Overview

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What: In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is a one-day holiday; in the Diaspora it is a two-day holiday, and the second day is known as Simchat Torah. This holiday is characterized by utterly unbridled joy, which reaches its climax on Simchat Torah, when we celebrate the conclusion—and restart—of the annual Torah-reading cycle.

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How: These two days constitute a major holiday, when most forms of work are prohibited. We are permitted to cook and to carry outdoors unless it is also Shabbat. On the preceding nights, women and girls light candles, reciting the appropriate blessings, and we enjoy nightly and daily festive meals, accompanied by kiddush.

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Shemini Atzeret

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The first day, Shemini Atzeret, features the prayer for rain, officially commemorating the start of the rainy season in Israeli, and the Yizkor prayer, remembering the souls of the departed.

We no longer take the Four Kinds, and we no longer mention Sukkot in the day’s prayers; however, we do still eat in the sukkah (but without reciting the blessing on it).

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Simchat Torah

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The highlight Simchat Torah is the hakafot, held on both the eve and the morning of Simchat Torah, in which we march and dance with the Torah scrolls around the reading table in the synagogue. In many synagogues, hakafot are conducted also on the eve of Shemini Atzeret.

On this joyous day when we conclude the Torah, it is customary for every man to take part in the celebration by receiving an aliyah. The children, too, receive an aliyah!

After the final aliyah of the Torah, we immediately begin a new cycle from the beginning of Genesis from a second Torah scroll. As soon as we conclude studying the Torah, G‑d’s infinite wisdom, on one level, we immediately start again, this time to discover new and loftier interpretations.

We celebrate the cycle of Torah study with joyous dancing, becoming the Torah's feet in this great celebration! It is with this energy and inspiration, that we conclude the month of holidays and begin to unpack the lessons and messages we've learned into our daily routine.