A rare mitzvah, with great festivity

.
My village had a simcha, a joyous event, a few weeks ago.
See? It even says so on the van:
simcha -- joy, emuna -- faith, osher -- happiness
.
The van drove slowly through the moshav, its loudspeakers blasting ecstatic religious songs, and parked at my neighbor's.
.
A new Torah scroll was going to be dedicated!
My neighbor had paid (a lot!) to have it made and to have a scribe write it.
.
Many gathered on their patio for refreshments.
The men entered the house for afternoon prayers and to see the final letters of the Torah penned.
.
Then the sefer Torah was brought out under a canopy (like in a wedding) and there was dancing and singing in the street!

The procession began, headed by the lights and music of another van.
.
The source of this custom is the Biblical book II Samuel 6:12-15:
"And David went and brought up the ark of God … into the City of David with joy.... And David danced with all his might before God.... And David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of God with shouts and with the sound of the shofar [ram's horn]."

You can see Jerusalem on the hill, on the top left of the photo.
.
We snaked through the streets of the village (population about 80 families).
More and more people came out to join in the festivities.
Many men were given the honor of carrying the Torah, which was decorated with scarves.
Women threw candies on the crowd, to the delight of the children.

The parade stopped near the synagogue.
All the scrolls came out from the synagogue to welcome the new Torah.

There must have been almost a dozen.
.
A Chabad page says that
"As the procession approaches the synagogue, the chazzan (cantor) approachs the Holy Ark and proclaims:

'Torah scrolls, on behalf of the holy congregation that prays in this synagogue, you are requested to come and greet the Torah that ____ son/daughter of ____ has merited to write and dedicate at an auspicious hour to this synagogue.' "

.

Then everyone stood still and the appropriate prayers were said.

The scrolls returned to the Ark and made room for their new neighbor.
.
The men prayed the evening service.
.
Like other mitzvah events, the dedication of a Torah is followed by a mitzvah meal.
.
Our seudat mitzvah took place at the moshav's community hall, Beit HaAm.
I tasted kubbeh soup, a rich broth with meat-stuffed dumplings and vegetables, for the first time.
.
It was one of those nights when you feel really happy to be Jewish and to be living in a friendly little moshav in the Jerusalem Hills.
.
.