Joel Ribnick , '09 decorates the Sukkah

Sukkot & Simchat Torah

After the rigors and soul-scrutiny of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we rejuvenate over Sukkot and Simchat Torah. We sit, eat, and relax under the sukkah, a makeshift dwelling, meant to symbolize both the bounty of life and its transitory nature. Sukkot culminates in Simchat Torah—“rejoicing in the Torah”—a holiday that is part big dance party, and part a solemn and mystical completion and beginning of our tradition’s yearly cycle of Torah readings.