Friends, we observe and celebrate more holidays during the Hebrew month of Tishrei than in any other month of the Hebrew calendar. Rosh Hashanah is, of course, followed a week later by Yom Kippur. Four days after Yom Kippur the longest Hebrew festival begins, starting on the 15th day of Tishrei with the celebration of Sukkot. Sukkot is followed by Shemini Atseret, the "Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly" on the 22nd of Tishrei. The festival period ends with Simkhat Torah, the "Rejoicing of the Law" on the 23rd of Tishrei. The festival of Sukkot does not commemorate any specific event but is a reminder, as it says in the Torah, "that your generation may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt," (from Leviticus). Sukkot is also an agricultural festival, celebrated before the winter season, when most of the fruits and grains have been harvested and safely stored. Thus Sukkot has historical meaning as a link with the 40-year journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land and also serves as a festival of thanksgiving for the bounties of the harvest.
Interestingly, in the Diaspora the first 2 days of Sukkot are celebrated as full holidays while in Israel only the first day of Sukkot is observed as a holiday. The eighth day, Shemini Atseret, is also observed as a holiday in the Diaspora, followed by Simkhat Torah, which amounts to a 9-day festival. In Israel Shemini Atseret and Simkhat Torah are combined into one day thus, an 8-day celebration. Tonight, October 17th, marks the final day of Sukkot and tomorrow we observe Shemini Atseret. On Sunday, October 19th, here in America, we celebrate Simkhat Torah.
The name Shemini Atseret is derived from the verse in Number (29:35), "on the eighth (Shemini) day you shall have a solemn assembly (Atseret), and "you shall not work at your occupations." The word "Atseret" is also applied to the final day of Passover and to Shavuot. One of the more significant prayers on Shemini Atseret is the Prayer for Rain which must be repeated at every Amidah service until the festival of Passover in the spring. So while it is a festival in its own right, Shemini Atseret differs from Sukkot in 2 ways. The four species, (the lulav, myrtle and willow twigs, and the etrog), are not used and the Kiddush on the 8th day is followed by the Shehekhiyanu benediction. Thus, rather than celebrating the end of Sukkot, we give thanks for a new festival.
Shemini Atseret also marks the end of the reading of the Torah cycle. We finish the cycle in the Book of Deuteronomy, reading of the death of Moses, and begin the cycle again with the Book of Genesis, for the New Year. For that reason Shemini Atseret is also known as Simkhat Torah. As I mentioned earlier, in Israel Shemini Atseret and Simkhat Torah are combined into one day while in the Diaspora Simkhat Torah is observed on the second day of Shemini Atseret.
The holiday of Simkhat Torah is not mentioned in the Bible or in the Talmud. It was apparently created while our people were in exile in Babylonia thus giving Jews the opportunity to express their dedication to the Torah even though they were not in Eretz Yisrael. During Simkhat Torah we celebrate the completion of the study of Torah and the joy of being able to begin the weekly Torah portions once again. Simkhat Torah is celebrated by dancing with the Torah Scrolls which serves to demonstrate the link between Torah and the Jewish People. Dancing with the Torah gives one an opportunity to experience a personal connection with the Torah. The Torah is the absolute central symbol of Judaism, containing our traditions, our history, and the laws by which we, as Jews, live. Torah is the link between us and our ancestors to cherish, study and dance with.
Simkhat Torah is the one festival where boys under the age of 13 (and girls, hopefully, in Reform, Reconstructionist, and some Conservative Synagogues) are allowed to receive an Aliyah. Most Reform and Reconstructionist Synagogues and Havurot as well as some Conservative Synagogues also permit women to carry Torah on Simkhat Torah. Hopefully, the day will come when all congregations become totally egalitarian.
All too many times in our history Jews were expelled from lands in which they lived. From ancient Israel to Babylonia, from Spain to Poland and the Netherlands, from Germany, Austria and Poland to America. After the first expulsion we were never a land-based people again until our arrival in America, and even that was not achieved overnight. For the most part we had to develop professions and trades that did not depend upon land ownership for agriculture and/or real estate development even here in America. We can all remember neighborhoods in which "Jews were not wanted," and where "Jews did not purchase homes."
There are those of us who can remember hotels, resorts, clubs, fraternities, and sororities closed to Jews. So while we too experienced some of what our ancestors did each time they were expelled from one land to another, the one constant we all shared was Torah, with its beliefs, traditions, values, and laws.
Finally, while we do not yet have our own Torah to take from the Ark and dance with in the seven cycles around our Bimah and Congregation, we here tonight can still feel the joy and pride in being Jews and our connection to Torah.
AMEN