| Shemini Atzeret | |
|---|---|
| Official name | שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶֽרֶתTranslation: "The eighth [day] of Assembly" |
| Observed by | Jews andSamaritans |
| Type | Jewish, Samaritan |
| Celebrations | Prayer forrain; includes, in Israel, the celebration ofSimchat Torah |
| Date | 22nd day ofTishrei[1] |
| 2025 date | Sunset, 13 October – nightfall, 14 October[2] |
| 2026 date | Sunset, 2 October – nightfall, 3 October[2] |
| 2027 date | Sunset, 22 October – nightfall, 23 October[2] |
| 2028 date | Sunset, 11 October – nightfall, 12 October[2] |
| Related to | Culmination ofSukkot (Tabernacles), theGeshem prayer |
Shemini Atzeret (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת—"Eighth [day] of Assembly") is aJewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of theHebrew month ofTishrei, which usually coincides with late September or early October. It directly follows the festival ofSukkot, which is celebrated forseven days; thus, Shemini Atzeret is literally theeighth day [of assembly]. It is a separate—yet connected—holy day devoted to the spiritual aspects of the festival of Sukkot. Part of its duality as a holy day is that it is simultaneously considered connected to Sukkot and a separate festival in its own right.[3]
Outside theLand of Israel, this is further complicated by theadditional day added to all biblical holidays exceptRosh Hashanah andYom Kippur.[4] Shemini Atzeret is thus sometimes wrongly regarded as the eighth day of Sukkot outside the Land of Israel, leading to sometimes involved analysis as to which practices of each holiday are to apply.
The celebration ofSimchat Torah is the most distinctive feature of the holiday, but it is a later rabbinical innovation. In the Land of Israel, the celebrations of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined on a single day, and the names are used interchangeably. In theDiaspora, the celebration of Simchat Torah is deferred to thesecond day of the holiday. Commonly, only the first day is referred to asShemini Atzeret, while the second is calledSimchat Torah.[5]
Karaite Jews andSamaritans also observe Shemini Atzeret, as they do all biblical holidays. However, due to differences incalendar calculations, it may occur on a different day from the conventional Jewish celebration. Karaites and Samaritans do not include therabbinical innovation of Simchat Torah in their observance of the day and do not observe asecond day—of any holiday—in the Diaspora.
According toThe Jewish Encyclopedia,[6]atzeret (Biblical Hebrew:עצרת,romanized: ʿaṣereṯ,lit. 'assembly') is the name given to this day in four different locations in theHebrew Bible.[7] It is not mentioned inDeuteronomy 16, and is found only in those parts of the Bible known as thePriestly Code. Likeatzarah,[8]atzeret denotes "day of assembly", fromatzar ("to hold back" or "keep in"); hence the nameatzeret given to the seventh day ofPesaḥ.[9] Owing, however, to the fact that both Shemini Atzeret and the seventh day of Pesaḥ are described asatzeret, the name was taken to mean "the closing festival".[6]
When Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in theTorah (known in Greek as thePentateuch), it is always mentioned in the context of the seven-day festival ofSukkot: the holiday Shemini Atzeret immediately follows. For example, Sukkot is described in detail inLeviticus 23:33–43.[10] Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in only verses 36 and 39.
TheHebrew wordshemini meanseighth. This refers to the date of Shemini Atzeret relative to Sukkot; it falls on the latter's eighth day.[note 1] It is often assumed that Shemini Atzeret is simply the eighth day of Sukkot. That characterization, however, is only partly accurate.
The celebration of Sukkot is characterized by the use of thesukkah (booth or tabernacle) and theFour Species (tree branches and fruit used in the celebration).[note 2] However, the Torah specifies using those objects for only seven days, not eight.[11] The observance of Shemini Atzeret, therefore, differs in substantial ways from that of Sukkot. TheTalmud[12] describes Shemini Atzeret with the words "a holiday in its own right" (regel bifnei atzmo).
The Talmud describes six ways in which Shemini Atzeret differs from Sukkot. Four of these relate principally to theTemple service, but two others remain relevant to the modern celebration of the holiday. First, the blessing known asShehecheyanu is recited on the night of Shemini Atzeret just as it is on the first night of all other major Jewish holidays.[13] Second, the holiday is referred to distinctively as "Shemini Atzeret" and not as "Sukkot" in the prayer service.[14]
Immediately following that discussion, however, the Talmud describes Shemini Atzeret as the "end holiday of the festival [of Sukkot]".[12] The context here is that the Sukkot obligations of joy and recitation ofHallel (Psalms 113–118) last eight days. This is also why one of Sukkot's liturgical aliases, "Time of Our Happiness" (zman simḥatenu), continues to be used to describe Shemini Atzeret—and, by extension, Simchat Torah—in the liturgy.[14]
Shemini Atzeret is, in conclusion, simultaneously "a holiday in its own right" and the "end holiday of [Sukkot]".[12]
Spiritually, Shemini Atzeret can also be seen to "guard the seven days of Sukkot".[15] The Hebrew wordatzeret is generally translated as "assembly", but shares a linguistic root with the wordatzor, meaning "stop" or "tarry". Shemini Atzeret is characterized as a day when the Jewish People "tarries" to spend an additional day with God at the end of Sukkot.[6]Rashi cites the parable of a king who invites his sons to dine with him for a number of days, but when the time comes for them to leave, he asks them to stay for another day, since it is difficult for him to part from them.[16] According to this idea, Sukkot is auniversal holiday, but Shemini Atzeret is for only theJewish People. Moreover, Shemini Atzeret is a modest holiday intended to honor [God's] special relationship with his beloved nation.[17][18]
A different but related interpretation is offered byYaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg, who translatesatzeret as "retain": "During the holiday season, we have experienced a heightened religious fervor and a most devout spirit. This last day is devoted to a recapitulation of the message of these days, with the hope that it will be retained the rest of the year".[19]
The day before Shemini Atzeret is the last day of Sukkot. It is calledHoshana Rabbah and is unique and different from the other days of Sukkot. While it is part of the "intermediate" days of Sukkot known asChol HaMoed, Hoshana Rabbah hasextra prayers and rituals and is treated and practised much more seriously and festively than are the previous days ofChol HaMoed. In particular, during the morning prayer service of Hoshana Rabbah, there aresevenhoshanot with their own sevenhakafot or "seven processions".[20] That sets the stage for the ritual, mood, tenor, and heightened sense of festivity for the days that follow it—namely, of Shemini Atzeret when sevenhakafot are again performed. Thehakafot of Shemini Atzeret are the same as those used in the Simchat Torah celebration, which is observed inIsrael in tandem with Shemini Atzeret. Outside the Land of Israel, thehakafot are performed by some congregations on the evening preceding Shemini Atzeret,[21] and then by all on both the night and during the day ofSimchat Torah.
The Jewish Encyclopedia states that during the time of theSecond Temple, the festival ofShavuot received the specific name of "'Atzarta" as cited byJosephus inAntiquities of the Jews (iii. 10, § 6) and in theTalmud's tractatePesahim (42b, 68b), signifying "the closing feast" ofPassover.[6] Commenting on this, theRabbis in Tractate Pesahim say that:
The closing feast of Sukkot (i.e., Shemini Atzeret) ought rightly to have been, like that of Passover (i.e., Shavuot) on the fiftieth day, but, in order not to force the people to make another journey toJerusalem in the rainy season, God fixed it as early as the eighth day.[6]
Shemini Atzeret thus concludes the process of judgment, repentance, and atonement begun onRosh Hashanah: the Jewish New Year. Four days after the conclusion ofYom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Sukkot begins and is regarded as the celebration of the anticipated Divine "good judgment" that was, religious Jews hope, granted while observing theHigh Holy Days. (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the week between them are known as theTen Days of Repentance.) Hoshana Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah then culminate the process with open celebration and festivity with joyous prayers, festive meals, and dancing, with theTorah scrolls held as the center of attention during thehakafot in thesynagogue.[22]
The Torah explicitly mentions Shemini Atzeret three times, all in the context of Sukkot.[23] Only two observances are specified for Shemini Atzeret. One relates to the Temple service, and is not relevant to modern observance. The other is the avoidance of "servile labor"(melechet avodah), as on other major Jewish holidays.[24](See alsoJewish holidays — "Work" on Sabbath and biblical holidays.) No other specific rituals or ritual objects are specified, making Shemini Atzeret unique in that regard among the festivals mentioned in the Torah.
Two observances of Shemini Atzeret are mentioned in theProphets andWritings portions of theTanakh (Hebrew Bible). The first occurred at the time of the dedication of the First Temple by Solomon.[25] The second came at the time of the Jews' return from theBabylonian exile.[26] In both cases, however, the mention is limited to the observation that an "assembly[atzeret] was held on the eighth day".
According to theApocryphalSecond Book of Maccabees, the first celebration ofHanukkah mimicked that of Sukkot, which theMaccabees and their followers had been unable to celebrate earlier that year. However, the only allusion to Shemini Atzeret in that narrative is that the Hanukkah celebration was fixed for eight days—in remembrance of both the seven days of Sukkot and the additional day of Shemini Atzeret.[27]
Like most Jewish holidays of Biblical origin, Shemini Atzeret is observed for one day within theLand of Israel, and traditionally fortwo days outside Israel.Reform andReconstructionist communities generally celebrate this and most Biblical holidays for one day, even outside Israel.[28] The second day observed outside Israel is calledSimchat Torah (see next section).
The practice of reading the Ve-zot ha-berakhah, the last of theweekly Torah portions on Shemini Atzeret is documented in the Talmud.[29] That Talmudic source does not refer to the occasion as "Simchat Torah", but simply as [the second day of] Shemini Atzeret, and it is also not clear from that source if it is read as the last Torah portion (as is our custom) or as a special Festival reading.
The Simchat Torah celebration of today is of laterrabbinic and customary origin. The day (but not the name) is mentioned in thesiddur of RavAmram Gaon (9th century CE); the assignment of the first chapter ofJoshua as thehaftarah of the day is mentioned there. The reading of the first section ofGenesis immediately upon the conclusion of the last section ofDeuteronomy—as well as the name "Simchat Torah"—can be found in the 14th centuryhalachic workArba'ah Turim.[30] By the 16th century CE, most of the features of the modern celebration of Simchat Torah were in place in some form.[31] The Simchat Torah celebration is now the most distinctive feature of this festival—so much so that in the Land of Israel, where Shemini Atzeret lasts only one day, it is more common to refer to the day as "Simchat Torah" than as "Shemini Atzeret".[32]
In the 20th century, Simchat Torah came to symbolize the public assertion of Jewish identity.[33]The Jews of the Soviet Union, in particular, would celebrate the festivalen masse in the streets ofMoscow. On October 14, 1973, more than 100,000 Jews took part in a post-Simchat Torah rally in New York city on behalf ofrefuseniks and Soviet Jewry.[34] Dancing in the street with the Torah has become part of the holiday's ritual in various Jewish congregations in the United States as well. In Israel, many communities conductHakafot shniyot, or "Secondhakafot", on the day after Shemini Atzeret. In part, this shows solidarity with Jewish communities outside Israel, which are still celebrating Simchat Torah (on the second day of the festival). At the same time, it allows for a Simchat Torah celebration unconstrained byfestival work restrictions, since the festival is over in Israel according to Jewish law.[35]
Outside Israel, where Shemini Atzeret is observed for two days,[36] Simchat Torah is deferred to the second day, when all agree there is no obligation ofsukkah.
In Israel—and for different reasons in Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism—none of the unique observances of Sukkot (sukkah,lulav andetrog) carry over to Shemini Atzeret. Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right, withoutsukkah,lulav andetrog. At the same time, by the rabbinic decree to add one day to all holidays outside the Land of Israel,[4] both Passover and Sukkot, although described in the Torah as seven-day holidays, are observed outside the Land of Israel for eight days. Accordingly, the "eighth day of Sukkot" outside Israel coincides with the separate holiday of Shemini Atzeret.
Psalm 27, which is recited in most communities twice daily starting at the beginning ofElul, continues to be recited on Shemini Atzeret outside the Land of Israel.[37] When Shemini Atzeret falls on the Shabbat, the Scroll ofEcclesiastes, or Kohelet (קהלת, otherwise read in Ashkenazi synagogues on theShabbat of Sukkot), is read on that day outside the Land of Israel. In the Land of Israel, it would have been read on the first day of Sukkot, which would also have been on Shabbat. The Torah reading (Deuteronomy 14:22–16:17) is the same as on the Final Day of Passover and Second Day ofShavuot. However, in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, unlike Passover and Shavuot, the longer version of the Torah reading is included on Shemini Atzeret even when the day does not fall on the Shabbat because the reading refers to separation of agricultural gifts (liketithes andterumah), which are due at this time of the year; in the Western Ashkenazic rite, as well as in most Sephardic communities, the short reading is read on Shemini Atzeret when it falls on a weekday. The Haftarah describes the people's blessing of King Solomon at the end of the dedication of the First Temple.[38]
The prevalent practice is that one eats in thesukkah on the eighth day, but without reciting the blessing (berakhah) for sitting in asukkah.[39] However, one does not take thelulav andetrog (nor does one sleep in thesukkah according to most opinions) on the eighth day. If someone sees a neighbor on the street with alulav andetrog on the eighth day, the rabbis reason, they might mistakenly assume that it is still the seventh day (ḥol hamoed), when thelulav andetrog are still needed. They might then violate prohibitions of theyom tov of the eighth day. For that reason, the rabbis ruled that one should not take thelulav andetrog on the eighth day, even outside the Land of Israel. They are thereforemuktzah; that is, one may not even move them on a holiday where they are not needed.[40] Sleeping in thesukkah brings a similar discussion. Additionally, most people would prefer to sleep indoors at this point in the year due to the weather, so sleeping in thesukkah may impinge on one's own joy during the festival. This is why many rabbis ruled that one does not sleep in thesukkah on Shemini Atzeret, even outside the Land of Israel.[40] Other rabbis, such as theVilna Gaon, ruled that one should sleep in thesukkah on Shemini Atzeret outside the Land of Israel.[41]
Eating in thesukkah does not cause a parallel problem because many people simply enjoy eating outdoors in the shade of asukkah. Hence, seeing someone eating in asukkah does notper se lead one to assume it is stillḥol hamoed. Likewise, eating in thesukkah does notper se impinge on one's own celebration of Shemini Atzeret. Therefore, the prevalent practice is to eat in thesukkah on Shemini Azeret outside the Land of Israel, but not to recite theberakhah for sitting in asukkah, as reciting it would "impinge" on the unique status of Shemini Atzeret.[40]
There are, however, those who have differentminhagim (customs). ManyHasidic groups have a tradition to recite the morningkiddush and then have refreshments (such as cake) in thesukkah, but to eat both the evening and morning main meals inside, notwithstanding the Talmudic ruling to the contrary. Others eat the evening meal of Shemini Atzeret indoors but the day meal in thesukkah. Each of these approaches addresses aspects of the dual nature of Shemini Atzeret.[40]
The Land of Israel's agriculture depends heavily on rains that come only seasonally, so Jewish prayers for rain, such asTefillatGeshem orTikun Geshem (Rain Prayer) are prominent during the Land of Israel's rainy (winter) half of the year.[42] The rainy season starts just after the fall Jewish holidays. Because of that, and because thesukkah (and, by extension, pleasant weather) is no longer required on Shemini Atzeret, Jews begin to praise God for making rain starting with theMusafamidah prayer of Shemini Atzeret.[43] In the Ashkenazic tradition, this prayer is recited in a traditional, distinctive, plaintive melody during thecantor's repetition of theamidah; according to the original custom, there are also many silent piyyutim, which today are omitted in most communities but still maintained in some communities. In some Ashkenazi synagogues, the cantor is clad in a whitekittel, a symbol ofpiety, owing to the vitality of a positive judgment for rain. A brief mention of rain continues to be inserted in theamidah untilPassover. TheYizkor memorial service is also recited in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite on this day, and it was adopted in some Western Ashkenazic communities.[44]Recital of the Yizkor prayer is said to bring the person "closer to the cold and brittle part of mourning", and is necessary to promote the healing of a broken heart.[45]
As a biblically-mentioned holiday, Shemini Atzeret is also observed by Karaites and Samaritans:
ForKaraites, followers of abranch of Judaism that accepts theWritten Law, but not theOral Law, Shemini Atzeret is observed as a single day of rest, not associated with the practices ofSimchat Torah, which are a rabbinic innovation.[46] Nevertheless, the Karaite cycle ofweekly Torah reading, like the Rabbinic cycle, reaches its conclusion on Shemini Atzeret.[47] Accordingly, in at least some Karaite circles, this day is referred to by the name ofSimchat Torah.[48] Additionally, calculation of theKaraite calendar is not based on astronomical calculations, but only on direct observation of the New Moon and theripening of barley. Because of that, the 22nd day of the 7th month does not necessarily fall on the same date as 22 Tishrei in the(conventional, Rabbinic) Jewish calendar.[49] In 2015, Shemini Atzeret fell on October 7 for Karaites, two days later than in the conventional Jewish calendar. In 2016, Shemini Atzeret fell on the same day according to both calendars.[49]
Samaritans, i.e. the northern Israelites who split from Jews during the reign ofKing Rehoboam, recognise only the firstfive (orsix) books of the Bible ascanonical, and thus celebrate only one day of Shemini Aṣereth.
Shortly after midnight, prayers are made in the synagogue for more than ten hours. No work is permitted on this day. At the end of the holiday, the succahs are dismantled. Their poles and nets will be stored until the next Harvest Festival. The fruits will be squeezed into sweetened juice and some will be eaten by the children.[50]
On October 07, 2023, 06:29, on the morning of Shemini Atzeret,Hamas launchedan attack on Israeli army installations and civilian communities near theGaza border.[51] Around 1,140 Israelis were killed and over 250 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza as hostages, most of them unarmed civilians. This event marked the starting point of theGaza war.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906)."Simḥat Torah".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906)."Shemini 'Azeret".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.| Rituals |  | |
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