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To allow the meaning of Shemini Atzeret to be fully expressed, our Sages arranged the calendar so the yearly cycle of Torah reading would be completed on this day. In Israel, Simĥat Torah is the same day as Shemini Atzeret, while in the diaspora it is the next day. This means we finish reading the Torah at the same time the yearly holiday cycle is completed. Just as God established this as a time to celebrate with His people, so too His people established it as a time to celebrate the Torah God gifted them. How appropriate! As there is no Jewish nation without Torah, and no Torah without the Jewish nation. Only when these two are united can God’s word be revealed in the world, elevating and repairing it. This is why the joy on this day reaches such heights. In fact, this joy is what gives the holiday its name – Simĥat Torah, the joy of the Torah.
It is customary for synagogues to host extensive singing and dancing, especially in the form of hakafot, in which we make a circuit around the sanctuary. There are seven hakafot at night and another seven during the day. The circular dancing of hakafot represents the divine enveloping light (or makif). This is the sublime illumination which protects, elevates, and inspires us, but which is so powerful it is beyond our ability to fully grasp. Yet, all the Torah we study and understand in the course of the year is associated with a less powerful divine light which our intellect can more fully understand. It is only when we complete the yearly cycles of the holidays and the Torah reading that we can absorb some of the enveloping light, which emanates from the Torah as a whole.
During the hakafot, many synagogues have a kiddush (where Kiddush is recited and refreshments are provided). People drink alcohol freely, but avoid getting drunk, as they must be sober to pray the Musaf service.
