Atzeret. This practice is observed by Liberal congregations. Simchat Torah comes on the last day of the festivities. At this time the last portion of the Torah is read, and since we never finish the Torah reading, we begin the reading from the very beginning again to show the Torah is beloved to us like a “new command to which everyone…

Sukkot runs from the fifteenth through the twenty-first of Tishrei. For forty years, as our ancestors traversed the Sinai Desert prior to their entry into the Holy Land, miraculous “clouds of glory” surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. Ever since, we remember God’s kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah – a hut of temporary construction with a roof covering of branches – for the duration of the autumn Sukkot festival. For seven days and nights, we eat all our meals in the sukkah – reciting a special blessing – and otherwise regard it as…

Moses spent nearly three months on top of the mountain pleading with God for forgiveness, and on the tenth of Tishrei it was finally granted: “I have pardoned, as you have requested.” From that moment on, this date, henceforth known as the Day of Atonement, is annually observed as a commemoration of our special relationship with God, a relationship that is strong enough to survive any rocky bumps it might encounter. This is a day when we connect with the very essence of our being, which remains faithful to God regardless of our outward behavior. And while it is the most solemn day of the year, we are also joyful,…

The primary theme of the day is our acceptance of God as our King The primary theme of the day is our acceptance of G d as our King. The Kabbalists teach that the renewal of God’s desire for the world, and thus the continued existence of the universe, is dependent upon this. We accept God as our King, and God is aroused, once again, with the desire to continue creating the world for one more year. The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn. The sounding of the shofar represents, among other things, the trumpet blast of a people’s coronation of their…