simcha

S1I1M3C3H4A1
/ˈsɪmxə//ˈsɪmhə/

noun

joy

Meanings

nounsimcha (countable and uncountable, plural simchas or simchot or simchoth)

plural simchas · plural simchot · plural simchoth · alternative simchah · alternative simche · alternative simha · alternative simhah · alternative simkha

  1. Judaismuncountablejoy

    Each and every one of these blessings is a reason to be full of simcha.

    2001, Moshe Goldberger, 100 Brachos: Counting Your Blessings 100 Times a Day, The Judaica Press, Inc., →ISBN, page 58
    1 more example

    The return to a meaningful and vibrant Judaism, he felt, must contain an ingredient too long denied it. This ingredient was simcha (joy), and it became the cornerstone of the Hasidic movement.

    2017, Velvel Pasternak, Behind the Music, Stories, Anecdotes, Articles and Reflections, page 223
  2. Judaismcountablea celebration

    In 1956, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, forbade any Bat Mitzvah celebration in a synagogue even at night, but allowed a simḥah at home; it's not a Seudat Mitzvah, just a birthday party.

    2024, David Golinkin, “The Origin and History of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony”, in Responsa in a Moment, volume 4, page 48
    1 more example

    After the wedding, I received a letter from the bride and her family with profuse thanks for enabling them and the Jewish community of Sheboygan to witness and participate in a "wonderful, traditional simcha"

    2017, Velvel Pasternak, Behind the Music, Stories, Anecdotes, Articles and Reflections, page 41

Origin

  1. Hebrewשִׂמְחָה
  2. Yiddishשׂמחה
  3. Englishsimcha

From Yiddish שׂמחה (simkhe), from Hebrew שִׂמְחָה (simkhá, literally “happiness”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

simcha. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/simcha

MLA

“simcha.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/simcha. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “simcha,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/simcha.

Source: simcha on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.