Hakafah

Hakafah, plural hakafot, is a Jewish ritual involving the ceremonial circling of Torah scrolls around the synagogue. The term comes from the Hebrew word hakafah, meaning a round or circuit. In this ritual, one or more Torah scrolls are taken from the ark and carried in a procession, typically accompanied by singing, dancing, and prayers as participants move around the sanctuary.

The practice is most closely associated with the festivals of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. On Simchat Torah, it is common for the Torah scrolls to be carried around the synagogue in seven hakafot, a display of communal rejoicing marking the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle and the beginning of a new one. On Sukkot, some communities also perform hakafot on various festival evenings, continuing the celebratory mood with the Torah in motion and songs throughout the service.

Practices vary by community. In many Orthodox and traditional congregations, the hakafot are highly structured, with organized dancers, raised Torahs, and specific songs. In other communities, participation is more casual, welcoming broader participation, including women and children in the dancing and procession. The exact number of circuits and the order of events can differ, but the central element remains the same: a public, joyful procession with the Torah as a symbol of Jewish learning and covenant.

See also: Simchat Torah, Sukkot, Torah reading cycle, dancing with the Torah.