Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, and the Yamim Nora'im Drashot @cnsberkeley!

Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah,  and the Yamim Nora'im Drashot! Simchat Torah will be observed this year on Monday night October 8th. 6:15pm Ma'ariv, 6:30pm unrolling the entire Torah with a guided tour, 7:00pm Simchat Torah Services and Celebration including 7 Hakafot Dances. The holiday continues the next day, Tuesday October 9th with Services and Celebration starting at 9:30am.  Click here for the latest Netivot Shalom Newsletter!    (A few hard copies will be available with Rachel in the shul office during regular hours!) > Click here for the amazing Drashot delivered by members of Netivot Shalom during Yamim Nora'im this year!   > Click here for a list of daveners and Torah readers for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. (A Reminder: Yizkor will be recited during Shemini Atzeret services Monday morning after the Torah reading.) ______________   A Simchat Torah Message from Rabbi Shalom Bochner, CNS Director of Lifelong Learning    If you are only going to observe one Jewish holiday, which one should it be?  For me, the answer is Simchat Torah.  While my favorite holiday is Sukkot without any doubt, Simchat Torah is the quintessential Jewish holiday. It has three basic ingredients: Jews, celebration and Torah. There are no special supplies, other than flags. (Why are there flags anyway?!). There are no special foods to prepare or eat, no 25 hour endurance challenges without food, no strange sounds to make on animal horns, no all-night study sessions, and no days to count towards.  This party is fully accessible; we don't encounter Torah as teachings or detailed instructions on Simchat Torah, we encounter it in pure joy, as a dance partner, in a timeless dance for everyone. On Simchat Torah we don't need to build a fort in our backyard and we don't need to search and destroy small pieces of bread crumbs.  On Simchat Torah we just need to dance... Click here to continue reading!     Quick Links CNS Homepage CNS Israel Trip CNS Blog CNS Preschool Religious School Rabbi Creditor's Blog Make a Donation!