Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah Celebration / Consecration

Join us as we once again celebrate the completion of the Torah cycle! We will hold our Simchat Torah celebration outdoors and in-person  on Monday, September 27 from 6:00 to 6:45 PM at the Bernard Weinger JCC (300 Revere Drive, Northbrook). The service will take place on a tent-covered patio on the far east side of the building. (Please park in the main parking lot at the front of the building and walk around to the patio/tent on the east side. If needed, passengers can be dropped off at the patio/tent on the east side of the building, but the driver will need to then park the car in the main parking lot at the front of the building.) 

Hear the sounds of Maxwell Street Klezmer Band; listen to the end and the beginning of the Torah being chanted; and, have fun with your Hakafa family!

We hope you will be with us either in-person or via livestream on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/bQ-cUSS3FBU 

Yizkor Service

Please join us via Zoom on Tuesday, September 28 at 10:00 AM for Yizkor. Jewish tradition tells us that four times during the year, in addition to the anniversary of the death of a loved one, we are to recall the memories of those who have died. These four times, known as yizkor (remembrance), coincide with major holidays on the Jewish calendar. The last day of Sukkot, known as Shemini Atzeret, is one on which yizkor is traditionally recited. 

Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85232520986?pwd=Y1Y3cHdjeVNqaGVIVDVpay9FZWpldz09
Meeting ID: 852 3252 0986
To Dial-in: 312-626-6799

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On the holiday of Simchat Torah, the annual reading of the Torah is completed and the cycle is immediately renewed in a grand celebration that includes dancing with the Torah and carrying flags in a parade-like fashion. We affirm that the Torah is central to the Jewish people. It is our heritage and our history. Its teachings have served as a bond, linking Jews, young and old, over many generations, over time and space, in every land we have lived.

Consecration
At Hakafa, we hold a ceremony of consecration during our Simchat Torah celebration. Consecration is a ceremony for children in Kindergarten, as well as first, second, and third graders who are beginning their religious school experience. It is a very special ceremony in which students are blessed as they start their formal Jewish education. Because Simchat Torah marks our finishing of the yearly cycle of Torah readings, as well as our turning to begin it once again, it is a fitting time to recognize these students’ entry into the never-ending process of Jewish learning.

Yizkor
Jewish tradition tells us that four times during the year, in addition to the anniversary of the death of a loved one, we are to recall the memories of those who have died. These four times, known as yizkor (remembrance), coincide with major holidays on the Jewish calendar. The last day of Sukkot, known as Shemini Atzeret, is one on which yizkor is traditionally recited. 

Learn more about Simchat Torah.