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Oct. 14, 2022
Rejoicing over the Torah – Simchat Torah
The biblical day Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day Assembly) brought the Feast of Tabernacles to a close with a day of Sabbath rest and prayer. Over time this day became known as Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah) because it was the day of the year when the annual reading through the Torah was completed and then began again with Genesis 1. On this day, when the Torah scrolls are taken out for reading, the entire congregation dances and rejoices—sometimes for hours. When was the last time you danced through the aisles of your church, rejoicing over the Word of God? The apostle Paul said that a chief responsibility of the Jewish people was to be the custodians or keepers of the Word; because of their love for Torah, we all have a Bible to read today. We should at least say thank you and rejoice with them.
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Rejoicing over the Torah – Simchat Torah (Out of Zion Episode #147)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,040
Well, hey, when was the last time you went dancing through the aisles of your church
2
00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:11,200
rejoicing over the Bible, the gift of the Word of God?
3
00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,720
Well, the synagogues do this each year.
4
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,680
So I want to welcome you to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional when I seek to share just
5
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:27,160
a little inspiration and bring a little peace to the close of your very busy week.
6
00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:36,200
So the seven-day feast of tabernacles is followed by an eighth-day assembly called Shemini Atseret.
7
00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:42,320
It is a Sabbath day and it's a time of another holy convocation.
8
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:49,200
Over time, this eighth-day assembly became the day when the annual reading through the
9
00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:54,880
Torah came to an end and therefore the new cycle began again.
10
00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:04,080
And so it became known as Semchat Torah or Rejoicing of the Torah.
11
00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:11,080
It's on this day that the last section of the Torah from Deuteronomy 34 is read, followed
12
00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:18,760
by the first chapter of Genesis as the annual reading through the Torah begins again.
13
00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:24,280
Now in synagogues, when the ark where they store the Torah scrolls, it's called an ark,
14
00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:29,960
it's like a big cabinet or closet at the head of the synagogue.
15
00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:36,240
When they open the ark to take the Torah scrolls out for these readings, the worshippers leave
16
00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:44,640
their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that can last
17
00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,440
for several hours.
18
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:53,640
What a wonderful and meaningful tradition to express their joy of having been given
19
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,480
the Word of God.
20
00:01:55,480 --> 00:02:01,160
The apostle Paul said that one of the chief responsibilities of the Jewish people was to
21
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:06,280
be the custodians, the keepers of the oracles of God.
22
00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,360
They received them from God himself.
23
00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,160
They recorded them.
24
00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,800
They protected them and cherished them.
25
00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:21,760
They made sure that they were copiously transmitted and passed on from generation to generation.
26
00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:28,800
We have the Bible in our churches because of the Jewish people's love of the Torah and
27
00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,560
their care for it.
28
00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:38,120
So be back here next week when we are going to join the Jewish community and read through
29
00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,320
the Torah with them this year.
30
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:47,400
So on Simchat Torah, they will end on Deuteronomy 34, 34th chapter.
31
00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,800
And together we are going to begin reading at Genesis 1.
32
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:58,440
Plan to join us here each week on the Shabbat Shalom devotional when I will just share a
33
00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:03,120
little thought of inspiration from that week's Torah reading.
34
00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:08,920
This is the same Torah reading that Jesus did, that Paul did, that the early believers
35
00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:11,720
did each week in their synagogues.
36
00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:19,560
So let's adopt this love for the Word of God that we find in Simchat Torah.
37
00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:24,880
And with that I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
38
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,560
So for the next year I'm going to be teaching through the Torah.
39
00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:35,120
And if you would like to read along with me, please download our Torah reading chart for
40
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:36,240
the year.
41
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:42,520
We put the link in today's show notes down below, free download your chart of the Torah
42
00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:44,560
readings for the next year.
43
00:03:44,560 --> 00:04:09,320
Read along with me and I'll see you there.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,040
Well, hey, when was the last time you went dancing through the aisles of your church
2
00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:11,200
rejoicing over the Bible, the gift of the Word of God?
3
00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,720
Well, the synagogues do this each year.
4
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,680
So I want to welcome you to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional when I seek to share just
5
00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:27,160
a little inspiration and bring a little peace to the close of your very busy week.
6
00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:36,200
So the seven-day feast of tabernacles is followed by an eighth-day assembly called Shemini Atseret.
7
00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:42,320
It is a Sabbath day and it's a time of another holy convocation.
8
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:49,200
Over time, this eighth-day assembly became the day when the annual reading through the
9
00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:54,880
Torah came to an end and therefore the new cycle began again.
10
00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:04,080
And so it became known as Semchat Torah or Rejoicing of the Torah.
11
00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:11,080
It's on this day that the last section of the Torah from Deuteronomy 34 is read, followed
12
00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:18,760
by the first chapter of Genesis as the annual reading through the Torah begins again.
13
00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:24,280
Now in synagogues, when the ark where they store the Torah scrolls, it's called an ark,
14
00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:29,960
it's like a big cabinet or closet at the head of the synagogue.
15
00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:36,240
When they open the ark to take the Torah scrolls out for these readings, the worshippers leave
16
00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:44,640
their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that can last
17
00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,440
for several hours.
18
00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:53,640
What a wonderful and meaningful tradition to express their joy of having been given
19
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,480
the Word of God.
20
00:01:55,480 --> 00:02:01,160
The apostle Paul said that one of the chief responsibilities of the Jewish people was to
21
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:06,280
be the custodians, the keepers of the oracles of God.
22
00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,360
They received them from God himself.
23
00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,160
They recorded them.
24
00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,800
They protected them and cherished them.
25
00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:21,760
They made sure that they were copiously transmitted and passed on from generation to generation.
26
00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:28,800
We have the Bible in our churches because of the Jewish people's love of the Torah and
27
00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,560
their care for it.
28
00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:38,120
So be back here next week when we are going to join the Jewish community and read through
29
00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,320
the Torah with them this year.
30
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:47,400
So on Simchat Torah, they will end on Deuteronomy 34, 34th chapter.
31
00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,800
And together we are going to begin reading at Genesis 1.
32
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:58,440
Plan to join us here each week on the Shabbat Shalom devotional when I will just share a
33
00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:03,120
little thought of inspiration from that week's Torah reading.
34
00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:08,920
This is the same Torah reading that Jesus did, that Paul did, that the early believers
35
00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:11,720
did each week in their synagogues.
36
00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:19,560
So let's adopt this love for the Word of God that we find in Simchat Torah.
37
00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:24,880
And with that I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
38
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,560
So for the next year I'm going to be teaching through the Torah.
39
00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:35,120
And if you would like to read along with me, please download our Torah reading chart for
40
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:36,240
the year.
41
00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:42,520
We put the link in today's show notes down below, free download your chart of the Torah
42
00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:44,560
readings for the next year.
43
00:03:44,560 --> 00:04:09,320
Read along with me and I'll see you there.
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