Simhat Torah

This engraving by Bernard Picart shows the Hatan Torah and Hatan Bereshit being escorted to the synagogue in Amsterdam with torches.

Some interesting London S&P customs observed for Simha Torah are worthy of mention:

  1. Each of the two "bridegrooms" have a "shushbeen" - someone who accompanies them constantly, and sits next to them.
  2. Each of the two "bridegrooms" takes out a sefer to read from. He sits in the Banca, holding the sefer, with his "shushbeen next to him. It therefore follows that unlike most congregations, who use three sefarim, in London FOUR are used:
    1. One for the reading to those who are called up first
    2. One for the Hatan Torah
    3. One for the Hatan Bereshit
    4. One for Maftir
  3. When each hatan is called up he brings his sefer with him, and his shushbeen stands behind him on the Tebah
  4. Since the "first" reading is not complete until the Hatan Bereshit has read his portion, no kaddish is said till then, and none of the sefarim are wrapped up or even removed from the reading desk. So:
    1. When the Hatan Torah opens his sefer, the first sefer is still on the desk, rolled closed but not covered or wrapped up. At Lauderdale Road (where the desk is small) the Hatan Torah's sefer actually rests partially on top of the first sefer.
    2. When the Hatan Bereshit opens his sefer, the other two seferarim are still on the desk, rolled closed but not covered or wrapped up. At Lauderdale Road each sefer rests partially on top of the previous one.
  5. After the Hatan Bereshit's reading all three sefarim are wrapped up, cloaked and belled together. In the seventies the children charged with doing this would turn it into a sort of race, to see who could finish first. I remember winning at least once!