The month of Tishrei is full of festivities. It starts with the Yamim Noraim, the ten days of repentance and the return to the roots. This is the fundamental theme of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Five days later the celebration of Succot, which commemorates the divine protection given the

Hebrews during the long period of forty years of crossing the desert. On the last day of this holiday, which in the Diaspora consists of two days, is called Shemini Atseret.

What is the reason for this celebration? According to the Midrash, God yearns for the company of the Hebrew people and exclaims: “It is difficult to say goodbye to you, stay an additional day ”.

The word Atseret means “closure” and the festival comes to be a kind of conclusion to the three weeks of intense religious celebration.

In the Talmud, the Atseret nomenclature is used to

designate the holiday Shavuot, which lacks an exact date.

It is celebrated seven weeks after Pesach, according to the instructive of the sacred text and, due to this imprecision, there was a heated dispute between the Perushim, the Pharisees, and Tsedukim, the Sadducees, of yesteryear. The Tsedukim argued that the counting of the seven weeks must begin on the first Shabbat that occurs during Pesach. The Perushim held that the holiday is celebrated seven weeks after the second day of Pesach. We follow the second opinion.

The Atseret designation for Shavuot implies that the holiday is a conclusion, and in this case, the reference has to do with Pesach. If we take into account that Shavuot is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, it is clear that the closing, the

the goal of the Egyptian liberation that celebrates Pesach, is the receiving of the Torah, which will serve as a spiritual north for the Hebrews.

Freedom could not lead to the debauchery that can lead

to chaos and the destruction of society. Rights

that freedom and independence grant, have to have

a legal framework to channel the energy of the people and allow for their social and spiritual development. Therefore, the designation Atseret, closure, points to the relationship between these two festivals.

The holiday of Succot, in addition to celebrating the protection of God, also marks the time of the last harvest of the year, a proper time to thank for the benefits of nature whose origin is also divine. Therefore, the symbolism of the Succah – a kind of hut used in the Orient by Bedouins when moving from place to place–and the use of the etrog, fruit of the citrus family, the lulav, palm branch, with their companions, the myrtle and willow, allude to the relationship of the festival with agriculture.

It is not difficult to detect a meaningful lesson in the instruction that requires residing in a Succah during this festivity. It teaches that the home does not depend on the solidity of its walls, or on luxurious furniture. Home can be a simple hut when harmony and solidarity reign among its members. Love and devotion, respect, and consideration, are the parameters that promote happiness in a family unit that lives in a house and convert it into a home.

The celebration of Shemini Atseret points to the fact that beyond the symbolisms and their interpretations, the energy and vitality of the Hebrew people are based on a direct relationship with the Creator, Who manifested His will via the letters of the Torah, that indicate the path for spiritual growth. For this reason, perhaps, we conclude the annual Torah reading cycle on this date, which in the Diaspora takes place on the second day, called Simchat Torah.

Shemini Atseret concludes the Tishrei cycle without a specific symbol because the relationship between man and God cannot be summarized or compressed into an object. The nature of this celebration is an exquisite blend of intellect and feeling, particular and personal to each individual.