Shemini Aẓeret
| Shemini Atzeret | |
|---|---|
| Official name |
שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶֽרֶת Translation: "The eighth [day] of Assembly" |
| Observed by | Judaism, Samaritanism and Jews, Samaritans |
| Type | Jewish, Samaritan |
| Celebrations | Prayer for rain; includes the celebration of Simchat Torah |
| Date | 22nd day of Tishrei |
| 2016 date | 23 October (at sundown). Karaite: same |
| 2017 date | 11 October (at sundown). Karaite: pending observation of aviv and new moon |
| Related to | Culmination of Sukkot (Tabernacles) |
שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶֽרֶת
Shemini Atzeret (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת – "Eighth [day of] Assembly"; Sefardic/Israeli pron. shemini atzèret; Ashkenazic pron. shmini-atsères) is a Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei in the Land of Israel, and on the 22nd and 23rd outside the Land, usually coinciding with late September or early October. It directly follows the Jewish festival of Sukkot which is celebrated for seven days, and thus Shemini Atzeret is literally the eighth day. It is a separate—yet connected—holy day devoted to the spiritual aspects of the festival of Sukkot. Part of its duality as a holy day is that it is simultaneously considered to be both connected to Sukkot and also a separate festival in its own right.
Outside the Land of Israel, this is further complicated by the additional day added to all Biblical holidays except Yom Kippur. The first day of Shemini Atzeret therefore coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot outside of the Land of Israel, leading to sometimes involved analysis as to which practices of each holiday are to apply.
The celebration of Simchat Torah is the most distinctive feature of the holiday, but it is a later rabbinical innovation. In the Land of Israel, the celebrations of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined on a single day, and the names are used interchangeably. In the Diaspora, the celebration of Simchat Torah is deferred to the second day of the holiday. Commonly, only the first day is referred to as Shemini Atzeret, while the second is called Simchat Torah.
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