Shabbat Simchat Torah

Friday evening, October 2 · Holiday Buffet, Teachings & Hakafot

Join Neshama Space for a Friday night filled with the warmth of Shabbat and the joy of Shemini Atzeret. We’ll share a festive holiday buffet, explore the deeper meaning of the day through Kabbalistic teachings, and come together for hakafot—singing and dancing with the Torah.

After a week of celebrating Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret offers a moment to pause and draw close. What have we opened up during the holidays? What do we want to carry with us into the year ahead? Through spiritual reflection and teachings woven into the evening, we’ll make space to connect with those questions and with one another.

This will be a relaxed, welcoming gathering rather than a formal sit-down dinner. Enjoy the buffet, meet friends old and new, take in the teachings, and join the hakafot at your own pace. Whether this is your first time celebrating or a tradition you’ve loved for years, you’re welcome here.

Why hakafot on Friday night? Outside Israel, Friday night begins Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah begins Saturday night. Following the Chabad custom, we celebrate with hakafot on both nights. We’re bringing that first night of dancing, meaning, and community to Neshama Space.

Come for a nourishing Shabbat evening—body, mind, and soul—and leave with a little more light for the year ahead.