In the middle of the 20th century, various congregations in the United States primarily Conservative ones were seeking ways to modernize the service and also to spend more time on Shabbat on Torah study. They too attempted to revive the Palestinian cycles with the argument that reading only a section of the weekly Torah portion would make Torah study more concentrated and thus enhanced. The reintroduction failed for two reasons. First, in the pattern of the Palestinian triennial cycle, the weekly reading would have differed from what the rest of the Jewish world was reading.
Second, Simchat Torah celebrations would only occur one out of every three years, instead of annually. Finally, in , the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement passed a legal responsum that put into practice a new American triennial cycle. This new triennial cycle, rather than dividing the entire Torah into thirds, as was done in the Palestinian cycle, divides each of the individual 54 portions into thirds.
Therefore, a congregation can be reading within the same portion as those who follow the annual cycle, but will only read one-third of each portion per year. In addition, this pattern enables the congregation to read from Genesis through Deuteronomy each year, providing for an annual celebration of Simchat Torah. There is an obvious drawback to this system: Only one-third of each conventional Torah portion is actually read per year; and the readings, because incomplete, do not flow smoothly into the portion of the following week.
Nonetheless, the vast majority of American Conservative and Reform congregations prefer this new cycle. All Jews in Israel, however, and Orthodox Jews in America continue to follow the annual cycle with the full portion read each week. Pronounced: ark, Origin: English, the place in the synagogue where the Torah scrolls are stored, also known as the aron kodesh, or holy cabinet. How to ask time off for the High Holidays. August 4, How to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
Sara Himeles. September 9, Topics in this article. High Holidays. She has created and managed content and strategic communications for former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and presidential candidate Barack Obama. Paul Rudd: Sexiest man of the year and Jewish. Colin Powell: The general who spoke Yiddish. Season 3 of our favorite show in Hebrew just dropped after a 4 year hiatus. Our favorite over the top Yiddish curses.
Kosher certified ham? Not so fast says the OU. Applesauce crumb cake. The final portion of the Book of Deuteronomy is read in the synagogue followed by the beginning of the Book of Genesis. In this manner, the annual cycle of Torah readings continues unbroken. The holiday of Sukkot concludes with an additional festival. Why should there be another, additional holiday immediately following the seven days of Sukkot which have just been celebrated?
Agricultural : Unlike on Sukkot, the lulav and etrog are no longer picked up and waved on Shemini Atzeret, and some people no longer eat meals in the Sukkah. In addition, no hoshanot poems are recited and there are no more hakkafot processions around the synagogue , and the day itself is called a different holiday in prayer services.
However, like Sukkot, a special prayer for rain is recited, and a short petition for rain is added to the daily prayers and recited daily until the festival of Passover in the spring, when the rainy season in the land of Israel concludes. However, during early medieval times, the second day of Shemini Atzeret began to develop a unique character and pattern of celebration.
In a tradition that dates back to Babylonian times, the entire Torah is read in a yearly cycle of readings. Simchat Torah falls at the end of Sukkot. In Israel it is celebrated on the same day as Shemini Atzeret, and outside Israel it is celebrated on the day immediately following Shemini Atzeret.
As during the seven days of Sukkot and on Shemini Atzeret, on Simchat Torah hakafot circuits are performed around the bimah of the synagogue. Each Shabbat and festival, members of the congregation are honoured with aliyot call-ups to the Torah. On Simchat Torah the aliyot are even more special.
It is customary for these two men to sponsor a festive meal later in the day of Simchat Torah. They also usually sponsor a special Kiddush following services, plus provide sweets and other special treats for the children of the congregation.
0コメント