The main celebration of Simchat Torah takes place in the synagogue during evening and morning services. In many Orthodox and Conservative congregations, this is the only time of year on which the Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark and read at night. In the morning, the last parashah of Deuteronomy and the first parashah of Genesis are read in the synagogue. On each occasion, when the ark is opened, all the worshippers leave their seats to dance and sing with all the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that often lasts for several hours.
The
morning service is also uniquely characterized by
the calling up of each male member (in
non-Orthodox congregations, male and female
members) of the congregation for an aliyah,
as well as a special aliyah for all the
children in attendance.
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