בס”ד 5 May 2024 - כ״ז בניסן ה׳תשפ״ד‎

Shemini Atzeres

The nature of Shemini Atzeres

Shemini Atzeres is the last Yom Tuv of Sukkos following the last day of Chol Hamoed known as Hoshana Rabba. In certain things it is considered as a separate festival while in others it is like a continuation of Sukkos. Since it is after the seven days of Sukkos we daven Tefillas Geshem, asking for rain that during Sukkos is viewed as a bad omen and curse. In Eretz Yisroel Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah are on the same day while in Chutz Loeretz they are split as two separate days.

Shemini Atzeres – Yom Tuv of Tishrei

The Yalkut Shemoini (Pinchos) tells us that in reality each summer month should have had one festival: Pesach in Nissan, Pesach Sheini in Iyar, Shavuous in Sivan. However, with the Cheit HoEgel, sin of the golden calf in Tammuz that continued with the sin of the Meraglim, spies, the next three months of Tammuz-Av-Elul had their special festival pushed off. When Tishrei came it repaid these months by having three festive times: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkos and then had Shemini Atzeres for the month of Tishrei itself. We see from here that despite the numerous special days in the month of Tishrei, the one that really belongs to this month is Shemini Atzeres.

Shemini Atzeres following Sukkos

Sukkos is when seventy cows are brought for the seventy nations. Each day the number diminishes symbolising the weakening of evil represented by the other nations. Shemini Atzeres is when there is none of evil left and this is when the Jews alone with just goodness celebrate with Hashem. This is represented in the single cow and ram as opposed to the sacrifices during Sukkos – one representing unity.

question markShemini Atzeres Questions to think about:

  1. What lies behind the name “Shemini Atzeres” – Shemini, the number eight, and Atzeres meaning stop and gathering?
  2. Why is Shemini Atzeres regarding certain things a separate Yom Tuv (פז”ר קש”ב)?
  3. Why is it grouped straight after Sukkos and not totally separately like all other festivals?
  4. Why is Simchas Torah placed together with it and not on another day in the year?
  5. Why is the source for Shemini Atzeres not clearly listed in the Torah (except for it’s korbonous in P’ Pinchos) but is learnt out from a deduction of the possuk by Sukkos of והיית אך שמח לרבות ליל יו”ט אחרון של חג?
  6. Rashi tells us the reason for this additional day after sukkos is קשה עלי פרידתכם, it is difficult for me to part with you, the closeness achieved during Sukkos. The problem is that by adding another day this instead of solving the problem now makes it more difficult! Every moment remaining together makes the leaving even more difficult! How then does Shemini Atzeres come to solve this difficulty?
  7. The three festivals parallel the three Avos. If Shemini Atzeres is another festival, who does it parallel?
  8. The Maharsha (Bechoros 8) brings that the 22 days of mourning of the three weeks parallel the 22 days of tikun from Rosh Hashana until Shemini Atzeres. This means that Shemini Atzeres parallels and comes to rectify Tisha BiAv. How is this seen?
  9. There is a Midrash (Shir Hashirim Rabba 7) that says that just like Shavuous comes seven weeks after Pesach so too Shemini Atzeres should have come seven weeks (fifty days) after Sukkos. How are we to understand this?
  10. Why does Shemini Atzeres follow on immediately from Sukkos?
  11. What lies behind the different customs about whether or not to sit inside the Sukka on Shemini Atzeres?
  12. Why do we daven for rain, tefillas geshem, on Shemini Atzeres?
  13. All the other three festivals are based on an event that happened to the Jews at that particular time. Pesach it is leaving Mitzrayim. Shavuos it is the giving of the Torah. Sukkos it is the being surrounded by the Ananei Hakovoid or having booths. What is Shemini Atzeres coming to remember? What happened at that time?
  14. In what way is the simcha of Shemini Atzeres different to the simcha of Sukkos?

Ideas for answers on Shemini Atzeres:

  1. Perhaps the idea is like the Maharal explains the difference between the number seven and eight. Seven alludes to teva, nature, while eight alludes to the miraculous realm. The seven days of Sukkos see the Jews within the framework of the natural world alongside the other nations as seen in the sacrifices. Atzeres means to stop. This means that on the eighth day of Shemini Atzeres we leave the realm of nature and enter the realm of the miraculous as seen in the sacrifices of the day – only for the Jews and not the other nations.
  2. Perhaps the idea is that had Shemini Atzeres been a totally separate festival then we would not see this contrast between seven moving over to eight – teva changing to the miraculous. Therefore it is continued on from Sukkos. However, being eight associated with the supernatural this is in itself a cause for it to be a separate Yom Tuv. However, it still remain connected to show this idea. What and why are there particular differences?
  3. See answer 2.
  4. Perhaps this is the idea of Torah being associated with the number eight. (See the Maharal in Tiferes.) Torah is Above this natural world.
  5. Perhaps since it is so spiritual, it cannot be fully put into physical words and therefore is only seen in an deduction from words.
  7. The Sfas Emes brings that Shemini Atzeres is in the merit of Moshe Rabbeinu.
  8. Tisha BiAv is when the Jews were left to the natural world due to their sins. In this natural world of enemies the Jews are subjugated and tormented. Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah is when the Jews are alone with Hashem, without the other nations, as seen in the sacrifices (see Answer 1). This is therefore a rectification from being so distanced and in golus to becoming so close to Hashem and not subjugated to the other nations.
  10. See answer 2.
  11. The reason to sit inside the sukka on Shemini Azteres is because for the Jews outside of Eretz Yisroel the eighth day of Shemini Atzeres is really the seventh day when counting the second day of Yom Tuv as the first day. If this is so then we really should sit in the sukka. (Gemora Sukka 47a) Others do not sit in the sukka (except for making kiddush in it by day) because we are really saying that it is Shemini Azteres and sitting in the sukka is a contradiction to this. (Halachically, the Gemora concludes that one should sit in a sukka on Shemini Atzeres like the other days of Sukkos.)
  12. Rain on Sukkos is not a good sign and therefore we say it on the first opportunity after the end of Sukkos to say it. This ends up being Shemini Atzeres (for the Jews in Eretz Yisroel).

Questions on the famous Rashi about Shemini Atzeres:

Rashi brings (Parshas Pinchos, 29:35-36) that קשה עלי פרידתכם. Since Hashem does not want to separate from the Jews who have celebrated Sukkos therefore he wants them to stay another day only with him, not connected to any other nations. He asks to make a small meal in order to have benefit from them.

  1. Why ask for only a small meal and not a large meal?
  2. By staying together another day the love will be all the stronger! How then does it solve the problem of feeling difficult about separating as now this process will be even harder?
  3. Why do we find this additional day because of the desire for closeness only after Sukkos and not also by the other festivals?