When are Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah in Boca Raton?

They follow immediately after the seven days of Sukkot — Shemini Atzeret on the eighth day and Simhat Torah on the ninth. This page lists the exact dates and Boca Raton candle lighting times for the coming year.

Are the hakafot open to visitors?

Yes. There are no tickets and no membership requirement. Families and visitors are welcome, and every man present is called to the Torah on Simhat Torah.

What happens on Hoshana Rabba?

Many stay up learning through the night, seven circuits are made around the Sefer Torah in the morning, and the aravot are beaten at the end of Shaharit.

Boca Raton, Florida

Shemini Atzeret & Simhat Torah

שמיני עצרת ושמחת תורה

Hoshana Rabba through the night, the prayer for rain on Shemini Atzeret, and the hakafot of Simhat Torah where every man is called to the Torah — in Sephardic nusach in West Boca Raton.

Full holiday calendar Visiting for the first time

When

Friday, October 2, 2026

Simhat Torah begins the evening before, at candle lighting.

Where

To be announced

The venue for Simhat Torah is set closer to the date. Leave your email below and we’ll write to you as soon as it is.

Service schedule

The Simhat Torah schedule is announced in shul and by email a few weeks beforehand. Our daily minyanim run as usual in the meantime — see minyan times.

Dates & candle lighting in Boca Raton

Sukkot VII (Hoshana Raba)סוכות ז׳ (הושענא רבה)
Friday, October 2, 2026
6:48 PM
Shmini Atzeretשמיני עצרת
Saturday, October 3, 2026
6:48 PM7:54 PM
Simchat Torahשמחת תורה
Sunday, October 4, 2026
7:55 PM7:54 PM
Sukkot VII (Hoshana Raba)סוכות ז׳ (הושענא רבה)
Friday, October 22, 2027
6:28 PM
Shmini Atzeretשמיני עצרת
Saturday, October 23, 2027
6:28 PM7:35 PM
Simchat Torahשמחת תורה
Sunday, October 24, 2027
7:36 PM7:35 PM

Times calculated for Boca Raton, 18 minutes before sunset.

Customs of the days

Hoshana Rabba: The seventh day of Sukkot, when many stay up learning through the night, seven circuits are made around the Sefer Torah, and the aravot are beaten at the end of Shaharit.
Tefillat Geshem: The prayer for rain, chanted on Shemini Atzeret in the Sephardic melody, opening the winter wording in the Amida.
Hakafot: Seven circuits with every Sefer Torah, with singing and dancing, on the night and morning of Simhat Torah.
Hatan Torah & Hatan Bereshit: The honors of completing the Torah cycle and beginning it again — traditionally the most sought-after aliyot of the year.
An aliyah for everyone: The parasha is repeated so every man present is called to the Torah, and the children are called up together under a tallit.
Leaving the sukkah: Shemini Atzeret is its own festival — no lulav and no berakha in the sukkah, though many still eat their meals in it.

Everyone is welcome

Congregation Bircat Shalom is a family-friendly Sephardic Orthodox synagogue in West Boca Raton, serving Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Coral Springs, Parkland and Deerfield Beach. There are no tickets and no membership requirement to daven with us on Simhat Torah — just come. Email the shul with any question, or read about keeping kosher locally.

Be the first to know

Email me when Simhat Torah details are announced

Leave your address and we’ll write to you the moment the venue and schedule are set — nothing else, and never your details to anyone else.