III. The Musaf (additional) sacrifices:
IV. Solomon Celebrates Shemini Atzeret:
V. The services in the synagogue
VI. Yeshua celebrated Shemini Atzeret
Shemini Atzeret, the Biblical festival that occurs on Tishrei 22, means Eighth Assembly. This feast comes after the last and greatest day of the feast of Succoth. It is "The eighth day". It marks the beginning of the rainy season in Israel. This feast is separate and distinct from Hag HaSuccoth, the Feast of Tabernacles, yet somehow connected to Hag HaSuccoth.
The Torah and Haftarah readings, as well as the prayers and synagogue service, all focus in on The King and His people.
In regard to six laws, Shemini Atzeret is considered a festival unto itself, unrelated to Succoth:
Sukkah 48a It has been taught in agreement with R.
Nahman, The Eighth Day is a Separate festival with regard to P'Z'R’ K'SH'B’[1] i.e.,
with regard to balloting it is a separate festival,[2] with
regard to the benediction of the season it is a separate festival,[3] with
regard to the nature of the festival[4] it is
a separate festival,[5] with
regard to its sacrifice it is a separate festival,[6] with
regard to its psalm[7] it is
a separate festival, and with regard to its benediction[8] it is
a separate festival.
There are six halachic ingredients, which separate Shimini Atzeret from Succoth. You would never understand the holiday without knowing them. They come with an acronym of six letters: P'Z'R K'SH'B[9].
:
(1) Payis - Lottery. The priests in the
(2) Zman - Shimini Atzeret deserves a Shecheyanu blessing on its own indicating, again, that is a separate holiday from Succoth.
(3) Regel - A separate
(4) Korban - Sacrifice, meaning that Shimini Atzeret has its own sacrifice of one ox. It signifies, according to the Midrash, that HaShem is intimately associated with Israel only, in contrast to Succoth where He considers, so to speak, all the seventy oxen, the seventy nations.
(5) Shir - Song. It means that the song, which the Levites sing on Shimini Atzeret, is different from the ones they used to sing on Succoth. But the Rogachov Tzadik z"l said: The ‘song’ here is the Hallel. The Hallel of Shimini Atzeret differs, in its meaning, from the Hallel of Succoth.
(6) Bracha - Blessing - meaning specifying the name of the holiday in Mussaf or the blessing over meals (Beit Yosef, the laws of Shimini Atzeret). But other say: "Bracha - Blessing of the King".[10]
This mysterious festival is not linked to an historical event or an agricultural event, as are all of the other festivals.
The Torah indicates that this feast is celebrated on Tishrei 22, eight days after the beginning of Hag HaSuccoth. The following charts details this relationship:
In Eretz[11]
|
Tishrei 15 |
Festival Sabbath |
|
Tishrei 16 |
Chol HaMoed |
|
Tishrei 17 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 18 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 19 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 20 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 21 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 22 |
Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah This is a Sabbath |
Outside Eretz
|
Tishrei 15 |
Festival Sabbath |
|
Tishrei 16 |
Sabbath and Chol HaMoed |
|
Tishrei 17 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 18 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 19 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 20 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 21 |
Chol HaMoed, intermediate day. |
|
Tishrei 22 |
Shemini Atzeret. This a Sabbath |
|
Tishrei 23 |
Shemini Atzeret (second day), Sabbath, and Simchat Torah. |
Shemini Atzeret was detailed in:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:34-44 "Say to the Israelites: 'On the
fifteenth day of the seventh month HaShem's Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it
lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred
assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present offerings made to
HaShem by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred
assembly and present an offering made to HaShem by fire. It is the closing
assembly; do no regular work. ("'These are HaShem's appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred
assemblies for bringing offerings made to HaShem by fire--the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and
drink offerings required for each day. These offerings are in addition to those
for HaShem's Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed
and all the freewill offerings you give to HaShem.) "'So beginning with
the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the
land, celebrate the festival to HaShem
for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest.
On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds,
leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before HaShem your God for seven days.
Celebrate this as a festival to HaShem for seven
days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come;
celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in booths for seven days: All
native-born Israelites are to live in booths. So your descendants will know
that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought
them out of Egypt. I am HaShem your God.'" So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts
of HaShem.
Shemini Atzeret means "Eighth Assembly" it is the Feast of Conclusion. Strong's defines "Shemini" "Atzeret" as:
8066 shemiyniy, shem-ee-nee'; from 8083; eight:-eight.
--------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------
8083 shemoneh, shem-o-neh'; or shemowneh, shem-o-neh'; fem. shemonah, shem-o-naw'; or shemownah, shem-o-naw'; appar. from 8082 through the idea of plumpness; a cardinal number, eight (as if a surplus above the "perfect" seven); also (as ordinal) eighth:-eight ([-een, -eenth]), eighth.
6116 `atsarah, ats-aw-raw'; or `atsereth, ats-eh'-reth; from 6113; an assembly, espc. on a festival or holiday:-(solemn) assembly (meeting).
Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is connected to Pesach, Passover, by the counting of the omer. Therefore, one of the names for Shavuot is Atzeret, assembly. Just as Pesach, a seven-day festival, has an Atzeret, so too does the only other seven-day festival, Succoth, also have an Atzeret, Shemini Atzeret. (I have illustrated the bi-modality of the calendar in a study titled: RAINS.)
The Gemara, in Succah 48a, calls Atzeret a "holiday unto itself." In fact, the only connection made between Succoth and Shemini Atzeret in the literature is for the purpose of making up for neglected haggiga offerings[12], which is also true for the day after Pesach too. For this reason, there is no obligation to take lulav and etrog, to sit in the Succah (except outside of Eretz Israel, where due to the uncertainty in the calendar, the two overlap).
In the Talmud, Shemini Atzeret is called Atzeret shel Chag, the Atzeret of Succoth, as opposed to Shavuot which is called Atzeret without a qualifier[13]. In fact, the Midrash[14] takes the effort to explain why Shemini Atzeret isn't fifty days after Succoth, why it differs from Shavuot:
Midrash Rabbah - Shir HaShirim
(Song of Songs) VII:4 Another
explanation: HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THY FOOTSTEPS IN SANDALS (NE ‘ALIM): in two closings (ne'alim).[15] R.
Hana b. Hanina said: It is as if two traders went into a town together, and one
of them said to the other: ' If we both offer our wares together in the town,
we will bring down the price. So do you offer yours one week, and I will offer
mine the next.’ R. Hananiah the son of R. Ibi said: It is written here, HOW
BEAUTIFUL ARE THY FOOTSTEPS not in the sandal, but IN
SANDALS. There are two closings: the closing of Passover
and the closing of Tabernacles. Said the Holy One,
blessed be He, to Israel: ‘You close before Me at Tabernacles, and I close
before you at Passover. You close your work before Me at Tabernacles,[16] and I
open the heavens and cause winds to blow and bring up
clouds and make rain fall and cause the sun to shine and make plants grow and ripen produce,
and provide each one of you with a table set out with his needs, and each body according to its requirements. And I close [the
heavens] before you at Passover,[17] and
you go out and reap and thresh and winnow and do all that is required in the
field and find it rich in blessing.’ R. Yahoshua (Joshua) b. Levi said: By
rights, the Eighth Day of Assembly should have followed Tabernacles
after an interval of fifty days, as Pentecost
follows Passover. But since at the Eighth Day of Assembly summer passes into
autumn, the time is not suitable for travelling. [God was like] a king who had
several married daughters, some living near by, while others were a long way
away. One day they all came to visit their father the king. Said the king:
'Those who are living near by are able to travel at any time.
But those who live at a distance are not able to travel at any time. So while
they are all here with me, let us make one feast for all of them and rejoice
with them.’ So with regard to Pentecost, which comes when winter is passing
into summer, God says, ‘The season is fit for travelling.’ But the Eighth day
of Assembly comes when summer is passing into autumn, and the roads are dusty
and hard for walking; hence it is not separated by an interval of fifty days.
Said the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘These are not days for travelling; so while
they are here, let us make of all of them one festival
and rejoice.’ Therefore Moses admonishes Israel, saying to them, On the eighth
day ye shall have a solemn assembly (Num. XXIX, 35). Thus we may say, HOW
BEAUTIFUL ARE THY FOOTSTEPS IN NE’ ALIM.
Similarly, Succoth is compared to Pesach, Passover. As we just said, both play the role as the precursor to an Atzeret. The fact that both are on the fifteenth of the month is no coincidence, numerous halachot are built upon that comparison.[18] Further, the mitzva of Succah and the mitzva of Matzah are compared (ibid). Just as matza is obligatory on the first night of Pesach, and for the rest of Pesach it's only a restricted means of eating (one may eat baked goods only if they have not leavened), so too Succah, one is required to sit in it the first night, the rest of Succoth one must only sit in the Succah when one wants to eat.
In fact, the parallelism starts even earlier in the season. Yom Kippur is called by the Torah "Yom HaKippurim", which is explained homiletically[19]; in the days of the Mashiach it will become a "Yom", a day, "Ki", like, "Purim".
Thus, we find the Jewish year divided about two triads: one, Atzeret Yimay Tishuvah which climaxes at Yom Kippur, followed by Succoth and Shemini Atzeret; the other, Purim, Pesach and Shavuot. The first before the winter, the second in the beginning of spring.
Succoth is in celebration of divine sustenance. It is Z'man Simchateinu, a time to be happy with our lot. It is before winter, when we gather in the grain that will allow us to survive the upcoming months. It has a universal theme, that of HaShem feeding and sustaining the world.
It can only come after Yom Kippur. We have just been judged, "who will live and who will die ... who will be in famine, and who in drought ..." We are confident our prayers were accepted, and thus, we come to the Temple to celebrate our lot.
This progression culminates on Shemini Atzeret. It is a continuation of Yom Kippur, as we pray for rain in musaf. Tehillim 27, "Of David", a prayer for aid in our repentance is added to the end prayer until Shemini Atzeret. It is also a culmination of our celebration of Succoth. We rejoice in the role our role as the upholders of the Torah in insuring the world's existence. The seventieth musaf cow, the one corresponding to the B'nei Israel, is brought. We end and begin the torah, showing our continuing dedication to our responsibilities in exchange for this aid. We never pause at the completion of the Torah, we must go on, "for they [the words of the Torah] are our lives, and the length of our days."
The sequence from preparation, to celebration, to culmination is also found in the other triad at the other extreme of the year.
We are the chosen nation only because we chose HaShem first[20]. After we celebrate the finalization of the acceptance of the Torah, we celebrate HaShem's relationship with us. He took us out of Egypt "to be for Him a treasured people and a holy nation." The entire calendar is based upon the demand that Pesach be in the spring. Celebration of our birth as a nation can only be at the time of regeneration of nature.
This culminates with Shavuot. HaShem presents us with the Torah. This is the wedding feast between HaShem and Israel. HaShem only took the Children of Israel out of Egypt only to give them the Torah. Shavuot is the Atzeret of Pesach, without Shavuot, Pesach would lack meaning.
Only in this structure of the
Jewish year, can we properly observe Shemini Atzeret. It is an Atzeret, a
culmination. We end the season dedicated to the sustenance of the world. As
opposed to Shavuot, a re-creation of the giving of the Torah, of HaShem and
What is the ‘Blessing of the King?’[21]
Rashi, in his commentary on the Talmud (Succah)
explains:
"From the Tosefta we may derive that they blessed the King (of Israel), as it is said: ’Shimini Atzeret has Blessing of its own - since it is written (on King Solomon) - On the eighth day he sent them home and they blessed the King (of Israel)" (Kings 1:8). And Abudarham concurs: "And he reads the Maftir from Kings: ‘When King Solomon finished (building the holy Temple) etc.’. And the reason for the reading from this particular Haftarah is because it is said in it ‘And on the eighth day he sent them away and they blessed the king".
And Abudarham adds:
"And the reason
for reading the Haftarah his because King Solomon blessed them on the eighth
day of the holiday (Shimini Atzeret) as it is said ‘And he blessed the entire
congregation of
Meaning King of flesh and blood. That the reading of both the Haftarah and Vezot Habracha is related to the Blessing of the King. Moshe, who was the first King of Israel. And the Talmud says explicitly: "The last Yom Tov they read Kol Habchor, and they finish with Vezot Haberakhah, and then they read from the Haftarah, ‘And Solomon stood up and said’ etc. (Megilah 31) Hence the reading of the Torah, in Vezot Haberakhah, and the Haftarah (Kings 8:54-66) from Kings are inter-related and has nothing to do with Simchat Torah, the ending of the reading cycle, which is an historically ‘recent’ custom of ‘only’ one thousand years old, from the Geonim’s time. And the ‘Blessing of the Kings’ is responsible for the three readings on Succoth:
(1) Reading from Kings "And they gathered around King Solomon", on the second day of Succoth.
(2)
(3)
Meaning: The events surrounding the Blessing of the King were so important that we repeat them no less then three times, one on Succoth and twice on Shimini Atzeret! What is in this particular story of King Solomon that is so important? Let us discuss first Kings chapter 8, and Divrei HaYamim (2 Chronicles), chapters 5-7.
The Blessing of King Solomon
As King Solomon finished building the holy Temple, says the book of Kings and
Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles), he gathered the entire nation of
"Who is the one who would go up on His holy mountain?" They tried
hard to influence the gates to open up. "A (person) whose hands are clean
and his heart is free of sin". After all, Solomon
should not be punished for the sins of his father.
But the gates were stubborn: They refused to open and let Solomon and the
"There is no one like you Elokimin Heavens
and Earth - (Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 2, 6, 14), "Stand up, HaShem,
to your rest, you, and your mighty
Yet all these callings were
ineffective, and the gates remained closed. But king Solomon did not give up,
he continued: "Remember the favor of your slave David". As soon as he
mentioned his father David, the gated opened and allowed him to enter with the
Indeed, it was on Shimini Atzeret day when they came to his home. As we read in the Haftarah of the day: "And it happened on the eighth day that he sent them away, and they blessed the king, and they went back each to his tents happy and content for the goodness that HaShem has done to His slave David and to His people Israel". After the people blessed the King, he stood up and in turn blessed the people:
"And he stood up and he blessed the entire congregation
of Israel a great voice saying: Blessed are you HaShem who has given rest to
His people of
And we do recognize these verses
said by Solomon as the ones we use today upon the removal of the Torah from the
So in summary, so far, we have seen: That the readings on Shimini Atzeret in
the Torah and the Haftarah, are connected to the inauguration of the holy Temple, to the blessing the people gave to Solomon, and
the Blessing he gave the people, and to the establishment of the kingship of
David.
The Special Hallel of Shemini Atzeret
But there is one more important component in the story of king Solomon and
Shemini Atzeret. When the people saw that the gates were open, and the fire came down from heaven to
consume, the first time, everything which was placed on
he altar, they were filled with an extreme Simcha, joy, and they bowed, and
prostrated on the floor of the Holy Temple, and sung,
for the first time ever in the bible,
the Hallel of David "Ki Leolam Chasdo". Then they stood
up, and the music instruments which David had made were playing, and they sang
again the Hallel of David "Ki Leolam
Chasdo". This time not prostrating but standing. And here we encounter
a new type of the Hallel. It is not said after a miracle of saving from the
hands of the enemies, not as a Hallel which accompanies a mitzva, not as a song
for the holiday, but as a thanksgiving song. For the general goodness of all
the good which HaShem has done to
So Shemini Atzeret is the "birthday’ of:
(1) The
(2) The Fire from heaven on the Altar, which burned, without interruption, for four hundreds years.
(3) The Kingship of the House of David.
(4) The Hallel of David, recited
in a standing position and the Hallel of David which is recited in awe,
happiness, and gratitude, in a prostrated position on the
(5) The Love of HaShem for His people Israel, One nation united in Jerusalem.
(6) The first time we hear about the musical instruments made by David.
Festival Theme[22]
We read in:
Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:36 For seven days
present offerings made to HaShem by fire, and on the eighth (Shemini) day hold
a sacred assembly (Atzeret) and present an offering
made to HaShem by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.
"...The eighth day is a sacred assembly to you when you shall bring a fire offering to HaShem; it is a day of solemn assembly. Then in Bamidbar, the Torah declares:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:35 "'On the eighth day hold a solemn assembly and do no regular work.
Not until Devarim do we extrapolate the deeper significance of this festival from a seemingly extra word:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:14-15 Be joyful at your Feast--you, your sons and
daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your
towns. For seven days celebrate the
Feast to HaShem your God at the place HaShem will
choose. For HaShem your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the
work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
"Celebrate to G‑d your L‑rd for seven days...so that
you will be altogether joyous." (Deut. 16:15)
In Hebrew, the preceding italicized phrase is a translation of the words, vehayita ach sahmayach, the word ach reinforcing one's potential for joyousness. The context in which this verse appears in Parsha Re'eh is an account of the yearly festivals, and since the previous verse (16:14) already speaks of joy, the repetition a verse later seems unnecessary. The question is brought up in Tractate Pesachim 71a, and Rashi (ad locum) summarizes the Talmudic discussion that the word "ach" comes to emphasize the joy of the final day, which is Shemini Atzeret.
The celebration would now be in the home and not in the succah. The festival thus marks a change in emphasis, from the universalism of Succoth (as represented by the seventy sacrifices for the nations of the world) to the intimacy of a people and its Maker: "Now bring a sacrifice for yourselves