Of all the inherited holidays of the Hebrew calendar, only Simhat Torah (literally, “Rejoicing in the Torah”) is not referred to either in the Bible or in the Talmud. Its establishment is a triumph of the Torah she-ba-al peh (the Oral Tradition) which accompanied, interpreted, and applied the Written Scriptures to the constantly changing conditions of Jewish history.

Download to read or listen to the full Dvar Torah below.