SHEMINI ATZERET & SIMCHAT TORAH
שמיני עצרתשמחת תורה« Finishing the Torah in order to begin it again immediately. Because transmission never stops. »
Next occurrenceFrom the evening of Friday 22 October 2027 until Saturday 23 October 2027 · In 360 days
The feast begins the evening before, at sunset.
Calendar: choose your city to determine the Israel or Diaspora context.
In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into a single day. In the Diaspora, they are celebrated over two separate days.
The essentials
In brief
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah close the cycle of the Tishrei holidays.
Shemini Atzeret is a day apart: prayer for rain is recited, and it extends by one day the closeness established during Sukkot.
Simchat Torah celebrates the completion and immediate resumption of the annual Torah reading: the end of a cycle is already a beginning.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SHEMINI ATZERET & SIMCHAT TORAH ↓
SHEMINI ATZERET
This eighth day is not a mechanical extension of Sukkot: tradition regards it as a day in its own right, more intimate.
The prayer for rain is recited then, at the moment when the rainy season begins in the land of Israel.
SIMCHAT TORAH
The reading of the fifth book is completed and immediately begun again with the account of creation: the Torah never closes.
The Hakafot, dances with the Torah scrolls, express a joy that is not merely ornamental but tied to study itself.
ISRAEL AND THE DIASPORA
In the land of Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on the same day.
In the Diaspora, they occupy two consecutive days: the schedules and readings follow this difference.
THE PRAYERS OF THESE DAYS
The services include a holiday Musaf and, on Shemini Atzeret, Tefilat Geshem.
Editorial references: Vayikra / Leviticus 23:36 · Bemidbar / Numbers 29:35
Festival dates
From the evening of Friday 22 October 2027 until Saturday 23 October 2027
כ״ב תִּשְׁרֵי תשפ״ח
The feast begins the evening before, at sunset.
Key points
- Shemini Atzeret immediately follows the seven days of Sukkot.
- The prayer for rain, Tefilat Geshem, is recited then.
- Simchat Torah completes and immediately resumes the reading cycle.
- In Israel the two days are combined; in the Diaspora they are distinct.
- The Hakafot with the Torah scrolls are the central moment of joy.
PRACTICAL INFO — THIS OCCURRENCE
Jerusalem
Times for this occurrence, calculated for Jerusalem (Israel) in its own time zone.
Times are unavailable for this date and city.
For any personal situation or halachic question, seek guidance from your Rabbi.
What this feast teaches us
« Each generation receives the Torah in order to pass it on to the next. »
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