Editing Simchat Torah (section)

===Torah reading and customs===

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After the ''hakafot'' and the dancing, three scrolls of the Torah are read. The last ''parashah'' of the [[Torah]], [[V'Zot HaBerachah|V'Zot HaBerakhah]], at the end of Deuteronomy (33:1–34:12), is read from the first scroll, followed immediately by the first chapter (and part of the second) of the [[Book of Genesis]] (1:1–2:3), which is read from the second scroll. It is a Jewish custom that a new beginning must immediately follow a completion; therefore, reading Gen. 1 immediately after finishing Deuteronomy is logical.

It is a special honor to receive the last ''aliyah'' of the [[Book of Deuteronomy]]; the person receiving that aliyah is called the ''Hatan Torah'' (Torah Groom). Initially, ''Hotem Torah'' (Torah Completer), the term shifted in the medieval period and now signifies a titled honoree. By extension of this shift, the person who is called to begin Genesis is known as the ''Hatan Bereishit'' (Genesis Groom) and, in synagogues that allow women to receive an ''aliyah'', the honorees are known as ''Kallat Torah'' (Torah Bride) and ''Kallat Bereishit'' (Genesis Bride). According to historical custom, still practiced in many congregations, these "grooms" are wealthy patrons of the synagogue who recognize the honor with special largesse; [[Modern Orthodox Judaism|Modern Orthodox]] congregations generally choose Torah scholars instead.

In many congregations, it is customary to call all eligible congregation members for an ''[[Baal kore|aliyah]]'' to the Torah on Simchat Torah. To accommodate this, the first five ''aliyot'' are reread so that everyone has an opportunity to recite the blessing. To save time, some congregations call people up in groups. Others hold a series of separate ''minyanim'' for the Torah reading. In a minority of Orthodox congregations, women receive ''aliyot'' in single-gender tefillah groups (prayer groups consisting only of women who pray together), and only men are called to the Torah in front of the whole congregation.

Another custom is to call all the children (in Orthodox congregations, boys only) to a special ''aliyah'' called ''Kol HaNe'arim'' ("all the children"). In many congregations, a large [[talit|tallit]] is spread out over the heads of all the children as the blessing over the Torah is pronounced. The congregation blesses the children by reciting (in Hebrew) a verse from Jacob's blessing to [[Ephraim]] and [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]], [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 48:16.

{{blockquote|May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the children, and may my name be declared among them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they teem like fish for multitude within the land.}}

Although the blessing of the children is omitted from the 1985 edition of Conservative Judaism's [[Siddur Sim Shalom]] prayer book, it was reinstated in later versions. Most Conservative congregations still perform it.

After the portion of Genesis is read, the [[Maftir]], [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 29:35–30:1, is read from a third Torah scroll. The passage describes the prescribed [[Korban|offerings]] performed for the holiday. The [[haftarah]] (reading from the prophets) is the first section of the [[Book of Joshua]].