There’s a moment on Simchas Torah morning in Lakewood when you realize the whole town is dancing — not metaphorically, literally — and you’re swept into a circle with people you’ve never met, holding a Sefer Torah, singing at the top of your lungs. If you’re spending the chag in a villa here, don’t watch it happen. Get in the circle.
Simchas Torah as a visitor: you’re expected
Here’s the first thing to know: Lakewood expects guests on Simchas Torah. The shuls plan for it, the kiddushim are sized for it, and nobody will look at you twice when you walk in. The holiday runs on open doors and full rooms — a visitor from out of town isn’t an imposition, you’re part of the simcha.
Pick your shul in advance. If you’re staying in a villa in a residential neighborhood, the nearest shul is the natural choice — walk over on Shemini Atzeres, introduce yourself to the gabbai, and ask about the Simchas Torah schedule. Shuls post hakafos times (night and day), and they vary: some start hakafos at night right after Maariv, some run the daytime hakafos late into the afternoon.
The hakafos: what to expect
Seven circuits with the Sifrei Torah, singing and dancing — that’s the heart of it. The nighttime hakafos have an electric, almost wild joy; the daytime hakafos are longer, warmer, more communal, with the kids fully part of it.
As a guest:
- Join the dancing. You don’t need to know anyone. The circles open and absorb newcomers constantly — that’s the design.
- Take a turn with the Sefer Torah. The gabbaim rotate the Torahs through the crowd; when one comes your way, take it, dance with it, pass it on. There’s no greater honor and no warmer welcome.
- Bring the kids into the middle. Simchas Torah is the most kid-inclusive day on the Jewish calendar. The children’s hakafah — with flags, candy bags, and singing just for them — is often the highlight of their whole Yom Tov. Don’t let them hang back at the edges.
- Pace yourself. Daytime hakafos in Lakewood can run for hours. It’s a marathon disguised as a party. Step out for air and a drink when you need to — nobody keeps score.
Where guests are especially welcome
Beyond your neighborhood shul, Lakewood offers Simchas Torah experiences worth traveling across town for:
- The big batei medrash: The major yeshivos and large shuls run hakafos on a grand scale — hundreds of dancers, extraordinary singing, an energy that’s hard to describe. Even if you daven elsewhere, stopping by for a half hour of the big hakafos is worth it.
- Chabad hakafos: The Chabad centers in and around Lakewood run famously joyful, famously welcoming hakafos — often with a street or parking-lot component that’s pure celebration.
- Your villa block: Don’t underestimate the small shul or the backyard minyan on your street. Some of the sweetest Simchas Torah memories are made in a garage shul with forty people and a borrowed Sefer Torah.
The kiddush factor
Simchas Torah kiddushim in Lakewood are legendary — and they’re built for crowds. After the daytime hakafos, shuls lay out spreads that could feed an army: kugel, cholent, herring, desserts, the works. As a guest, you’re invited — full stop. Bring an appetite and introduce yourself to the people at your table. Some of the best friendships in Lakewood started at a Simchas Torah kiddush.
If your villa is hosting its own crowd — the extended mishpacha, the cousins from the next villa over — plan a Simchas Torah afternoon seudah back at the house. Keep it simple (the shul kiddush did the heavy lifting), keep it joyful, and let the kids reenact the hakafos in the living room. They will. Every year.
For the little ones
A few veteran tips for Simchas Torah with small children:
- Flags: Buy them in Lakewood before the chag — every judaica shop has them. Get extras; they break, and a crying child without a flag on Simchas Torah is an emergency.
- Candy bags: Most shuls hand them out, but pack backup in your pockets. Veteran move.
- Naps: The daytime hakafos run long. A well-timed nap back at the villa (it’s close — that’s the beauty of the villa) means a happy child for the afternoon instead of a meltdown at hakafah number five.
- Shoes: Comfortable, closed-toe, ready for hours. This applies to adults too.
The deeper joy
Underneath the dancing and the candy and the kiddush, Simchas Torah is the day we finish the Torah and start it again — Bereishis, back to the beginning, no graduation, just renewal. Dancing with a Sefer Torah in a Lakewood shul, surrounded by your mishpacha and a town full of strangers who aren’t strangers, you feel what the day is really about: the Torah belongs to everyone, and everyone belongs in the circle.
So get in the circle. Take the Sefer Torah when it comes around. Sing like you mean it. And when you walk back to your villa that evening, hoarse and happy, with the kids’ flags trailing behind them — that’s Simchas Torah in Lakewood. Chag sameach!
