Simchat Torah 2027 begins at sundown on Saturday, October 23, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 24, 2027. Shemini Atzeret comes first, from sundown on Friday, October 22.
Simchat Torah is the day the yearly cycle of Torah readings ends and restarts, and it is kept with dancing, singing and seven circuits around the synagogue holding the scrolls.
It arrives at the end of a crowded stretch of the Hebrew calendar, right after Sukkot and its own companion holiday, Shemini Atzeret.
The two are easy to confuse, and their timing differs depending on where you are: outside Israel they are two separate days, while in Israel they are one.
This page covers the dates through 2030, what each holiday is, the hakafot, the Torah reading that ends and begins in the same service, and how the Israeli and Diaspora calendars line up.
Table of Contents
When is Simchat Torah?
Simchat Torah 2027 begins at sundown on Saturday, October 23, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 24, 2027. Outside Israel it falls on 23 Tishrei, the day after Shemini Atzeret.
| Year | Begins at sundown | Ends at nightfall | Hebrew date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday, October 3, 2026 | Sunday, October 4, 2026 | 23 Tishrei 5787 |
| 2027 | Saturday, October 23, 2027 | Sunday, October 24, 2027 | 23 Tishrei 5788 |
| 2028 | Thursday, October 12, 2028 | Friday, October 13, 2028 | 23 Tishrei 5789 |
| 2029 | Monday, October 1, 2029 | Tuesday, October 2, 2029 | 23 Tishrei 5790 |
| 2030 | Saturday, October 19, 2030 | Sunday, October 20, 2030 | 23 Tishrei 5791 |
When is Shemini Atzeret?
Shemini Atzeret 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, October 22, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 23, 2027. It falls on 22 Tishrei, immediately after the seven days of Sukkot.
| Year | Begins at sundown | Ends at nightfall |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, October 2, 2026 | Saturday, October 3, 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, October 22, 2027 | Saturday, October 23, 2027 |
| 2028 | Wednesday, October 11, 2028 | Thursday, October 12, 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, September 30, 2029 | Monday, October 1, 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday, October 18, 2030 | Saturday, October 19, 2030 |
How the two days work in Israel and outside it
Outside Israel the two holidays fall on separate days, while in Israel they are kept as one. Hebcal states that in the Diaspora “a second day is celebrated separately as Simchat Torah,” and that “in Israel and Reform Judaism, the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into a single day.”
| Holiday | Hebrew date | Outside Israel, 2027 | Israel, 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sukkot ends, Hoshanah Rabbah | 21 Tishrei | Friday, October 22, 2027 | Friday, October 22, 2027 |
| Shemini Atzeret | 22 Tishrei | Saturday, October 23, 2027 | Saturday, October 23, 2027, with Simchat Torah |
| Simchat Torah | 23 Tishrei | Sunday, October 24, 2027 | Kept on 22 Tishrei instead |
In 2027 this means the Israeli calendar finishes the festival season on Saturday, October 23, while the Diaspora calendar runs one day longer, to nightfall on Sunday, October 24.
What is Simchat Torah?
Simchat Torah marks the end of the yearly cycle of Torah readings and the start of the next one on the same day. Hebcal describes it as “the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle,” and notes that the community “dances and sings joyfully with the Torah scrolls.” The name means “rejoicing of the Torah.”
The evening service is unusual in itself. Hebcal notes that it includes “the rare nighttime removal of Torah scrolls from the ark,” since scrolls are normally taken out by day.
The hakafot: seven circuits with the Torah
The dancing is organized into seven hakafot, circuits around the synagogue with the Torah scrolls. The American Jewish Committee describes “seven ‘hakafot,’ rounds of parading and dancing with the Torah,” and calls the day “one of the most fun days of the Jewish year.”
Children have their own part in it. The same source notes that it is “an especially fun holiday for children, who ride on their parents’ shoulders during dancing and delight in receiving little bags of treats so that they will associate the Torah with sweetness.”
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hakafot | Seven circuits of parading and dancing with the scrolls |
| Timing | Evening and again during the morning service |
| Scrolls | Taken from the ark at night, unusually |
| Children | Carried on shoulders, given sweets |
The reading that ends and begins in one service
The final passage of Deuteronomy is read, and the opening of Genesis follows immediately. The American Jewish Committee describes the sequence: “we read the final passages of the book of Devarim, Deuteronomy.
But, we don’t stop there. Immediately after completing the Torah, we begin again by reading the first passage of Breishit, Genesis.” Hebcal describes the same practice as symbolizing “the continuous renewal of Torah study.”
| Reading | Book | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Last | Deuteronomy, Devarim | The closing passage of the Torah |
| First | Genesis, Bereishit | The opening passage, read straight afterwards |
What is Shemini Atzeret?
Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right, not the eighth day of Sukkot. Hebcal is explicit: it is “considered a holiday in its own right rather than a continuation of Sukkot; unlike Sukkot, it has no mandated ritual objects such as the sukkah or the Four Species.” It falls on 22 Tishrei, directly after the seven days of Sukkot.
The prayer for rain begins on Shemini Atzeret. Chabad states that “in the Musaf prayer of Shemini Atzeret we begin saying ‘He causes the wind to blow and the rain to descend,'” the line that marks the start of the rainy season in the liturgy.
Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret compared
The two holidays run back to back outside Israel and share a single day in Israel, but they mark different things. The table compares them.
| Attribute | Shemini Atzeret | Simchat Torah |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew date | 22 Tishrei | 23 Tishrei outside Israel |
| 2027 date | Saturday, October 23, 2027 | Sunday, October 24, 2027 |
| Marks | A separate festival following Sukkot | The end and restart of the Torah reading cycle |
| Signature moment | The prayer for wind and rain in Musaf | Seven hakafot with the Torah scrolls |
| Sukkah and Four Kinds | Not used | Not used |
| In Israel | Combined with Simchat Torah on 22 Tishrei | Combined with Shemini Atzeret |
What Simchat Torah is not
Simchat Torah is not the eighth day of Sukkot, and neither is Shemini Atzeret. Hebcal treats Shemini Atzeret as a holiday of its own, which is why the sukkah and the Four Kinds do not carry over to either day.
Simchat Torah is also not a biblical festival with a date given in the Torah, unlike Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot: it developed as the celebration attached to the completion of the reading cycle.
It is not observed on the same day everywhere either, since Israel keeps it on 22 Tishrei together with Shemini Atzeret while the Diaspora keeps it on 23 Tishrei.
Finally, the Torah reading does not stop at the end of Deuteronomy for the year: Genesis begins again in the same service.
Frequently asked questions
When is Simchat Torah 2027?
Simchat Torah 2027 begins at sundown on Saturday, October 23, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Sunday, October 24, 2027, according to Hebcal. The Hebrew date is 23 Tishrei 5788. In Israel it is kept a day earlier, on 22 Tishrei, together with Shemini Atzeret.
What is Simchat Torah?
Simchat Torah marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the start of the next cycle, according to Hebcal. Congregations dance and sing with the Torah scrolls, making seven circuits called hakafot. The name means rejoicing of the Torah, and the scrolls are taken from the ark at night, which is unusual.
What is the difference between Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?
Shemini Atzeret falls on 22 Tishrei and Simchat Torah on 23 Tishrei outside Israel, where they are separate holidays. Shemini Atzeret opens the prayer for rain, while Simchat Torah centers on the Torah reading cycle and the hakafot. Hebcal notes that in Israel and in Reform Judaism the two are combined into one day.
What are hakafot?
Hakafot are the seven circuits of parading and dancing with the Torah scrolls around the synagogue on Simchat Torah, described by the American Jewish Committee as “rounds of parading and dancing with the Torah.” They are held in the evening and again during the morning service, and children often join, carried on their parents’ shoulders.
Is Shemini Atzeret part of Sukkot?
No. Hebcal states that Shemini Atzeret is “considered a holiday in its own right rather than a continuation of Sukkot” and that “unlike Sukkot, it has no mandated ritual objects such as the sukkah or the Four Species.” It follows immediately after the seven days of Sukkot, on 22 Tishrei, which is why the two are often grouped together.
When is Shemini Atzeret 2027?
Shemini Atzeret 2027 begins at sundown on Friday, October 22, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 23, 2027, according to Hebcal. It falls on 22 Tishrei 5788, directly after the last day of Sukkot. In Israel, Simchat Torah is kept on the same day rather than the day after.
Why is Simchat Torah a day later outside Israel?
Outside Israel, festival days are extended by one day, so Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are kept as two separate days, on 22 and 23 Tishrei. Hebcal notes that in Israel and in Reform Judaism the two are combined into a single day. In 2027 that means Israel finishes on Saturday, October 23, and the Diaspora on Sunday, October 24.
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