Simcha and Yiddish noun meaning festive occasion. The term is used for any happy occasion, such as a wedding, Bar Mitzvah or engagement. The day of Simchat Torah, "Rejoice in the Law", which marks the completion and beginning of the annual cycle of reading the Torah. Simcha is also the name of a kosher beer from Saxony, Germany. It was also a slang term used in Jewish-American organized crime circles to refer to a pimp. Simcha is also used as a given name, for men or women. In the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, the name Simcha is most likely to be used
Simcha Zissel Ziv study at the Talmud Torah focused on Musar, while comparatively little time was devoted to the conventional study of Talmud. Simcha Zissel also introduced general subjects such as geography, mathematics, and Russian into the Talmud Torah curriculum. These subjects were studied for three hours a day, which was unprecedented in traditional Lithuanian yeshivas. Simcha Zissel did not view general studies as a "necessary evil" but rather argued that such studies would encourage "better living" and "a better understanding of religious teachings as well." In 1872, Simcha Zissel purchased a plot of land and erected a building for the Talmud Torah.