How the Jewish Tradition Equates Children with the Torah

For synagogue-going Jews, it’s only been a few days since the peculiar religious rites of Simchat Torah, when, in congregations across the world, one could see adults dancing with Torah scrolls in their arms and children sitting on their shoulders—although usually not at the same time. Harvey E. Goldberg, a scholar of Jewish anthropology, observes how this practice makes children and Torahs alike, and connects it to a different holiday custom: