The eighth day shall be an atzeres for you; you shall perform no work of labor. (Bamidbar 29:35)
The day after the seven-day holiday of Succos is called “atzeres.” What is the meaning of this term? On the pasuk cited above, Rashi explains that the word means “restriction” – on that day, one is restricted from engaging in work. But if that is the meaning, why isn’t every day of Yom Tov called an ”atzeres”? Why is this eighth day, Shemini Atzeres, singled out for this title?
Rashi offers a second explanation, atzru milatzeitz – “They were restrained from leaving.” We are not allowed to leave Jerusalem just yet. This is referring to the halakha of ta’un lina – whenever one offers a sacrifice, he must remain near the Beis HaMikdash an additional night.
Rashi then offers a third explanation: In the Midrash Aggada, it states: During the days of the holiday, the nation sacrificed on behalf of the seventy nations, and when they were ready to leave, the Almighty told them, ”Please make me one additional meal so I can get pleasure from you.” Throughout Succos, Bnei Yisrael offered seventy sacrifices on behalf of all the non-Jewish nations. Hashem requested that they remain one more day so they and Hashem could rejoice together – alone. Rashi explains that “atzeres” is a term of endearment, as when children are preparing to leave, and their father holds them back, saying, “Your departure is hard for me.” Hashem added one more day because it is hard for Him, as it were, to take leave of Bnei Yisrael. After Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, and Succos celebrations in the Beis HaMikdash, it is difficult for Hashem to see us leave.
The baalei mussar ask how one more day would help. Doesn’t it just prolong the agony? If you ask any kindergarten teacher what the best way is for a parent to leave a child there for the day, they will say that the best thing is for the parent to depart as quickly as possible. The longer the parent procrastinates their departure, the more dragged out the process is. The child gets clingy and cries, and this makes the separation much more painful. A parent should simply drop off the child and leave. So why does Hashem prolong the departure?
Rav Yitzhak Mirsky (Hegyononei Halacha vol 3 p78) suggests that it is hard for Hashem to see us leave because He does not want us to forsake the spiritual level that we have attained over the chaggim. The Yamin Noraim are a spiritually uplifting time period. How does one more day help us further strengthen our bond and commitment to Torah? Shemini Atzeres is combined with Simchas Torah (in Eretz Yisrael, it is on the same day). By celebrating with the Torah, we attest to the significance of the Torah in our lives. It ensures that we will never “depart” or separate from Hashem as long as we continue to learn and abide by the precepts of the Torah.
On Simhas Torah, we dance with the Torah and encircle the bima. Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Schorr (cited by Rabbi Yitzhak Mirsky) suggests that dancing around the bima symbolizes the connection of the Jewish people with the study of Torah. By dancing around the bima, we attest to the fact that the Torah is not left in the Aron. We don’t just have scrolls. The place of the Torah is on the bima, on the place of learning, on our shtender. Torah without learning Baruch Hu. We don’t leave our religion in the aron or in the shul. We take it with us, because we celebrate Torah study.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu requests one more day – a day without a shofar, lulav, or succa, a day without an object with which we perform a mitzva. The day is devoted to celebrating the Torah, the very glue that maintains our connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu throughout the year.
May the holiday of Shemini Atzeres enable us to gain strength throughout the year, to overcome our differences, and to celebrate our shared commitment to the Torah!
