22 | OCTOBER 17 • 2019 

Jews in the D

Mystery Solved

Samuel Pepys’
 historic account of 
Simchat Torah is fi
 nally explained.

I

f you attend synagogue 
only once, and your visit 
coincides with Simchat 
Torah, you would get a skewed 
view of Jewish prayer. Most 
synagogues relax the normal 
rules of decorum for hakafot 
(circuits), when people carry 
Torah scrolls around the sanc-
tuary, accompanied by singing, 
dancing and carrying on. 
That happened to Samuel 
Pepys (say it as “Peeps”) on 
Oct. 14, 1663. Pepys, a political 
leader and man-about-town 
in London, decided to visit the 
newly opened, and first legal, 
synagogue in London. 
The synagogue was a 
new sensation because King 
Edward expelled all Jews from 
England in 1290. No Jews 
were officially allowed until 
Oliver Cromwell took steps to 
welcome Jews in the middle 
1650s. Jewish Londoners start-
ed Shaar Hashamayim shortly 
thereafter. When Pepys visited, 
going to synagogue promised 
to be a new treat for the expe-
rience-hungry politician.
Back then, Pepys kept a 
detailed diary of his activities 
every single day, so we know 
what happened that evening. 
He saw men and boys wear-
ing tallitot (which he called 
“vayles”), four or five of them 
carrying the scrolls of Torah 

(he called “Laws”). The con-
gregation sang the whole 
service in Hebrew, except for 
prayers for the king, recited in 
Portuguese. 
The experience disturbed 
Pepys. He wrote, “But, Lord! 
to see the disorder, laughing, 
sporting and no attention, but 
confusion in all their service, 
more like brutes than people 
knowing the true God, would 
make a man forswear ever see-
ing them more and, indeed, I 
never did see so much or could 
have imagined there had been 
any religion in the whole world 
so absurdly performed as this.
”
Apparently, no one told him 
that Jewish services look con-
siderably more decorous the 
other days of the year. 
This version of the history 
leaves a few loose ends. Check 
your calendar, and Simchat 
Torah in 1663 should have 
been Oct. 24, not Oct. 14, 
when Pepys visited the syn-
agogue. On what other day 
would Pepys see hakafot?
The columnist who goes by 
the name Philologos solves 
that problem: England still 
used the Julian calendar back 
then, so England stayed 10 
days out of step with the rest of 
Europe. Simchat Torah indeed 
fell on Oct. 14 in England. 
When England finally switched 
to the Gregorian calendar in 

September of 1752, it had to 
make 11 days disappear. 
But if Oct. 14 was Simchat 
Torah, how did Pepys see 
hakafot in the evening? 
Synagogues around the world 
do these circuits on the eve-
ning as Simchat Torah begins, 
and on the morning of Simchat 
Torah. Pepys arrived on the 
evening as Simchat Torah 
ended or after the end of the 
festival!
Philologos solves that prob-
lem, too. Since at least the 
middle-1500s, some congre-
gations had begun the practice 
of having hakofot sheniyot 
(second circuits) on the night 
after the end of Simchat Torah. 
Philologos knows of the prac-
tice because Rabbi Yitzhak 
Luria (1534-72) opposed it, but 
some later Eastern European 
synagogues favored it. It seems 
that Shaar Hashamayim had 
second circuits. 
Philologos concludes by 
observing that, while the 
practice of second circuits 
hardly exists outside of Israel 
anymore, it has become wide-
spread in Israel, often accom-
panied by musical instruments 
that would not be welcome on 
the festival itself. 

This year, Simchat Torah begins the 
evening of Monday, Oct. 21, at 7:24 
p.m.

LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A festive Simchat Torah 
at the Isaac Agree 
Downtown Synagogue 
from years past

BRANDON SCHWARTZ

Kadima, a Southfield-
based organization serving 
individuals with mental 
health challenges, will host 
its 4th Annual Community 
Awards Night event Monday, 
Oct. 28, at the Townsend 
Hotel in Birmingham. The 
complimentary event will 
include a cocktail reception, 
hors d’
oeuvres, a program 
and dessert reception. 
Kadima will highlight 
its 35-year history, as well 
as hand out recognition 
awards, including Flagstar 
Bank as the Community 
Partner of the Year. Flagstar 
has supported Kadima’
s 
volunteer program, as well 
as had an employee lead a 
regular financial literacy 
workshop with the people 
Kadima serves. 
Jeff Aisen will be honored 
as the Volunteer of the Year 
for his many years of taking 
photographs at Kadima 
events and activities. The 
employee of the year and 
new Member Leadership 
Award have not been 
announced.
“This event provides a 
great opportunity to share 
exciting things taking 
place at Kadima with our 
community stakeholders, 
as well as recognize our 
members, staff and partners,” 
said Eric Adelman, executive 
director. “It has turned into 
a fun networking event and 
a way for many people to 
reconnect while focusing on 
the important work Kadima 
does for people with mental 
health challenges.” 
To register for the event, 
email Ali Huber at allisonh@
kadimacenter.org or visit 
kadimacenter.org/
communityawards or call 
(248) 663-4330. 

Kadima’
s Community 
Awards Night

