View source for Shemini Atzeret

{{short description|Jewish holiday}}
{{distinguish|Shemini (parsha)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox holiday
| image         = 
| caption       = 
| holiday_name  = Shemini Atzeret
| official_name = {{Script/Hebrew|שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶֽרֶת}}
Translation: "The eighth [day] of Assembly"
| observedby    = [[Jews]] and [[Samaritans]]
| type          = Jewish, Samaritan
| longtype      = Jewish, Samaritan
| date          = 22nd day of [[Tishrei]]<ref name=topdate>See {{bibleverse||Leviticus|23:34,36|HE}} and text below.</ref>
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=last}}<ref name="hebcal.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/|title=Jewish Holidays – Hebcal Jewish Calendar|website=www.hebcal.com|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=September 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910164532/https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=current}}<ref name="hebcal.com"/>
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next}}<ref name="hebcal.com"/>
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next2}}<ref name="hebcal.com"/>
| celebrations  = Prayer for [[Geshem|rain]]; includes, in Israel, the celebration of [[Simchat Torah]]
| significance  = 
| relatedto     = Culmination of [[Sukkot]] (Tabernacles), the [[Geshem]] prayer
}}

'''Shemini Atzeret''' ({{Script/Hebrew|שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת}}—"Eighth [day] of Assembly") is a [[Jewish holidays|Jewish holiday]]. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the [[Hebrew calendar|Hebrew month]] of [[Tishrei]], usually coinciding with late September or early October. It directly follows the festival of [[Sukkot]], which is celebrated for ''seven'' days; thus, Shemini Atzeret is literally the ''eighth'' 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.{{sfn|Bank|Wiggins|2012|p=139}}

Outside the [[Land of Israel]], this is further complicated by the [[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot|additional day]] added to all biblical holidays except [[Rosh Hashanah]] and [[Yom Kippur]].<ref name="Egg">Talmud, ''[[Beitza]]'' 4b.</ref> 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 of [[Simchat 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 the [[Jewish diaspora|Diaspora]], the celebration of Simchat Torah is deferred to the [[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot|second day]] of the holiday. Commonly, only the first day is referred to as ''Shemini Atzeret'', while the second is called ''Simchat Torah''.<ref>''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'', ''Orach Chayim'' 669</ref>

[[Karaite Judaism|Karaite Jews]] and [[Samaritans]] also observe Shemini Atzeret, as they do all biblical holidays. However, due to differences in [[Hebrew calendar|calendar]] calculations, it may occur on a different day from the conventional Jewish celebration. Karaites and Samaritans do not include the [[Rabbinic Judaism|rabbinical]] innovation of Simchat Torah in their observance of the day and do not observe a [[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot|second day]]—of any holiday—in the Diaspora.

==Biblical origins==
According to ''[[The Jewish Encyclopedia]]'',<ref name=JESA/> ''atzeret'' ({{langx|hbo|[[wikt:עצרת|עצרת]]|ʿaṣereṯ|assembly}}) is the name given to this day in four different locations in the [[Hebrew Bible]].<ref><span class="plainlinks">{{Bibleverse||Leviticus|23:36|HE}}, {{Bibleverse||Numbers|29:35|HE}}, {{Bibleverse||Nehemiah|8:18|HE}} and {{Bibleverse||2Chronicles|7:9|HE}}</span></ref> It is not mentioned in [[Deuteronomy 16]], and is found only in those parts of the Bible known as the [[Priestly Code]]. Like ''atzarah,''<ref><span class="plainlinks">See {{Bibleverse||Amos|5:21|HE}}, {{Bibleverse||Isaiah|1:13|HE}} and {{Bibleverse||Joel|1:14|HE}}.</span></ref> ''atzeret'' denotes "day of assembly", from ''atzar'' ("to hold back" or "keep in"); hence the name ''atzeret'' given to the seventh day of [[Pesaḥ]].<ref><span class="plainlinks">See {{Bibleverse||Deuteronomy|16:8|HE}}</span></ref> Owing, however, to the fact that both Shemini Atzeret and the seventh day of Pesaḥ are described as ''atzeret'', the name was taken to mean "the closing festival".<ref name=JESA/>

==Significance==
{{anchor|Shemini}}
===''Shemini:'' "Eighth Day" of Sukkot===
When Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in the [[Torah]] (known in Greek as the ''Pentateuch''), it is always mentioned in the context of the seven-day festival of [[Sukkot]]: the holiday Shemini Atzeret immediately follows. For example, Sukkot is described in detail in [[Emor#Sixth reading — Leviticus 23:33–44|Leviticus 23:33–43]].<ref><span class="plainlinks">{{bibleref|Leviticus|23:33–43|HE}}</span></ref> Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in only verses 36 and 39.

The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word ''shemini'' means ''eighth''. This refers to the date of Shemini Atzeret relative to Sukkot; it falls on the latter's eighth day.<ref group=note>In the terminology of the modern [[Hebrew calendar]], Sukkot occurs on 15–21 Tishrei and Shemini Atzeret on 22 Tishrei.</ref> 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 the ''[[sukkah]]'' (booth or tabernacle) and the [[Four Species]] (tree branches and fruit used in the celebration).<ref group=note>These are known as the ''[[lulav]]'' (branches of the [[Palm (plant)|palm]], [[Myrtus|myrtle]] and [[willow]] trees) and ''[[etrog]]'' (fruit of the [[citron]]).</ref> However, the Torah specifies using those objects for only seven days, not eight.<ref>{{bibleref|Leviticus|23:40–42|HE}}</ref> The observance of Shemini Atzeret, therefore, differs in substantial ways from that of Sukkot. The [[Talmud]]<ref name=48a>See [[Sukkah (Talmud)|Tractate Sukkah]] 48a</ref> 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 the [[Temple in Jerusalem#Temple service|Temple service]], but two others remain relevant to the modern celebration of the holiday. First, the blessing known as ''[[Shehecheyanu]]'' is recited on the night of Shemini Atzeret just as it is on the first night of all other major Jewish holidays.{{sfn|Sacks|2009|pages=306–7 and 1186}} Second, the holiday is referred to distinctively as "Shemini Atzeret" and not as "Sukkot" in the prayer service.{{sfn|Sacks|2009|pages=760–3}}

Immediately following that discussion, however, the Talmud describes Shemini Atzeret as the "end holiday of the festival [of Sukkot]".<ref name=48a /> The context here is that the Sukkot obligations of joy and recitation of [[Hallel]] ([[Psalm]]s 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.{{sfn|Sacks|2009|pages=760–3}}

Shemini Atzeret is, in conclusion, simultaneously "a holiday in its own right" and the "end holiday of [Sukkot]".<ref name=48a />

==={{anchor|name=atzeret}}''Atzeret:'' A day for assembly—or pause===
Spiritually, Shemini Atzeret can also be seen to "guard the seven days of Sukkot".{{sfn|Gurary|Kaplan|2000|p=83-93}} The Hebrew word ''atzeret'' is generally translated as "assembly", but shares a linguistic root with the word ''atzor'', 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.<ref name=JESA>{{Jewish Encyclopedia|title=Shemini 'Azeret|year=1901–1906|publisher=Funk and Wagnalls|location=New York|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13559-shemini-azeret|no-prescript=1|noicon=1}}</ref> [[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.<ref>Rashi on [[Book of Leviticus|Leviticus]] 23:36.</ref> According to this idea, Sukkot is a [[Jewish views on religious pluralism#classical Jewish views|universal]] holiday, but Shemini Atzeret is for only the [[Jews|Jewish People]]. Moreover, Shemini Atzeret is a modest holiday intended to honor [God's] special relationship with his beloved nation.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mayer|first=Sally|title=Why did Shemini Atzeret become Simchat Torah?|date=Autumn 2011|series=YU Torah To-Go|issue=Sukkot To-Go 5772|page=29|url=http://download.yutorah.org/2012/1053/Sukkot_To-Go_-_5772_Mrs_Mayer.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185156/http://download.yutorah.org/2012/1053/Sukkot_To-Go_-_5772_Mrs_Mayer.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-29 |url-status=live|publisher=Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future|location=New York}}</ref>{{refn|Variants are quoted in {{harvtxt|Isaacs|2000|p=88}} and in ''[[The Jewish Encyclopedia]]''<ref name=JESA />}}

A different but related interpretation is offered by [[Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg]], who translates ''atzeret'' 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".<ref>Quoted in {{harvtxt|Isaacs|2000|p=93}}.</ref>

===Connections to the prior Jewish holy days===

The day before Shemini Atzeret is the last day of Sukkot. It is called [[Hoshana Rabbah]] and is unique and different from the other days of Sukkot. While it is part of the "intermediate" days of Sukkot known as ''[[Chol HaMoed]]'', Hoshana Rabbah has [[Hoshana Rabbah#Rituals and customs|extra prayers and rituals]] and is treated and practised much more seriously and festively than are the previous days of ''Chol HaMoed''. In particular, during the morning prayer service of Hoshana Rabbah, there are [[Hoshana Rabbah#Seven hoshanot|seven ''hoshanot'']] with their own seven ''[[hakafot]]'' or "seven processions".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=HOSHA'NA RABBAH ("the great Hosha'na")|encyclopedia=The Jewish Encyclopedia|year=1901–1906|publisher=Funk and Wagnalls|location=New York|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7900-hosha-na-rabbah|access-date=November 1, 2013|archive-date=October 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023044409/http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7900-hosha-na-rabbah|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 seven ''hakafot'' are again performed. The ''hakafot'' of Shemini Atzeret are the same as those used in the Simchat Torah celebration, which is observed in [[Israel]] in tandem with Shemini Atzeret. Outside the Land of Israel, the ''hakafot'' are performed by some congregations on the evening preceding Shemini Atzeret,<ref>Mainly in [[Hasidic Judaism|Chassidic]] congregations. See {{cite web |title=Simchat Torah Hakafot Procedure |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1288671/jewish/Simchat-Torah-Hakafot-Procedure.htm |website=Chabad.org |access-date=September 28, 2018 |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928201118/https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1288671/jewish/Simchat-Torah-Hakafot-Procedure.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and then by all on both the night and during the day of [[Simchat Torah]].

''[[The Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' states that during the time of the [[Second Temple]], the festival of [[Shavuot]] received the specific name of "'Atzarta" as cited by [[Josephus]] in [[Antiquities of the Jews]] (iii. 10, § 6) and in the [[Talmud]]'s tractate [[Pesahim]] (42b, 68b), signifying "the closing feast" of [[Passover]].<ref name=JESA/> Commenting on this, the [[Chazal|Rabbis]] in Tractate Pesahim say that:

<blockquote>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 to [[Jerusalem]] in the rainy season, God fixed it as early as the eighth day.<ref name=JESA/></blockquote>

Shemini Atzeret thus concludes the process of judgment, repentance, and atonement begun on [[Rosh Hashanah]]: the Jewish New Year. Four days after the conclusion of [[Yom 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 the [[High Holy Days]]. (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the week between them are known as the [[Ten 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 the [[Torah scroll]]s held as the center of attention during the ''hakafot'' in the [[synagogue]].<ref name="oucycle">{{cite web |last1=Shaviv |first1=Rabbi Yehuda |title=Sukkot in the Cycle of Festivals |url=https://www.ou.org/holidays/sukkot/sukkot_in_the_cycle_of_festivals/ |publisher=Orthodox Union |access-date=September 28, 2018 |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928201114/https://www.ou.org/holidays/sukkot/sukkot_in_the_cycle_of_festivals/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Evolution of observances and customs==
<!--Will reinsert below at a different point "... Shemini Atzeret is a quiet holiday, ushering in the winter season, a day on which we pray for rain".{{sfn|Brener|2001|p=221}} At the same time, Shemini Atzeret has become the holiday on which the boisterous celebration of Simchat Torah is observed.
-->
The Torah explicitly mentions Shemini Atzeret three times, all in the context of Sukkot.<ref>See {{bibleref|Leviticus|23:33–43|HE}}, with Shemini Atzeret mentioned in verses 36 and 39, and {{bibleref|Numbers|29|HE}}, with Shemini Atzeret featured in verses 35–38.</ref> 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.{{sfn|Ribiat|1999}} ''(See also [[Jewish holidays#work|Jewish 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 the [[Nevi'im|Prophets]] and [[Ketuvim|Writings]] portions of the [[Tanakh]] (Hebrew Bible). The first occurred at the time of the dedication of the First Temple by Solomon.<ref>{{bibleref|2Chronicles|7:9|HE}} and {{bibleref|1Kings|8|HE}}</ref> The second came at the time of the Jews' return from the [[Babylonian exile]].<ref>{{bibleref|Nehemiah|8:18|HE}}</ref> In both cases, however, the mention is limited to the observation that an "assembly ''[atzeret]'' was held on the eighth day".

According to the [[Biblical apocrypha|Apocryphal]] [[Second Book of Maccabees]], the first celebration of [[Hanukkah]] mimicked that of Sukkot, which the [[Maccabees]] 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.<ref>{{bibleref|2Maccabees|10:1–9}}</ref>

[[File:Torah and jad.jpg|thumb|Torah and Yad]]
[[File:Simhat Torah 17th century.jpg|thumb|Throwing cakes to children on Simḥat Torah, by [[Johann Leusden]] in ''Philologus Hebræo-Mixtus,'' [[Utrecht]], 1657]]

Like most Jewish holidays of Biblical origin, Shemini Atzeret is observed for one day within the [[Land of Israel]], and traditionally for [[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot|two days]] outside Israel. [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]] communities generally celebrate this and most Biblical holidays for one day, even outside Israel.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Second Festival Day and Reform Judaism (Responsum 5759.7)|journal=CCAR Responsa|year=1999|url=http://ccarnet.org/responsa/nyp-no-5759-7/|access-date=July 15, 2013|archive-date=July 17, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130717080730/http://ccarnet.org/responsa/nyp-no-5759-7/|url-status=live}}</ref> The second day observed outside Israel is called ''Simchat Torah'' (see next section).

===Simchat Torah===
{{Main|Simchat Torah}}
The practice of reading the Ve-zot ha-berakhah, the last of the [[weekly Torah portion]]s on Shemini Atzeret is documented in the Talmud.<ref>{{cite web|title=Megillah 31a|url=http://e-daf.com/index.asp|work=E-DAF.com|access-date=October 9, 2013|language=he|archive-date=October 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008024654/http://www.e-daf.com/index.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 later [[Rabbinic Judaism|rabbinic]] and customary origin. The day (but not the name) is mentioned in the ''[[siddur]]'' of Rav [[Amram Gaon]] (9th century CE); the assignment of the first chapter of [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] as the ''[[haftarah]]'' of the day is mentioned there. The reading of the first section of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] immediately upon the conclusion of the last section of [[Deuteronomy]]—as well as the name "Simchat Torah"—can be found in the 14th century [[halacha|''halachic'']] work ''[[Arba'ah Turim]].''<ref name=rows>{{cite book|title=Arba'ah Turim|page=227|url=https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=42478&st=&pgnum=227|author=Jacob ben Asher (c. 1270-c. 1340)|edition=1610 Hannover|author-link=Jacob ben Asher|access-date=October 8, 2013|chapter=Orach Chayim 669|language=he|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192629/http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=42478&st=&pgnum=227|url-status=live}}</ref>  By the 16th century CE, most of the features of the modern celebration of Simchat Torah were in place in some form.<ref>{{Cite Jewish Encyclopedia |title=Simḥat Torah |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13735-simhat-torah}}</ref> 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".<ref>See, for example, {{cite web|title=Holiday Calendar|url=https://il.usembassy.gov/holiday-calendar/|publisher=United States Embassy Tel Aviv|access-date=January 22, 2018|archive-date=March 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326172409/https://il.usembassy.gov/holiday-calendar/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 20th century, Simchat Torah came to symbolize the public assertion of Jewish identity.<ref>Zenner, Walter P. Persistence and Flexibility: Anthropological Perspectives on the American Jewish Experience. [[SUNY Press]], 1988. p.85</ref> [[History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union|The Jews of the Soviet Union]], in particular, would celebrate the festival ''en masse'' in the streets of [[Moscow]]. On October 14, 1973, more than 100,000 Jews took part in a post-Simchat Torah rally in New York city on behalf of [[Refusenik (Soviet Union)|refuseniks]] and Soviet Jewry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sovietjewry.org/gallery_photo.php?photo=9 |title=Soviet Jewry |publisher=Soviet Jewry |date=October 14, 1973 |access-date=September 25, 2013 |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012184843/https://www.sovietjewry.org/gallery_photo.php?photo=9 |url-status=live }}</ref>  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 conduct ''Hakafot shniyot,'' or "Second ''[[hakafot]]",'' 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 by [[Activities prohibited on Shabbat|festival work restrictions]], since the festival is over in Israel according to Jewish law.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kordova|first=Shoshana|title=Word of the Day / Hakafot shniyot|url=https://www.haaretz.com/news/features/word-of-the-day/1.549188|access-date=October 9, 2013|newspaper=Haaretz|date=September 27, 2013|archive-date=October 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007231407/http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/word-of-the-day/1.549188|url-status=live}}</ref>

Outside Israel, where Shemini Atzeret is observed for two days,{{sfn|Hoffman|2011|p=41}} Simchat Torah is deferred to the second day, when all agree there is no obligation of ''sukkah''.

===Carryover of Sukkot observances outside the Land of Israel===
{{main|Sukkot}}
[[File:Sukot in chabad of hong kong.JPG|right|thumb|Sukkot celebration]] 
In Israel—and for different reasons in Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism—none of the unique observances of Sukkot (''sukkah'', ''lulav'' and ''etrog'') carry over to Shemini Atzeret. 
Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right, without ''sukkah'', ''lulav'' and ''etrog''. At the same time, by the rabbinic decree to add one day to all holidays outside the Land of Israel,<ref name="Egg"/> 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 of [[Elul]], continues to be recited on Shemini Atzeret outside the Land of Israel.{{sfn|Sacks|2009}} When Shemini Atzeret falls on the Shabbat, the Scroll of [[Ecclesiastes]], or Kohelet ({{lang|he|קהלת}}, otherwise read in Ashkenazi synagogues on the [[Shabbat]] 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 of [[Shavuot]]. 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 (like [[tithe#Hebrew Bible|tithes]] and ''[[terumah]]''), 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.{{sfn|Cogan|Weiss|2002|p=162}}

====Taking the'' lulav'' and ''etrog'' and sleeping in the ''sukkah''====
The prevalent practice is that one eats in the ''sukkah'' on the eighth day, but without reciting the blessing (''[[berakhah]]'') for sitting in a ''sukkah''.<ref>''Shulchan Aruch,'' ''Orach Chayim'' 668</ref> However, one does not take the ''lulav'' and ''etrog'' (nor does one sleep in the ''sukkah'' according to most opinions) on the eighth day. If someone sees a neighbor on the street with a ''lulav'' and ''etrog'' on the eighth day, the rabbis reason, they might mistakenly assume that it is still the seventh day (''ḥol hamoed''), when the ''lulav'' and ''etrog'' are still needed. They might then violate prohibitions of the ''[[yom tov]]'' of the eighth day. For that reason, the rabbis ruled that one should not take the ''lulav'' and ''etrog'' on the eighth day, even outside the Land of Israel. They are therefore ''[[muktzah]]''; that is, one may not even move them on a holiday where they are not needed.<ref name="Kol Torah">{{cite journal|last=Jachter|first=Rabbi Howard|title=Lulav and Sukkah on Shemini Atzeret|journal=Kol Torah|date=September 29, 2001|volume=11|issue=4|url=https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/lulav-and-sukkah-on-shemini-atzeret-by-rabbi-chaim-jachter|access-date=July 19, 2013|archive-date=July 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719203450/https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/lulav-and-sukkah-on-shemini-atzeret-by-rabbi-chaim-jachter|url-status=live}}</ref>  Sleeping in the ''sukkah'' 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 the ''sukkah'' may impinge on one's own joy during the festival. This is why many rabbis ruled that one does not sleep in the ''sukkah'' on Shemini Atzeret, even outside the Land of Israel.<ref name="Kol Torah" /> Other rabbis, such as the [[Vilna Gaon]], ruled that one should sleep in the ''sukkah'' on Shemini Atzeret outside the Land of Israel.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kagan|first1=Yisrael M.|author1-link=Yisrael Meir Kagan|title=Mishnah Berurah|at=668:6|url=http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49628&st=&pgnum=270|access-date=December 22, 2013|language=he|archive-date=December 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112227/http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49628&st=&pgnum=270|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Eating in the ''sukkah''====
Eating in the ''sukkah'' does not cause a parallel problem because many people simply enjoy eating outdoors in the shade of a ''sukkah''. Hence, seeing someone eating in a ''sukkah'' does not ''per se'' lead one to assume it is still ''ḥol hamoed''. Likewise, eating in the ''sukkah'' does not ''per se'' impinge on one's own celebration of Shemini Atzeret. Therefore, the prevalent practice is to eat in the ''sukkah'' on Shemini Azeret outside the Land of Israel, but not to recite the ''berakhah'' for sitting in a ''sukkah'', as reciting it would "impinge" on the unique status of Shemini Atzeret.<ref name="Kol Torah" />

There are, however, those who have different ''[[minhag]]im'' (customs). Many [[Hasidic]] groups have a tradition to recite the morning ''[[kiddush]]'' and then have refreshments (such as cake) in the ''sukkah'', 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 the ''sukkah''. Each of these approaches addresses aspects of the dual nature of Shemini Atzeret.<ref name="Kol Torah" />

===Other customs===
The Land of Israel's agriculture depends heavily on rains that come only seasonally, so Jewish prayers for rain, such as ''Tefillat [[Geshem]]'' or ''Tikun Geshem'' (Rain Prayer) are prominent during the Land of Israel's rainy (winter) half of the year.{{sfn|Nulman|1996|p=322}} The rainy season starts just after the fall Jewish holidays. Because of that, and because the ''sukkah'' (and, by extension, pleasant weather) is no longer required on Shemini Atzeret, Jews begin to praise God for making rain starting with the [[Musaf]] ''[[amidah]]'' prayer of Shemini Atzeret.{{sfn|Eisenberg|2010|pp=239–40}} In the Ashkenazic tradition, this prayer is recited in a traditional, distinctive, plaintive melody during the [[Hazzan|cantor]]'s repetition of the ''amidah''; 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 white ''[[kittel]],'' a symbol of [[piety]], owing to the vitality of a positive judgment for rain. A brief mention of rain continues to be inserted in the ''amidah'' until [[Passover]]. The [[Yizkor]] memorial service is also recited in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite on this day, and it was adopted in some Western Ashkenazic communities.{{Sfn|Kunin|2000|p=267}}
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.{{sfn|Brener|2001|p=222}}

==Observance in non-rabbinical Jewish traditions==
As a biblically-mentioned holiday, Shemini Atzeret is also observed by Karaites and Samaritans:

===In Karaite Judaism===
For [[Karaite (Jewish sect)|Karaites]], followers of a [[Jewish religious movements|branch of Judaism]] that accepts the [[Tanakh|Written Law]], but not the [[Oral Torah|Oral Law]], Shemini Atzeret is observed as a single day of rest, not associated with the practices of ''Simchat Torah,'' which are a rabbinic innovation.<ref name="karaite">{{cite web|title=Hag Ha-Sukkot|url=http://www.karaite-korner.org/sukkot.shtml|publisher=The Karaite Korner|access-date=July 26, 2013|archive-date=October 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010000721/http://karaite-korner.org/sukkot.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Nevertheless, the Karaite cycle of [[weekly Torah reading]], like the Rabbinic cycle, reaches its conclusion on Shemini Atzeret.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101219110710/http://orahsaddiqim.org/halakha/HolyDays/Torah_Reading.shtml Congregation Oraḥ Ṣaddiqim (Karaite)]}} (Site unavailable Friday and Saturday in respect of different start/end times for Shabbat possible around the planet)</ref> Accordingly, in at least some Karaite circles, this day is referred to by the name of ''Simchat Torah.''<ref>{{cite web|title=History – Karaite Jews of America|url=http://www.karaites.org/history.html#simhat|publisher=Karaite Jews of America|access-date=July 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716025636/http://www.karaites.org/history.html#simhat|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref> 
Additionally, calculation of the [[Jewish calendar#Karaite calendar|Karaite calendar]] is not based on astronomical calculations, but only on direct observation of the New Moon and the [[Aviv|ripening 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 [[Jewish calendar|(conventional, Rabbinic) Jewish calendar]].<ref name=Kholiday>{{cite web|title=Holidays and New Moons|url=http://www.karaite-korner.org/holiday_dates.shtml|publisher=The Karaite Korner|access-date=July 26, 2013|archive-date=May 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527013220/http://www.karaite-korner.org/holiday_dates.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> <!--<ref name=Kholiday />Want not to lose this reference in case we want to go back to it at some point<ref name="Calendars">{{cite web|title=Moetzet Hakhamim Official Holidays Dates 2011–2012|url=http://www.kjuonline.com/calendars.htm|publisher=Karaite Jewish University|access-date=July 26, 2013}}. Or this one https://web.archive.org/web/18990101080101/http://www.orahsaddiqim.org/Calendar_Files/Calendar_Hodesh_HaShevii_5775.htm</ref>--> 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.<ref name=Kholiday />

===In the Samaritan tradition===
[[Samaritans]], i.e. the northern Israelites who split from Jews during the reign of [[Rehoboam|King Rehoboam]], recognise only the first [[Samaritan Torah|five]] (or [[Book of Joshua (Samaritan)|six]]) books of the Bible as [[Development of the Hebrew Bible canon|canonical]], and thus celebrate only one day of Shemini Aṣereth. 

<blockquote>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.<ref>[http://shomron0.tripod.com/educationalguide.pdf ''The Samaritan-Israelites and Their Religion''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120105635/http://shomron0.tripod.com/educationalguide.pdf |date=January 20, 2012 }}, Volume 1, "Educational Guide", 2004. Accessed July 26, 2013.</ref></blockquote>

== 2023 Hamas-led attack ==
{{main |2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel}}
On October 07, 2023, 06:29, on the morning of Shemini Atzeret, [[Hamas]] launched [[2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel|an attack]] on Israeli army installations and civilian communities near the [[Gaza–Israel barrier|Gaza border]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Dan |date=2023-10-07 |title=How the Hamas attack on Israel unfolded |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-hamas-attack-israel-unfolded-2023-10-07/ |access-date=2023-10-11}}</ref> 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 the [[Gaza war]].

==See also==
* [[Christian observances of Jewish holidays#Shemini|Christian observances of Jewish holidays (Shemini Atzeret)]]
* [[Jewish holidays 2000–2050]], showing Gregorian dates for the holidays

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |last1=Bank |first1=Richard |last2=Wiggins |first2=Jane |title=101 Things Everyone Should Know about Judaism: Beliefs, Practices, Customs, and Traditions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9q4EXEhpiAQC&q=Shemini+Atzeret&pg=PA139 |year=2012 |publisher=[[Adams Media]] |isbn=978-1440518645 }} 
* {{Cite book|last=Brener|first=Anne|title=Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner's Path Through Grief to Healing: With Over 60 Guided Exercises|url=https://archive.org/details/mourningmitzvahg00bren|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/mourningmitzvahg00bren/page/221 221] |year=2001|publisher=Jewish Lights Publishing|isbn=978-1-58023-113-8}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Cogan|first1=Lainie Blum|last2=Weiss|first2=Judy|title=Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, & Strategies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlV9j5AVt18C&pg=PA162|year=2002|publisher=Behrman House, Inc|isbn=978-0-86705-054-7}}
* {{Cite book|last=Eisenberg|first=Ronald L.|title=Jewish Traditions: A JPS Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qGHi_9K154C&pg=PA239|year=2010|publisher=Jewish Publication Society|isbn=978-0-8276-1039-2}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Gurary|first1=Guraryeh|last2=Kaplan|first2=Binyomin|title=The Jewish Holy Days in Chasidic Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-nMwAAAAYAAJ|year=2000|publisher=J. Aronson|isbn=978-0-7657-6120-0}}
* {{Cite book|last=Hoffman|first=C. M.|title=Judaism Made Simple: Flash|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mrpEu_9kOSYC&pg=PT41|year=2011|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|isbn=978-1-4441-4144-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Isaacs|first=Ronald H.|title=Every Person's Guide to Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah|series=Every Person's Guide Series|year=2000|publisher=Jason Aronson|isbn=978-0-7657-6045-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ljZ4BlJdEP4C&q=Shemini+Atzeret+Second+temple}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kunin|first=Seth Daniel|title=Themes and Issues in Judaism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FF9AKDunGW4C&pg=PA267|year=2000|publisher=Continuum|isbn=978-0-304-33758-3}}
* {{Cite book|last=Nulman|first=Macy|title=The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer: The Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rites|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pbuPJeQyeskC&pg=PA322|year=1996|publisher=Jason Aronson, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-4616-3124-8}} 
* {{Cite book|last = Ribiat|first = Rabbi Dovid|year=1999|title=ספר ל״ט מלאכות |trans-title=The 39 Melochos|publisher=Feldheim Publishers|location=Jerusalem|isbn=978-1-58330-368-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vL3DYf61OK8C }}
* {{Cite book|last=Sacks|first=Lord Jonathan|title=The Koren Siddur|edition=Nusaḥ Ashkenaz, 1st Hebrew/English|year=2009|publisher=Koren Publishers|location=Jerusalem|isbn=9789653010673}}
* {{Cite book|last=Wylen|first=Stephen M.|title=Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAkE0GkHCoEC&pg=PA153|year=2000|publisher=Paulist Press|isbn=978-0-8091-3960-6}}

==Further reading==
* {{Jewish Encyclopedia|title=Shemini 'Azeret|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13559-shemini-azeret|no-prescript=1}}

==External links==
*[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4689/jewish/shemini-atzeret-simchat-torah.htm Chabad.org: Shemini Atzeret]

{{Sukkot}}
{{Jewish holidays}}
{{Jewish life}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shemini Atzeret| ]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law]]
[[Category:Tishrei observances]]