Rabbi's Blog Oct/Nov 2025:

Don’t Miss Simchat Torah

We have just completed the awe-filled journey of the High Holy Days — days of reflection, return, and renewal. And now, Jewish tradition invites us to move from introspection into joy. The very last step of this season is Simchat Torah, and it happens to be my favorite holy day.

Why? Because Simchat Torah is pure joy (that’s what Simchah means). We sing, we dance, we embrace the Torah and hold it close. Of all our holidays, Simchat Torah, with its overflowing happiness and its centering of Torah, best captures the spirit of Judaism. It reminds us that our tradition is not only serious and reflective, but also alive with celebration, community, and delight.

There is also something profoundly meaningful in the way we mark Simchat Torah. We finish reading the Torah, about the end of Moses’ life, and immediately begin again with the story of Creation. We don’t pause, because Torah is never finished. Each year we return to the beginning, but we are not the same people as the year before. We bring new questions, new experiences, and new insights. And in that way, Torah changes too.  Simchat Torah celebrates we’re we’ve come from, and also celebrates where we are headed.  It’s simultaneously a conclusion and a beginning, and a blurring of the line between the two.

This year’s celebration at TKC will have something for everyone. We’ll sing and dance with the Torah scrolls in the sanctuary, enjoy a delicious food truck dinner (free of charge!), and share in the joy of community. There will be an open bar for adults who choose, balloon making for kids, and plenty of music and fun for all ages. Invite friends — everyone is welcome, but we do ask for RSVPs.

Simchat Torah at TKC

Friday, October 17

6:00 pm – Food truck dinner

7:00 pm – Services & dancing with the Torah

RSVP here: https://forms.gle/FGvyZEnBbP3R5GMp7

The Baal Shem Tov taught: “Joy breaks all boundaries.” On Simchat Torah, we discover that joy in Torah is not only a celebration — it is the very force that carries us forward into the new year.