F4: Succot

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Hang on - is Succot 7, 8, or 9 days long???

You may be a little confused by now with the
mention of 3 different numbers of days relating
to the above explanations of Succot (I warned
you it wasn't as simple as you thought!). Let me
explain: For the first 7 days of the festival, we
are supposed to live (or at least eat our meals)
in a succah, which is a hut that should build next to our homes (although these days in this country, many people instead help build one in the grounds of their synagogue).

The 8th day of the festival is actually seen as a separate festival and is known as Shmini Atzeret, which means 'The Feast of the Eighth Day', or 'The Eighth Day of Assembly'. In Israel and for Reform & Liberal communities outside of Israel, Simchat Torah is also on this eighth day. However, for Orthodox communities in the Diaspora, Simchat Torah is held on the 9th day.

Shmini Atzeret - The Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly

This separate festival after 7 days of Succot has no obvious connection to the previous days celebration, especially not in agricultural or historical ways. The only real link between the two is the command on this eighth day to yet again be joyful. What marks it out most as being a separate festival, is the move back out of the succah into the home. So why do we celebrate this extra day? The official reason is simply that we are commanded in Leviticus 23:36 that: ' ...on the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly and you shall do no work...' Still, this does not exactly explain why. The best explanation as to why, is that God is like a parent who has invited his/her children to a feast to last for seven days. When the time has come for them all to depart God is sad and says to them 'My children, I have a request to make of you. Stay for one more day; I hate to see you go.' It makes sense that as this is one of the most important and most joyful weeks of the year, we would want the celebrations to go on for one more day.

From joyous celebration to sober contemplation...

There are two main customs associated with Shmini Atzeret. The first is reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes (one of the 5 scrolls found in the Ktuvim section of a Tanach). This is one of the most profound books of the Bible and has been studied for centuries as the best example of a statement of what the essence of life really is, written by someone who has experienced it. Ecclesiastes is read on this day to remind us of the temporary nature and character of our lives and to therefore have a sobering effect after a week of festivity. It's well worth reading some of the Book of Ecclesiastes as it is full of wise words and advice. For example: 'Keep your mouth from speaking recklessly and do not let your heart make you quick to say something before God: For God is in heaven and you are on earth - so let your words be few rather than many, as a fool's voice is known by many words.' This clearly tells us to think carefully before we say anything which we might regret, as every word is judged by God and should be treated as such. The most well known verses from Ecclesiates are below:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

For everything there is a season - a time for every experience under the heavens;

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to harvest;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rip, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Singing in the rain...

The second custom related to Shmini Atzeret (or to Simchat Torah for those that keep 9 days) is the reciting of Tfilat Geshem - the prayer for rain. This prayer is recited by Jews all over the world at this time. The question that immediately springs to mind is why? Why pray for rain at this specific time of year? It doesn't seem to make sense for Jews who live in the Southern Hemisphere (like Australia or South Africa) to be praying for rain when for them, summer is approaching. The answer lies in something that we have already looked at in this chapter. That is that Succot, like many other Jewish holidays, has its customs firmly intertwined with the physical realities of the Land of Israel; with its landscapes, nature and agricultural problems. These customs remained even after we were forced to leave our homeland thousands of years ago. Tishrei, the month that Succot & Shmini Atzeret fall in, is historically linked to the beginning of the winter rains in Israel. Even today in an era of modern irrigation methods, there are always problems caused by lack of water, and crops in Israel can still fail if summer is followed by a winter of drought. No matter what part of the world Jews live in today, nor what strand of Judaism they practice, there is a general acceptance by those that believe in God that there is only one God and that this God controls all forces of nature, the fate of the crops and the destiny of all nations. It is therefore fitting that when we celebrate this festival at the end of the harvest, we pray for good winter rains that will ensure fertility for the agricultural land of Israel.

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