Rejoicing over the Law
- noun
:
Simjat Torá
- During Rejoicing over the Law, the Torah scrolls are paraded around the synagogue.
Examples
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Many Jewish communities gather for Rejoicing over the Law with singing and dancing.
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Children often participate in Rejoicing over the Law celebrations with special flags and sweets.
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During Rejoicing over the Law, families gather to celebrate.
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Many Jews participate in Rejoicing over the Law every year.
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Children often participate in Rejoicing over the Law celebrations with special flags and sweets.
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During Rejoicing over the Law, the Torah scrolls are paraded around the synagogue.
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Many Jewish communities gather for Rejoicing over the Law with singing and dancing.
Synonyms
1
8.4
A Jewish festival to celebrate finishing the yearly Torah readings and starting them again with dancing and singing
A Jewish holiday when people joyfully celebrate finishing the yearly reading of the Torah
A Jewish holiday celebrating the end of the yearly reading of the Torah
A Jewish festival celebrating the end of the yearly Torah readings
A Jewish festival when people finish and immediately begin the yearly Torah readings, often with singing and dancing
A Jewish holiday at the end of Sukkot when people celebrate finishing the yearly Torah readings
A Jewish holy day at the end of Sukkot when people celebrate finishing the yearly Torah readings
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'rejoicing' (celebration) with 'over the Law', so a B1 learner who knows the words can infer it is some kind of celebration concerning the Law. However, the specific referent — that this is the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah with particular liturgical and calendrical meanings — is culturally specific and not predictable from the words alone, so full comprehension requires extra background knowledge.
Etymology
Rejoicing over the Law comes from the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah, when people bring the Torah scrolls out, sing and dance as they carry them around the synagogue. That's why the phrase, which is literally about rejoicing over the Law, means 'a joyful celebration of finishing the yearly reading of the Torah'.