Introduction

The Jewish festival of Simchat Torah is marked at the end of the festival of Sukkot. Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah”, and it is a day when Jewish people celebrate the reading of the Torah.

The word Torah means “to teach”.

The Torah is the Jewish holy book, made up of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the synagogue, a Torah scroll is kept in a special cabinet called an ark.

The Torah is read through in full each year in the synagogue. During Simchat Torah the final passages are read, and the cycle begins again at the beginning. This reading is accompanied by dancing and sweet treats for the children. In Jerusalem, people dance through the city to the Western Wall in a huge procession.

Enjoy the story of Sammy Spider’s First Simchat Torah.

Teaching Ideas and Resources

• Make a mini torah scroll.
• Make a list of things that happen in yearly cycles; how many can you think of?
• Find the city of Jerusalem in an atlas or on Google Maps.