Simchat Torah, Hebrew for rejoicing with the Torah, is the Jewish holiday when synagogues finish reading the Five Books of Moses and immediately start again from the beginning, celebrating with singing and dancing while carrying the Torah scrolls. It comes right after Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Assembly, a quieter festival that closes the Sukkot season. Outside Israel the two are separate back-to-back days; in Israel they are combined into one. In 2026, Shemini Atzeret begins at sundown on Friday, October 2, and Simchat Torah begins at sundown on Saturday, October 3, ending at nightfall on Sunday, October 4.
If the High Holidays are the serious part of the Jewish fall and Sukkot is the week of eating in a backyard hut, Simchat Torah is the finale where everyone ends up dancing. Here is what each day means, how they fit together, and why a holiday about a book is one of the loudest nights of the year.
What Is Shemini Atzeret?
Shemini Atzeret means the eighth day of assembly. It falls on the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, the day right after the seven days of Sukkot, and the Torah mentions it twice, in Leviticus 23:36 and Numbers 29:35. The Torah gives it no special rituals beyond resting from work, which makes it one of the more mysterious holidays on the calendar.
The Talmud describes Shemini Atzeret as a holiday in its own right, not simply an eighth day of Sukkot. The Hebrew word atzeret is related to a root meaning to stop or to linger, and the classic explanation, cited by the medieval commentator Rashi, is a parable: a king hosts his children for a week-long feast, and when it is time to leave he asks them to stay one more day, because parting is hard. Shemini Atzeret is that extra day, an intimate lingering after the big celebration.
In practice, it is a full festival day (yom tov) with festive meals, holiday prayers, and no work. Outside Israel, many people still eat their meals in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret, but without saying the special sukkah blessing, and the lulav and etrog are not taken.
What Is the Prayer for Rain on Shemini Atzeret?
One of the signature moments of Shemini Atzeret is Tefillat Geshem, the prayer for rain, recited during the Musaf service. It marks the start of the rainy season in the Land of Israel, where the winter rains determine the harvest for the whole year.
From that service on, a short phrase praising God who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall, mashiv haruach umorid hageshem, is added to the daily Amidah prayer, and it stays in until the first day of Passover in the spring. In many synagogues the prayer leader wears a white robe called a kittel, the same one worn on the High Holidays, because the prayer asks for a good judgment on the world's water for the year ahead. Many communities also recite Yizkor, the memorial prayer for loved ones who have passed away, on Shemini Atzeret.
What Happens on Simchat Torah?
Every week of the year, Jewish communities read a set portion of the Torah, working through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy in order.
Every week of the year, Jewish communities read a set portion of the Torah, working through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy in order. Simchat Torah is the day that annual cycle wraps up and starts over, and the celebration is built around a few customs:
- Hakafot. The Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark and carried around the synagogue in seven circuits called hakafot, during both the evening and morning services. Each circuit comes with singing and dancing, and the scrolls get passed from person to person so that as many people as possible get a turn to hold one.
- Finishing and restarting the Torah. The last portion of Deuteronomy, V'Zot HaBerakhah, is read, and then the first chapter of Genesis is read right away, with no pause in between. The message is simple and very Jewish: the moment you finish learning, you start again.
- Chatan Torah and Chatan Bereishit. Two coveted honors go to the people called up for the final reading of Deuteronomy, the Chatan Torah, meaning groom of the Torah, and the first reading of Genesis, the Chatan Bereishit, groom of Genesis.
- Kol HaNe'arim. In many synagogues the children are called up together for a special aliyah, standing under a large tallit spread over their heads like a canopy.
- Flags and candy. Kids traditionally get small Simchat Torah flags to wave and plenty of sweets, which makes it a big hit with the youngest members of the congregation.
Simchat Torah is not named in the Bible. The celebration grew up later, during the era of the Geonim and the Middle Ages, and the custom of seven hakafot is linked to the circle of the mystic Rabbi Isaac Luria in sixteenth-century Safed. That history is part of the charm: this is a holiday the Jewish people built for themselves, out of pure love for the text at the center of their lives.
Are Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah the Same Holiday?
Technically, Simchat Torah is part of Shemini Atzeret. The difference comes down to geography.
In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is a single day, and the rejoicing with the Torah happens on that same day, so the two are fully combined into one holiday. Outside Israel, Jewish tradition adds a second festival day to most biblical holidays, so Shemini Atzeret gets two days. The first keeps the name Shemini Atzeret, and the second is celebrated as Simchat Torah. Reform congregations generally follow the Israeli practice and observe both together on one day.
For 2026, that works out like this:
- Outside Israel (Orthodox and Conservative): Shemini Atzeret from sundown Friday, October 2 to nightfall Saturday, October 3, then Simchat Torah from sundown Saturday, October 3 to nightfall Sunday, October 4.
- In Israel and in most Reform congregations: one combined day of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, from sundown Friday, October 2 to nightfall Saturday, October 3.
Why Does Simchat Torah Matter?
The Jewish fall holidays move through a whole emotional arc. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are about judgment and reflection, Sukkot is about joy and gratitude, Shemini Atzeret is a quiet moment of closeness, and Simchat Torah ends the season by throwing a party for the book that holds it all together.
It is also one of the most welcoming holidays for anyone curious about Judaism. The heart of it is singing and dancing in a circle, and you do not need to read Hebrew or know every prayer to feel the joy of it. Check our Simchat Torah holiday page for more on its customs, or start with our beginner's guide to Jewish holidays to see where it fits in the full calendar.
To greet someone, a simple Chag sameach, happy holiday, works for both days. And if someone hands you a Torah scroll and pulls you into the circle, the correct response is to hold on carefully and dance.