Simchat Torah

 Simchat Torah, this term is no where to be found in scriptures but is a synonym the Yahudites use for Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkoth

These were the special instructions Masha gave the children of Yasharal who were to cross over the Yarden when he himself was about to die and forbidden to cross over

Deu 31:1 And Mosheh went and spoke these words to all Yisra’ĕl,
Deu 31:2 and he said to them, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. And יהוה has said to me, ‘You do not pass over this Yardĕn.’

The instructions:

Deu 31:9 And Mosheh wrote this Torah and gave it to the priests, the sons of Lĕwi, who bore the ark of the covenant of יהוה, and to all the elders of Yisra’ĕl.
Deu 31:10 And Mosheh commanded them, saying, “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time, the year of release, at the Festival of Booths,
Deu 31:11 when all Yisra’ĕl comes to appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses, read this Torah before all Yisra’ĕl in their hearing.
Deu 31:12 “Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and your sojourner who is within your gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn to fear יהוה your Elohim and guard to do all the Words of this Torah.

Deu 31:13 “And their children, who have not known it, should hear and learn to fear יהוה your Elohim as long as you live in the land you are passing over the Yardĕn to possess.”

How old was Moses when he came to visit the children of Yasharal?

Exo 7:7 Now Mosheh was eighty years old and Aharon eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

His age is broken down into 3 x 40 years where the first part of his 40 years he lived as a Mitsri prince

Stephen records that when he was full 40 it came into his heart to visit his brethren.

Acts 7:23 But when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the sons of Yisra’El.

Exo 3:1 And Mosheh was shepherding the flock of Yithro his father-in-law, the priest of Miḏyan. And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim.

So its evident that the 2nd 40 years were fleeing Pharaoh and living in Midian tending his father in law Yethro's sheep and the other 40 leading Yasharal in the wilderness to the border of Yarden where he was forbidden to cross over and as recorded by him in Deut 31:2 that he is 120 years old

Deu 34:7 And Mosheh was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his freshness gone.

Deut 31:10 in his instructions to Yasharal he told them at the end of 7 years in the time appointed/muaed H4150 in the year of release/shemittah H8059 in the feast of Tabernacles/Sukkoth the entire Torah was to be read before Yasharal in their hearning

Deu 31:10 And Mosheh commanded them, saying, “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time, the year of release, at the Festival of Booths,
Deu 31:11 when all Yisra’ĕl comes to appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses, read this Torah before all Yisra’ĕl in their hearing.

The shemittah cycle:

The sabbath year (shemittah Hebrew: שמיטה, literally "release") also called the sabbatical year or shǝvi'it (שביעית, literally "seventh") is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Land of Israel

Where 7 x 7 =49 and the 50th year was a year of release where all bondmen, bondwomen, servants, debts, land holding etc were all let loose from those under their masters debt and they were free men and women

Each 7 year was a year of Shabbath where 6 years they were to sow and reap but the 7th year they were commanded neither to sow nor reap but eat what grows of itself.

The first 6 years when they were to sow and reap they were to leave the four corners of their fields for the poor of the land to eat what grows from it there. All this can be read in Leviticus 25

Hence, when Masha said ''At the end of seven years, at the appointed time,'' he meant the year of Jubilee/Yobel

Hence the 50th year was significant in the reading of the Torah in the 7 days of the feast of Sukkoth where the 8th day was Simchat Torah which means 'Rejoicing with Torah'

In Joshua 8 we read that Yahushua/Joshua obeyed the instructions given to him and built an altar to Yahuah on Mount Eybal an altar of unhewn stones and offered offerings. He made the people stand in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Eybal and read all the barakat and the curses written in the Torah and not a word was left out.

Jos 8:30 And Yehoshua built an altar to יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl in Mount Ěyḇal,
Jos 8:31 as Mosheh the servant of יהוה had commanded the children of Yisra’ĕl, as it is written in the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, “an altar of unhewn stones over which no man has wielded iron.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to יהוה, and slaughtered peace offerings.
Jos 8:32 And there, in the presence of the children of Yisra’ĕl, he wrote on the stones a copy of the Torah of Mosheh, which he had written.
Jos 8:33 And all Yisra’ĕl – the sojourner as well as the native – with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Lĕwites, who bore the ark of the covenant of יהוה. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ěyḇal, as Mosheh the servant of יהוה had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Yisra’ĕl.
Jos 8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the Torah, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Torah.
Jos 8:35 There was not a word of all that Mosheh had commanded which Yehoshua did not read before all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl, with the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who accompanied them.

Deu 11:29 ‘And it shall be, when יהוה your Elohim has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ěyḇal.

While scripture doesn't record that this was the year of release, it definitely would be as the entire Torah was read in the hearing of the people when they were in the promised land. This was the beginning of the Shemittah cycle for the children of Yasharal as they entered the promised land

The actual Yobel/Jubilee proclamation was done during Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) i.e. the 50th year of the release of captives

Lev 25:8 ‘And you shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years. And the time of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.
Lev 25:9 ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn to pass through on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement cause a ram’s horn to pass through all your land.
Lev 25:10 ‘And you shall set the fiftieth year apart, and proclaim release throughout all the land to all its inhabitants, it is a Jubilee for you. And each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you return to his clan.
Lev 25:11 ‘The fiftieth year is a Jubilee to you. Do not sow, nor reap what grows of its own, nor gather from its unpruned vine.
Lev 25:12 ‘It is a Jubilee, it is set-apart to you. Eat from the field its crops.
Lev 25:13 ‘In the Year of this Jubilee let each one of you return to his possession.

When Masha said in Deu 31:10 “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time, the year of release, at the Festival of Booths, when all Yisra’ĕl comes to appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses, read this Torah before all Yisra’ĕl in their hearing, he didn't mean that the release was during the feast of Sukkoth but the reading of the entire Torah in that year of release. Sukkoth falls 5 days after Yom Kippur and hence in the year of release the Torah would set them free.

Now let's turn to Nehemiah 8

Neh 8:1 And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’ĕl were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which יהוה had commanded Yisra’ĕl.
Neh 8:2 And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.
Neh 8:3 And he read from it in the open space in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Torah.

Neh 8:4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose. And beside him on his right stood Mattithyah, and Shema, and Anayah, and Uriyah, and Ḥilqiyah, and Maʽasĕyah. And on his left stood Peḏayah, and Misha’ĕl, and Malkiyah, and Ḥashum, and Ḥashbaddanah, Zeḵaryah, Meshullam.
Neh 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up.
Neh 8:6 And Ezra blessed יהוה, the great Elohim. Then all the people answered, “Amĕn, Amĕn!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped יהוה with faces to the ground.
Neh 8:7 And Yĕshua, and Bani, and Shĕrĕḇyah, Yamin, Aqquḇ, Shabbethai, Hoḏiyah, Maʽasĕyah, Qelita, Azaryah, Yozaḇaḏ, Ḥanan, Pelayah, and the Lĕwites, caused the people to understand the Torah while the people were in their place.

Neh 8:8 And they read in the Book of the Torah of Elohim, translating to give the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Neh 8:9 And Neḥemyah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Lĕwites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is set-apart to יהוה your Elohim. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah.
Neh 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom none is prepared. For this day is set-apart to our יהוה. Do not be sad, for the joy of יהוה is your strength.”
Neh 8:11 And the Lĕwites were silencing all the people, saying, “Hush, for the day is set-apart, do not be sad.”
Neh 8:12 And all the people went to eat and to drink, and to send portions and make a great rejoicing, because they understood the words that were made known to them.

Neh 8:13 And on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Lĕwites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to study the words of the Torah.
Neh 8:14 And they found written in the Torah, which יהוה had commanded by Mosheh, that the children of Yisra’ĕl should dwell in booths in the festival of the seventh month,
Neh 8:15 and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Yerushalayim, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
Neh 8:16 So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the House of Elohim, and in the open space of the Water Gate and in the open space of the Gate of Ephrayim.
Neh 8:17 And the entire assembly of those who had come back from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths, for since the days of Yeshua son of Nun until that day the children of Yisra’ĕl had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
Neh 8:18 And day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Torah of Elohim. And they performed the festival seven days. And on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the right-ruling.

The first day of the seventh month stated in Neh 8:2 shouldn't be mistaken for the feast of Trumpets but it was the first day of Sukkoth when the solemn assembly which had come back into the land after the Babylonian captivity gathered and Ezra read the entire Torah from morning until afternoon, and they read in the book of the Torah of Aluahym, translating to give the sense and caused them understand the reading. v 2 says all the heads of the houses and the priests and elders gathered on the 2nd day of the feast to study the Torah. v 18 says that day by day from the first day until the last day he read from the book of the Torah of Elohim. While the people wept when they were given the understanding of Torah, they were told not to weep but rejoice and they all lived in booths/sukkah's

Neh 8:8 And they read in the Book of the Torah of Elohim, translating to give the sense, and caused them to understand the reading

What is the significance of Simchat Torah?

The OT scripture consists of Torah the first five books, the kethubim i.e.the writings, Tehillim i.e. Pslams and poetic songs and the Nebim i.e. the prophets

The number 5 in scripture referring to the 5 books of Torah is the number of chan/favor and the 5 books of Torah are broken into fragments which are read yearly in synagogues and Sukkoth is the holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. On the eighth day called the Shemini Atzeret which is the conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle, the final Parsha from Deuteronomy is read in synagogue. Everyone is called to the Torah reading. Then first Parsha from Genesis is read.

Gen 1:1 IN the beginning ELOHIYM created את eth the heavens and את eth the earth

Everything is reset to the first cycle and it has a deep meaning for those in Mashiyach because the cycle resets to Gen 1:1 Barashaiyth bara Aluahym alaph tau ha shamayim uau ha arets, where the alpah tau before the heavens and the earth point to the renewed heavens and the renewed earth in Mashiyach

Gen 2:4 These are the generations/toldah H8435 of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that YAHUAH ELOHIYM made the earth and the heavens,

The same word is used for the human race, below is just one example:

Gen 6:9 These are the generations/toldah H8435 of Noach: Noach was a just man and perfect in his generations/dur H1755, and Noach walked with את eth-ELOHIYM.
Gen 6:10 And Noach begat three sons, את eth-Shem, את eth-Cham, and את eth-Yapheth.

Dur H1755 is from H1752 means moving in a circle while toldah H8435 comes from the root word yalad H3205

which means beget, bare, born, bring forth, bear, travail, midwife, child, deliver, borne, birth, labour, brought up|

Toldah: Tau/covenant yalad/born or brought forth

The covenant in Mashiyach is brought forth in through the present heavens and the earth and hence the present heavens and the earth are marked with a mark 'alaph tau' before them. Its a promise to enter into renewed Yerushalayim in Mashiyach. While the terms 'Shimchat Torah' and Shemini/Eighth Atzeret/Assembly is not mentioned directly in scripture but the commandments to do what they did is mentioned in Torah as we saw from scriptures. Modern Yahudism adds many things to the Torah as oral commands which are not mentioned in scripture and we will not get into what they do and what they don't as most of them are actually not true Yahudites.

The Living Torah:

Rom 8:1 There is, then, now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah יהושע, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Ruach.
Rom 8:2 For the Torah of the Ruach of the life in Messiah יהושע has set me free from the law of sin and of death.

The Torah exposition done by the Levites under the leadership of Ezra the scribe reveals that the Torah had the Ruach hidden in the letter which Shaul the emissary speaks about which sets us free from the Torah of sin and death, and that Torah is the Torah of the Ruach of life in Mashiyach. He is the living Torah.

Mat 21:4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Mat 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Tsiyon, Behold, your King comes unto you, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. (Zakaryahu 9:9)
Mat 21:6 And the Talmidiym went, and did as YAHUSHA commanded them,
Mat 21:7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
Mat 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
Mat 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Husha’na to the Son of David: Blessed is he that comes in the name of YAHUAH; Husha’na (Save us) in the highest.

Joh 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that YAHUSHA was coming to Yerushalayim,
Joh 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Husha’na: Blessed is the King of Yashar’el that comes in the name of YAHUAH.
Joh 12:14 And YAHUSHA, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
Joh 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Tsiyon: behold, your King comes, sitting on an ass's colt. (Zakaryahu 9:9)
Joh 12:16 These things understood not his Talmidiym at the first: but when YAHUSHA was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

It was the feast of Pesach and Yahusha was entering Yerushalayim to fulfill Torah by dying on the stake and the people met him with palm tree branches, spread their garments on the road and goodly branches for him to ride on the foal of a donkey. There was going to be a reset of the Shemittah cycle when in Yahusha ha Mashiyach all of the creation chosen for salvation would be renewed

2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known MASHIACH after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in MASHIACH, he is a renewed creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become renewed.

The surety of the covenant which was toldah (Covenant brought forth or birthed) will find its completion in Him.

John 19:30 `Yahusha took the vinegar and He said, “Finished/Kalah.” Then He bowed His head and His spirit departed.

The 120 years of Masha are significant as in the upper room were gathered a hundred and twenty taught ones on whom descended the Ruach

Act 1:15 And in those days Kĕpha, standing up in the midst of the taught ones – and there was a gathering of about a hundred and twenty – said,

While Masha wrote and handed over the Torah in the year of his death i.e. 120 years and he was not allowed to cross over the Yarden, Yahuah paints a beautiful picture of the transition from the Torah of sin and death to the Torah of Ruach of life in Mashiyach

Deu 31:9 And Mosheh wrote this Torah and gave it to the priests, the sons of Lĕwi, who bore the ark of the covenant of יהוה, and to all the elders of Yisra’ĕl.

The four corners of the field which were not to be garnished but left for the poor of the land indicating that the people of Yahuah will be scattered to the four ends of the earth where they will be nourished until the year of their release/shemittah H8059

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time/muaed, and times/muaedim, and half a time/chatsay, from the face of the serpent

The 7 x 7 completion of the Shemittah cycle was done by the blowing of the trumpets on the Day of Atonement followed by the completion of the reading, hearing and exposition of the Torah to a renewed cycle as the land and its people enter into a high Shabbath in Mashiyach where the Shemini Atzeret (the Eighth Assembly) is gathered in Renewed Yerushalayim.