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Why Jews dance with a closed Torah scroll
Original: Why Jews dance with a closed book
Jewish tradition calls for dancing with the Torah scroll kept closed during Simchat Torah celebrations, a practice that prompts recurring curiosity. Explanations point to respect for the scroll's sanctity: since a closed text can be read by anyone, an open one only by the literate, keeping it shut ensures equal participation in the joy, with the community itself celebrated as the living embodiment of the Torah.
Why now: The explanation accompanies Simchat Torah celebrations, when the dancing custom is most visible.
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Evidence
- Why Jews dance with a closed book · JNS.org
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