Shmini Atzeret

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1. From Seven to Eight

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   What links Brit Milla, the Metzora, the Eighth Day of Miluim, and Shmini Atzeret? The number seven represents nature, and the number eight represents that which transcends nature. 

2. Shmini Atzeret: An Independent Holiday or a Continuation of Sukkot?

   Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell

3. The Nature of Shemini Atzeret

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   Through an analysis of the texts pertaining to the festivals, we can uncover the nature of Shemini Atzeret, the significance of Simchat Torah, and the conceptual link between them.

4. The Symbolism of Sukkot

   Rabbi Ezra Bick

   There are two distinct mitzvot associated with Sukkot, with no immediately apparent connection
   between them: the obligation to live in a sukka, a temporary booth, and an obligation to "take" four special species (and shake them). 

   Why does God want us to remember that we dwelled in booths when He took us out of Egypt? What is important about remembering the desert experience in general?  What is the meaning of the enigmatic four species? And how does Shmini Atzeret fit in?

   The additional joy of Sukkot derives directly from the fact that the entire holiday is an experience of being
   "before God," in God's presence. Normally, this is associated with being in the Temple in Jerusalem. But on Sukkot we discover the possibility of being in God's presence anywhere, even the desert.