The sounds of laughter and joyous singing mixed with the footsteps of students dancing in celebration of Simchat Torah.
The festivities took place in the basement of the Hillel Jewish Student Center Thursday night. Simchat Torah is the celebration of the last reading of the Torah, a holy book that contains Jewish laws and history.
Every week throughout the year, a portion of the Torah is read at Saturday Sabbath services.
Following the celebration of Simchat Torah, the readings begin again, demonstrating the continuous importance the book plays in the lives of Jews.
Rabbi Hendel Weingarten said the holiday is important because it demonstrates the unity of Jewish people.
"We're all celebrating the conclusion of the Torah. We're all on the same level; we're all equal in our joy," Weingarten said. "That's one of the most important things that we study, that we're all one."
"By being one, we can overcome all obstacles in serving God."
A celebration of dancing, singing and feasting allows for all members of the Jewish community to share in the joy of their accomplishment, Weingarten said.
Weingarten worked with Hillel, 360 Charles St., to provide an opportunity for MSU students to celebrate the holiday. Events like this are part of the rabbi's outreach work to the Jewish community at the Chabad House of Greater Lansing, 540 Elizabeth St.
A family dinner will take place Friday at Hillel during Parents' Week. On Friday, Hillel hosted members of Students for Bush and on Oct. 22, people representing Democrats will present their issues.
David Dworin, vice president of communications for the Jewish Student Union and international studies and political science senior, said Simchat Torah is one of the most festive holidays of the Jewish calendar.
"There are other holidays about remembering bad things that happened or victories - this is entirely about the present and a present accomplishment," Dworin said.
During the celebration, men and women were divided in the room in which the holiday rituals took place. A black, paneled screen split the room in half.
On one side, the men danced and sang and read the Torah. The women joined in, their voices rising throughout the songs, but they did not participate in the readings.
Weingarten said women and men are traditionally divided during services because women distract men from their prayers to God.
"The male has more of an obligation to pray than the women, and the women don't get distracted from seeing the men, usually," he said.
According to the Jewish interpretation of the Torah, women are born onto a higher level than men. As a result, Weingarten said, it only takes one woman to pray to God while it takes 10 men to achieve the same end.
