Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism

Member Login
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Get To Know Us
    • HCRJ Photo Gallery
    • Our Rabbi
    • Our Staff
    • Our Board Of Trustees
  • Worship with us
    • High Holy Days
    • Shabbat Services
    • Shabbat Shelanu
    • Special Shabbats
    • Havdalah
  • Connect with Us
    • Contact HCRJ
    • Find Us
    • Media
    • Connect with Our Friends
    • All Rabbi’s Messages
      • Monthly Messages
      • Weekly Reflections
  • Learning
    • Religious School
      • Philosophy
      • Registration
      • Calendar
      • Special Programs
      • Pictures
    • Youth Learning
      • HOUSTY
      • URJ Greene Family Camp
      • Prayer Library
    • Adult Learning
      • Jews around the World
      • Film Screenings
      • Tacos and Torah
      • Lunch with the Rabbi
      • Book Discussions
      • Jewish/Muslim Christmas
      • Basic Judaism
      • Marriage and Merlot
  • Social
    • Groups
      • Social Action
      • Senior Chai
      • Boomers and Friends
    • Events
      • Bingo
      • Mah Jongg Game Day
      • New and Prospective Member Shabbat
      • HCRJ Open Golf Tournament
      • Cars, Coffee & Conversation
      • Bark Mitzvah
      • Interest Group
      • HCRJ at the Astros
  • Calendar/Events
  • Membership

Simchat Torah

 

Hakafah-Simchat-Torah

Immediately following Sukkot, we celebrate Simchat Torah.  Simchat Torah means “happiness of the Torah.”  Simchat Torah is a holiday whereby we celebrate the completion of the Torah reading cycle and begin to read Torah from the beginning again.

Many congregations take the Torah scrolls from the ark.; congregants carry or dance around the synagogue seven times. During the Torah service, the concluding section of the fifth book of the Torah, D’varim (Deuteronomy), is read, and immediately following, the opening section of Genesis, or B’reishit (the first passage of the Torah) is read. This practice represents the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah and confirms the importance of the Torah in our lives.

Dates (Jewish Holidays begin at Sundown):

2014 – October 15 – October 16
2015 – October 5 – October 6
2016 – October 24 – October 25
2017 – October 12 – October 13

 

  • Religious School
  • Events
  • Monthly Bulletins
  • Find Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Membership
  • Member Login

801 Bering Drive | Houston, Texas 77057 | Phone: 713-782-4162| Fax: 713-782-4167| hcrj@hcrj.org

Copyright © 2023 Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism All Rights Reserved

Website Development by Levy Marketing Group