Unlike in America, where some eat in the Sukkah on Shmini Atzeres, and some don't, we do not eat in the sukkah on Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah (one day, all combined) in Israel. It's because there's no doubt that maybe it's still Sukkos, so to eat in the Sukkah would violate בל תוסיף (no numerical adding to Torah-commandments).
Since we didn't know what the shul schedule would be like, we didn't invite anyone for meals. Good thing, too: there were a few handwritten schedules floating around the shul on Simchas Torah (including one written on a napkin), but it was clearly because someone heard that the schedule was due, so they just scribbled something down and handed it in so they'd at least get partial credit. We did do everything on the schedule, but none of the times were remotely correct.
Hakafos at night went until 1am, but they took a (theoretically hour-long) break at 8pm for dinner. We ate, and relaxed, and I went outside at 10pm and didn't hear anything from the shul, and Husbinator went back at 10:30. Hakafos had restarted 15 minutes before. I would be so frustrated if we didn't live next door, but we do, so it's totally fine.
I stayed home with BSM while he slept, but Husbinator tells me that post-dinner hakafos were very silly. There were ad-libbed songs, and silent dancing, and animal noises, among other silliness. He had a great time.
On Simchas Torah day, I took BSM to shul, but he did not want to dance with the men. So I danced with him on the ladies' side, and he had a really great time. Again, hakafos went for a very long time (as in, until around 5pm long time), so there was a break for lunch at some point. However, since we hadn't davened mussaf, Husbinator couldn't eat even a k'baitza of bread (so less than a nice, thick slice). The rabbi said there was no need to wash at all, we were essentially having kiddush with substantial food, but our Yontiff meal would be the one after mussaf. It was kind of weird, but that's the halacha!
I stayed home with BSM while he napped, and then I took him to the playground when he woke up. At some point, I wandered back to shul to see what they were up to, and I see all the kids heading up to the bima, and Mrs. Gold said Husbinator was looking for us so BSM could get his aliyah with all of the other kids. I had totally forgotten about kol ne'arim! We had gotten back just in time though, and I gave BSM to Husbinator, who took him to the bima where the other kids had already all assembled. And BSM started to scream and cry. So he missed kol ne'arim after all :-(
Oh, well, next year. It was definitely a different sort of a Simchas Torah, but very interesting! (We ran home for "lunch" about 10 minutes before sunset.)
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