Simchat Hochmah
Learn how to create a Rite of Passage ceremony to celebrate the wisdom of our elders. Using traditional components based upon our biblical ancestors' experience, we will celebrate the transition from mid-life to our elder years.
This new ritual is based upon a ceremony created by Savina Teubal in 1986 and is shown in the new documentary film TIMBRELS AND TORAHS: A Celebration of Wisdom.
"You
should only live 120 years" was a common blessing in biblical times.
With people living longer lives today, reaching a 60th birthday is
a milestone, a time to celebrate a new and fruitful period of life.
If we do not mark the milestones in our life with a celebration, it is as if these life passages never happened.
Simchat Hochmah, or Joy of Wisdom, is a ceremony celebrating the transition of women from their mid-life to their eldering years. The first such ceremony was created fourteen years ago. Since then, many people have chosen to have a Simchat Hochmah . The film TIMBRELS AND TORAHS shows three women who have chosen to create a ceremony to celebrate their rite of passage. Each of their celebrations is unique and individual reflecting the interests and personalities of the women. After seeing this film, we hope more people will be encouraged to mark their life transition with a Simchat Hochmah ceremony. We hope the Simchat Hochmah ceremony will become a part of mainstream Judaism just as baby naming and Bat-Mitzvahs are accepted rituals for girls today.
To find out more about the film, Simchat Hochmah ceremonies, and upcoming screenings or workshops, or to purchase a copy or book a screening, visit the connections or screenings links...