Jews celebrate Simchat Torah holiday, ending festive period

Jewish men and women danced on Monday with scrolls of the Torah, celebrating the religious holiday of Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah) throughout Israel.

During the year, every Saturday in synagogue, devout Jews read a portion of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Simchat Torah marks the reading of the final portion and the start of the cycle for the next year.

(Photo: EPA)

(Photo: Idan Arbel)

On Simchat Torah valuable parchment scrolls are taken from their places of safe-keeping in synagogues into the streets and devout men and women dance with them.

(Photo: Idan Arbel)

(Photo: Shlomit Mantal)

The men also carry the scrolls around the synagogue in a series of seven circuits that symbolize the restart of the reading of the Torah.

(Photo: Oshrat Yitzhak)

In the ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighbourhood, hundreds of rejoicers donning traditional fur hats and festive white, grey and golden robes packed the synagogues to celebrate the holiday, holding up Torah scrolls, singing and dancing.

(Photo: Reuters)

(Photo: EPA)

In Tel Aviv's popular Bograshov Street, Orthodox men and women gathered with the scrolls on the road, eating, drinking, dancing and singing.

(Photo: Eitan Elhadaz)

(Photo: Eitan Elhadaz)

Simchat Torah marks the end of the week-long festival of Sukkot and is the final holiday of almost a month of festivities that includes the Jewish New Year and the solemn fasting day of Yom Kippur.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Jews celebrate Simchat Torah holiday, ending festive period : https://ift.tt/2IuyF4N