spirituality »

Looking Back

Simons Archives photos spark holiday memories.

A

Courtesy Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives

rchivist Robbie Terman at
the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit found
some fun historic photographs from
Sukkot taken from the Leonard N.
Simons Jewish Community Archives.
The photos were taken in the
1950s-1960s at the Jewish Community
Centers on Curtis and Meyers and
in Oak Park. Enjoy. Maybe you’ll see
yourself in these holiday photos.

*

Top left: Students learning about
Sukkot, 1966.

Top right: A nursery school class
in front of the sukkah, 1967.

Bottom left: Preschool students
in the sukkah, c. 1950s.

Bottom right: Building the suk-
kah, 1965.

Two students in the sukkah, c. 1960

Holidays 101

Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah follow Sukkot.

C

oming at the conclusion
of Sukkot are the two holidays
of Shemini Atzeret (Oct. 24) and
Simchat Torah (Oct. 25). In Israel and among
liberal Jews, they are combined into one
holiday on the day after the end of Sukkot.
Among more traditional Jews outside of
Israel, they are observed separately on two
consecutive days.
Shemini Atzeret means the “Eighth Day
of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means
“Rejoicing in Torah.”
Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in the Bible,
but its exact function is unclear. In Second
Temple times, it appears to have been a day
devoted to the ritual cleansing of the Temple
altar. With the destruction of the Temple in
70 CE, this became moot.
Although it marks the beginning of the
rainy season in Israel and, therefore, includes
the year’s first prayer for rain, its lack of clear
definition may have provided the impetus
to celebrate it in conjunction with Simchat
Torah, a celebration of the conclusion of one
and the beginning of another annual cycle of

34 October 20 • 2016

readings from the Torah.
Unlike many other holidays, the obser-
vance of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
are centered in the synagogue and com-
munity. On Shemini Atzeret, some still eat
in the sukkah (the traditional hut associated
with the festival of Sukkot), but in contrast to
Sukkot, no blessings are associated with that
activity.
On Simchat Torah, it is customary to
eat foods that are rolled, just like the Torah.
Stuffed cabbage and blintzes are popular, but
it’s fine to get creative, too, and use pita to
roll up your favorite sandwich combinations
or to make baklava “cigars” rolled in phyllo
dough. Find great recipes for all online.
Beginning on Shemini Atzeret and
lasting until Passover, a short prayer for
rain is inserted into the second blessing
of the Amidah prayer. It is traditional to
include Yizkor, or memorial service, as part
of the liturgy for this day.
Simchat Torah is characterized by joy-
ful dancing with the Torah. The final portion
of Deuteronomy is read in the synagogue

Members of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue dance in the street during a Simchat
Torah celebration in 2014.

followed by the beginning of Genesis. In this
manner, the annual cycle of Torah readings
continues unbroken.
While Shemini Atzeret’s significance is
somewhat unclear, Simchat Torah conveys a
clear message about the centrality of Torah
in Jewish life. It is both a source of Jewish

identity and a precious gift from God.
Simchat Torah is the day on which the whole
community gathers to come into direct con-
tact with the Torah and to express our joy in
having received it.

*

— myjewishlearning.com

