We’re nearing the end of the big Jewish holiday stretch. Yes. we still have a big dinner in the Sukkah on Wednesday night 10/15, and Friday Night 10/17 is at Shabbos House, too. But the one event you can’t miss is SIMCHAT TORAH NIGHT – this year on Thursday Night 10/16 between 8pm and midnight at Shabbos House.
Simchat Torah is that one night a year when we dance with the Torahs, song after song, slow songs and fast. You don’t have to know the words, or the tune for that matter. It’s the night to show up for 15 minutes or 5 hours to be a part of the circle, to express joy in being Jewish, to be happy in the company of our people.
Some know how to dance, some of us don’t, some of us speak Hebrew well, others just a few words, some of us are observant of the whole holiday, others don’t keep much. This night is we celebrate that we are one people, we celebrate the Torah as our heritage, we dance because the Torah belongs to all of us.
So just come! Even if you can’t stay long, just come for a bit, but don’t miss it!
Prayers begin at 7:30pm, festivities get underway around 8pm, and hopefully we can keep the energy flowing until close to midnight.
This night is different from all other nights at Shabbos House. We serve buffet dinner instead of sit-down, we dance a lot more than we talk, we have an annual souvenir collectible shotglass/jelly-bean holder for all participants, some alumni come back up to visit and celebrate. The dancing Rabbi icon is imprinted on all the jelly-bean holder collectibles, but the slogan or theme changes each year. This year’s theme is “Like a Room Without a Roof”.
Another difference is that there’s an “auction” early in the service (closer to 8pm) for the honors of saying the opening verses, the proceeds go to Shabbos House – but no one is obligated or pressured to give, it’s just an old tradition that we keep up and is helpful in making Shabbos House possible. No monies are collected on the holiday, and many students or alumni pay it our over the year. But please remember, no obligation and no pressure!
Friends, we all have stuff on our hearts and minds, we all have a lot on our plate. On Simchat Torah, this one night a year, whether you can stay for a little or for the whole thing, lets give it all we got!