Shemini Atzeres – מטה נפתלי
It says in Koheles Rabbah 11:2 ר' לוי אמר: תן חלק לשבעה אלו ז' ימי הסוכה, וגם לשמונה ביום שמיני עצרת – Rebbe Levi says when the Posuk says "תן חלק לשבעה" it is referring to the seven days of Sukkos, and when it says "וגם לשמונה" it is referring to Shemini Atzeres. What is the meaning of this Midrash? It says in Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:31 on the words in Tehillim 118:24 "זה היום עשה ד' נגילה ונשמחה בו" – "This is the day that Hashem has made - let us exult and rejoice on it." Rebbe Avin said: We don't know what to do on this day, to rejoice in the day or in Hakodosh Boruch Hu? Therefore, Shlomo Hamelech tells us,"נגילה ונשמחה בך" – that we are to rejoice in Hakodosh Boruch Hu, in His Torah. It says in Brochos 17a that Rava was wont to say: The objective of Torah wisdom is to achieve repentance and good deeds; that one should not read the Torah and study the Mishna and become arrogant and spurn his father, his mother, his teacher, and one who is greater than him in wisdom or in number. Tosfos explains that this means that one should not learn Torah in order to be able to argue with the Minhagim of his parents and say that he does not need to follow them. He will use the Torah that he learns as excuses to not follow the Torah and Mitzvos.
It says in the Midrash Tanchuma in Parshas Eikev 14 learning Torah through the Yetzer Hara causes one to forget his Torah. This means that if the Yetzer Hara gets one to learn Torah, it will cause forgetfulness of the Torah. It is only Torah Lishma that one does not forget. Thus if one finishes Mesechtos, he learns every part of a Mesechta, it is apparent that he is learning Lishma – for one who has an agenda with the Torah, and wants to learn Torah so that he can refute others, he will only learn what he needs to, and not learn those parts which he feels are not relevant to him - relevant to what he needs to fulfill his agenda. This is why the Gemara in Shabbos 118b says that when one finishes a Mesechta, it is a "יומא טבא לרבנן" – it is a great day for the Rabbonon, for we know that the Torah is being learned Lishma. The main point of our Avodas Hashem and learning Torah is to be done for the Kavod and love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and not so that one should receive reward for it in this world or the Next World - rather to do it just to bring a Nachas Ruach to the Ribbono Shel Olam. We have gone through a stretch of Chodesh Elul, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Hakippurim, and Sukkos. Days of Din, days of Rachamim, and it is almost impossible that we went through all these days completely Lishma, just to bring a Nachas Ruach to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. We all want to be Zoche in Din, in both Ruchniyos and Gashmiyos. The Sifrei Musar tell us that on the night of Shemini Atzeres, all of the judgments that occurred are given over to the ministering angels in Shomayim, and the process is now complete. Thus, all the Mitzvos that we perform on Shemini Atzeres are Lishma, for the Din has passed.
This is what Shlomo Hamelech is telling us about the Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeres,"נגילה ונשמחה בך" – that we are to rejoice in Hakodosh Boruch Hu, in His Torah - for the Din is over. We know that if someone is hungry, it is very difficult for him to be eating solely for the sake of Hashem. This is why the Mitzvah of eating the Korbon Pesach is supposed to be done when we are satiated, so that it is easier to perform the Mitzvah Lishma. When we ate and drank on the Yom Tov of Sukkos, we were hopefully doing for the sake of Hashem, but to say that it was solely for the sake of Hashem is very difficult. However now, it is Shemini Atzeres. We have been eating and drinking for days. We don't have that same desire for the food and drink. Thus, this is the time, to gather all the Kedusha that we traversed during these holy days and do it all completely L'shem Hashem.
It says in Shir Hashirim Rabbah 7 that Atzeres, Shemini Atzeres, is supposed to be fifty days after Sukkos, just as Atzeres, Shavuos, is fifty days after Pesach. The reason that it is fifty days is Kneged the נ' שערי בינה, the fifty gates of Binah. The reason that by Shavuos there are fifty days after Pesach until Shavuos is because there was no Hisororos from down here - Klal Yisroel were bare with no Mitzvos, and they needed everything to come from above. It was all with the great Chesed of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. However, by Shemini Atzeres, Klal Yisroel are coming with all the Mitzvos they performed with the Sukkah, Lulav, etc... There is Hisroros from down here, and thus they can reach a higher level quicker, and be Zoche to have the Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeres. The Avodah of Shemini Atzeres is to take all that Hisororos that we just had and put it into action. The Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeres is to tell us that we should not be content with all that we did over Yom Tov, but now we need to go back into our homes and take that Kedusha and draw it into our daily lives. We need to take it with us throughout the year.
On Shemini Atzeres, we leave the Sukkah and we rejoice with Shemini Atzeres. The Gemara in the beginning of Meseches Sukkah says that the Torah tells us that we are to leave our permanent dwelling and dwell in a temporary dwelling for seven days. My father, the Avnei Nezer said that the world of nature that we live in is called the permanent world, for it occurs regularly. What happens by way of miracles, that is called a temporary dwelling, for it only occurs on occasion. Although the Maharal says that these miracles are not happenstance, and do not occur randomly, nonetheless, they only occur sometimes, and as such are called temporary, as this world is not worthy of having it regularly. Odom Harishon, before he sinned, he was Zoche to have כתנות אור the whole world worked through real miracles, as the Gemara in Sanhedrin 59b says that the Malachei Hashareis were roasting meat and preparing wine for him. At that time, he was living in a world above nature. However, after Odom sinned and ate from the Eitz Hada'as, all of that changed. The world of nature took center stage, and miracles only occur on occasion. When we will be Zoche to the Geulah Shlaima, and the world will revert back to the way it was before the sin of Odom, we will once again be able to live in a world with all miracles. The miracles will be our permanent world. On Shemini Atzeres we go out of our Sukkah, the temporary world, and we go back into our homes, the permanent homes, for we yearn for when we will be Zoche to the true permanent world – when miracles will be the way of the world - when we will be Zoche to the Geulah Shlaima.
Now we can understand the Midrash, of giving to "seven" and also giving to "eight." We had seven days of Sukkos, a time to connect to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. We eat, drink and are joyful and we are supposed to do it Lishma – for the sake of the Mitzvah, for the sake of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. However, it is almost impossible to do it Lishma, for we receive enjoyment from it, and have physical pleasure. However, the Midrash is telling us that we are to do all those things for the seven days - and then also do it for the eighth day. What is different about the eighth day is that it comes after the seven days. We already had seven days of food, drink, and being merry. We have done it partially for Ruchniyos, and partially for Gashmiyos. Now the eighth day is here, and we need to also give the eighth what we did for the first seven days with one difference. It is the time it should be totally Lishma - for the sake of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. The Yom Tov of Shemini Atzeres is to be a completely Ruchniyos experience. It is a Yom Tov which we must truly connect to Hakodosh Boruch Hu and beseech Hakodosh Boruch Hu that we be Zoche to get to the true permanent world, a place where miracles reign, and Hakodosh Boruch Hu is apparent to all, with the coming of Moshiach, במהרה בימינו אמן.