Shemini Atzeret facts for kids

Shemini Atzeret (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת – "the Eighth [day] of Assembly") is a Jewish holiday in the Northern Hemisphere autumn. In Israel, it is on 22 Tishrei of the Hebrew calendar. Outside of Israel, it lasts two days, on 22-23 Tishrei. On the Gregorian calendar, Shemini Atzeret is in late September or early to mid-October.

This holiday is best known for Simchat Torah (שִׂמְחֵת תּוֹרָה). This means "Rejoicing of the Torah". On this day, Jewish people finish reading the entire Torah out loud in the synagogue. They then immediately start reading it again from the beginning.

Outside Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated on the second day of the holiday. Most people outside Israel call the first day Shemini Atzeret. They call the second day Simchat Torah because of this special celebration. In Israel, the holiday is one day long and is called by both names.

Shemini Atzeret is an important Jewish holiday. Like on Shabbat and other major Jewish holidays, work is not allowed. The Torah mentions Shemini Atzeret twice. It describes it as a day of "assembly" or "stopping." It also says that work is not allowed.

Shemini Atzeret: Part of Sukkot or Separate?

The Torah says this holiday is the eighth day of Sukkot. However, the Sukkot celebrations are described as lasting seven days. The Talmud, an ancient Jewish text, discusses this. It says that Shemini Atzeret is both:

• "A separate holiday on its own," and
• "The final holiday of Sukkot."

The rules and customs of Shemini Atzeret show both sides of this idea.

How Shemini Atzeret is a Separate Holiday

• In prayers, the holiday is called "Shemini Atzeret," not "Sukkot."
• A special blessing for new holidays is said on Shemini Atzeret.
• Special items used during Sukkot, like the sukkah (a temporary hut), the lulav (palm branch), and the etrog (citron fruit), are not used on Shemini Atzeret.

How Shemini Atzeret is Part of Sukkot

• Its name includes shemini, meaning "eighth." This refers to the eighth day of Sukkot.
• Shemini Atzeret is part of the season called z'man simchatenu, which means "Time of our Joy." This season includes Sukkot.
• It is considered part of the "Three Pilgrimage Festivals." These festivals are Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is included with Sukkot for this purpose.
• The requirement for Jewish people to be happy on Sukkot continues through Shemini Atzeret.

How Shemini Atzeret is Celebrated

Some Jewish holidays have special rituals. For example, Passover has the Seder, and Sukkot has the sukkah, lulav, and etrog. The Torah does not describe specific rituals for Shemini Atzeret. However, since ancient times, Shemini Atzeret became the day to finish the yearly reading of the Torah in the synagogue. This celebration, called Simchat Torah, has become the main part of the holiday.

Simchat Torah: Rejoicing with the Torah

In synagogues, a section of the Torah is read every Shabbat (Sabbath) of the year. The very last section, from the book of Deuteronomy, is read on Shemini Atzeret. Over the last 1000 years, reading this last section has become a huge celebration. It is called Simchat Torah, or "Rejoicing of the Torah." This celebration is so important that the whole day is often called Simchat Torah.

In Israel, this celebration happens on 22 Tishrei, the only day of the holiday. Outside of Israel, it happens on 23 Tishrei, the second day.

History of Simchat Torah

The name Simchat Torah is not in the Torah or the Talmud. The Talmud only says that the final part of the Torah is read on Shemini Atzeret. It does not mention a special celebration. The first mention of any celebration comes from the Geonim period (7th-11th centuries CE). This source talked about dancing with the Torah, which is still a custom today.

• In the 9th century CE, people started reading the first chapter of the Prophets (Joshua 1) after the Torah.
• By the 14th century, the name Simchat Torah was used. People also started the new yearly cycle of Torah reading (Genesis 1:1-2:3) right after finishing the old one.
• By the 16th century, most of the Simchat Torah customs we see today were in place. This includes hakafot ("circuits"), which means marching with the Torah around the synagogue seven times.

Today, Simchat Torah is a day to show Jewish pride in public.

• In the Soviet Union, it was dangerous for Jews to celebrate Judaism openly. But on Simchat Torah, large public celebrations happened.
• In the United States, people sometimes take the Torahs out to the street to dance.
• In Israel, Simchat Torah is on 22 Tishrei. But on the night of 23 Tishrei, many Israeli Jews dance with the Torah a second time. This lets them celebrate with Jews around the world.

Simchat Torah Evening

Simchat Torah evening is a very festive and child-friendly holiday. After the evening prayers, all the Torah scrolls are taken from the ark (a special cabinet). People march or dance around the synagogue seven times with the Torahs. Each time, they pray, "Save us! Answer us on the day we call!"

Sometimes the dancing moves from the synagogue into the street. The dancing can go on late into the evening with extra songs and prayers. A common custom is for people, especially children, to march or dance with flags. These flags sometimes have candles or apples on top. At the end of the dancing, a part of the last Torah portion from Deuteronomy is read.

Simchat Torah Morning

After the morning prayers, the dancing and marching from the night before are repeated. Then, every adult member of the synagogue is called to the Torah for an aliyah (an honor). They say blessings, and several verses of the Torah are read for them. This can take a long time, depending on the synagogue's size.

Synagogues have different ways to do this:

• Some synagogues call members to the Torah in groups. Every adult is included in one of these groups.
• Some synagogues repeat the reading many times until every adult has received an honor.
• Some synagogues use extra Torahs and read them in different rooms at the same time. This way, every adult can be called up.

Once all adults have received an honor, the celebration reaches its peak. The last three honors go to special members of the synagogue:

• Kol HaNearim ("All the Youth"): All the children in the synagogue go up with one adult for a group honor. A special verse from the Torah is often said:

May the angel who saves me from all evil bless the children, and may my name be declared among them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase in number like fish within the land.

• Ḥatan Torah (""Bridegroom of the Torah"): This person's aliyah is the reading of the very last verses of the Torah.
• Ḥatan Bereshit ("Bridegroom of Genesis"): This person's aliyah is the reading of the first verses of the Torah.

For these special honors, the person stands under a tallit (prayer shawl). It is held open like a ḥuppa, or canopy, used in a Jewish wedding.

Hakafot Shniyot (Second Circuits)

In Israel, it has become common to add an extra night of celebration for Simchat Torah. This is called Hakafot Shniyot (Second Circuits). It happens on 23 Tishrei, the same night that Jews in other parts of the world celebrate Simchat Torah. This allows Jews worldwide to celebrate together. Since the holiday of Shemini Atzeret is over after one day in Israel, holiday rules do not apply. So, Hakafot Shniyot can include things not usually allowed on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, like bands and photography.

Practices from Sukkot that Continue

The Torah says that Jewish people must be happy on Sukkot. The Talmud says this happiness should last for eight days. This includes the seven days of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. Because of this, Hallel (a special prayer) is said in the synagogue during the morning prayers of Shemini Atzeret.

In Israel, this is the only practice from Sukkot that continues into Shemini Atzeret. In all other ways, Shemini Atzeret is a separate holiday with its own customs.

Outside Israel, things are a bit more complex. Jewish law adds an extra day to most Biblical Jewish holidays. So, Sukkot, which is seven days in Israel, lasts eight days outside Israel. But the eighth day is also the first day of the separate holiday of Shemini Atzeret. Sometimes the rules for the two holidays might conflict.

The general rule is:

• If the rules for the two holidays conflict, Shemini Atzeret rules are followed.
• If the rules do not conflict, Sukkot rules can be included on Shemini Atzeret.

What happens only outside of Israel is:

• The Four Species (lulav and etrog) are not used on Shemini Atzeret.
• Most people eat meals in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret. But they do not say the blessing for eating in the sukkah. They also do not sleep in the sukkah.
• Psalm 27 is recited in the synagogue.
• If Shemini Atzeret is on Shabbat, Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) is read in Ashkenazi synagogues.

None of this happens on the second day of Shemini Atzeret (Simchat Torah), because that day is no longer an extra day of Sukkot.

Images for kids

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  Torah and Yad

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  Throwing cakes to children on Simḥat Torah, by Johann Leusden in Philologus Hebræo-Mixtus, Utrecht, 1657

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  Sukkot celebration

See also

In Spanish: Shemini Atzeret para niños