Have you ever been to a simcha? A simcha is a celebration.
So if you have ever been to a wedding, birthday party, bar mitzvah, or any other celebration, you've been to a simcha. There is a Jewish Holy Day called Simchat Torah. It celebrates the finishing of the reading of the Torah, and it occurs on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot. The reading of the torah begins again the day after Sukkot ends. This is Simchat Torah.
Every Shabbat a portion of the Torah is read in the synagogue. We finish reading the Torah one year later, on the last day of Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This is interesting because the Feast of Tabernacles reminds us of the time we spent living in tents in the wilderness after we crossed the Red Sea. It was during that time that Moses wrote the Torah. The Feast of Tabernacles also represents what our lives will be like in heaven, which is where the Holy Scriptures find their richest fulfillment. The Feast of Tabernacles is the last biblical Holy Day of the religious year. After the reading of the last portion of Torah, we start reading it all over again.
It is very good for us to read these precious messages again and again. If we are praying for G-d to show us how to apply the principles of the Scriptures to our daily lives we will find the reading alive and refreshing every time. I highly recommend reading the Scriptures every day on our own, as well as the Shabbat reading as a group. The Torah is the first 5 books of the Bible, but the rest of the books are just as important. If you do not have a Bible I strongly recommend getting one right away and allowing G-d to speak to you directly from His Word every day.
Picture originally found here
