Thousands Gather at Western Wall in Jerusalem to Celebrate Simchat Torah - Hakafot Shniyot

Description

Thousands of Orthodox Jews gathered to celebrate the Simchat Torah holiday at the Western Wall of Jerusalem in Israel on Monday. The Simchat Torah, literally 'the joy of Torah' in Hebrew, marks the end of the yearly cycle of Torah readings called 'Parsha' to commence the next cycle. As a part of the tradition, Jews commemorate another year of reading and studying the Torah which is the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. During the celebration, the faithful carry Torah scrolls out of the arks safeguarding them and carry them to the congregation and begin to move around a stage, 'bimah' while singing and dancing together. A Rabbi blows a traditional musical instrument named "Shofar" during the celebration. Some Jews bring their children to celebrate the event together and carry them on their shoulders. The holiday kicks off annually on the evening of October 17.