In one of the piyutim for Simchat Torah we refer to the Torah as “Zot HaTorah”. An exploration of what the phrase means based on the 2 places in the Torah where the phrase is used. Understanding the joy associated with Sukkot, Simchat Torah and “Zot HaTorah” – “This Torah”.

Whether you’ll be traveling from chutz la’Aretz to Eretz Yisrael or visa versa, you’ll surely benefit from Rabbi Fried’s thoughtful review of the halachos that pertain to the second day of Yom Tov.

Jews live in calendar dialectics, oscillating between two Jewish New Years (Tishrei/Nissan) and two Judgment Days (Rosh HaShanah/Yom Kippur). Perhaps the greatest Jewish storyteller of all time, the Dubner Maggid, (Rabbi Yaakov Krantz, d. 1804) was once asked: Why do we celebrate both Simchat Torah (the completion of the annual Torah cycle) and Shavuot (commemorating […]

Starry, starry nights, eating meals in the Sukkah with its leafy roof partly open to the star-studded sky, and enjoying a variety of vegetables and fruits from the final fall harvest is always a memorable and spiritual experience. The Sukkah symbolizes the temporary shelters in which our ancestors lived during their 40 years in the […]

Cakes, cookies and breads that I bake for the Holidays, I bake only for the Holidays. Except for testing out recipes, that is. In this way, my High Holiday baked goods are cherished on two levels: First, my family looks forward to these special foods that come just once a year. And second, I have […]

Simchat Torah: Why Dance Now? – Why do we rejoice over the Torah at this holiday and not on Shavuot, the holiday seemingly more appropriate?

All Jewish holidays and observances, with the exception of some fasts, begin on the evening previous to the first day. Except as noted, all require special additional prayers and services are held in the Synagogue. All Jewish Holidays with Sabbath-like restrictions require that all normal business, school or secular activities cease about two hours before […]

Did the angels agree that Man should be given the Torah? Not at first, according to the Midrash. However, when they protested, G-d told Moshe to answer them. He said to them, “Do you have parents, that you should need a command to honor and fear them? Do you have jealousy, that you should need […]

Who are the “Chatanim?” First of all, “Chatanim” is the plural of “Chatan,” which means bridegroom. This word befits the occasion, for the Jewish People on this day is expressing its love for the Torah and for its Author. Why is the plural used? How many bridegrooms are needed at a wedding? In this case, […]

What are Hakafot? On the night preceding Simchat Torah and again the following morning [“they could’ve danced all night!”], Jews all over the world (in Israel, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are rolled into one) dance joyously with the Torah. Each dance is begun with a circuit of the bimah (the central platform in the […]