A Recitation for All Time
Shemini Atzeret is a beautiful, yet oft overlooked, day on the calendar.
After celebrating the creation and renewal for the coming year on Rosh Hashanah, seeking atonement for ourselves and for each other on Yom Kippur, and communally reflecting on our impermanence and the privilege of being alive during Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret let’s us take “just one more day” between us (as a people) and God.
It leads directly into Simchat Torah when we mark the conclusion of our annual Torah reading cycle and celebrate that which is permanent and infinite. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks puts it, “Simchat Torah was born when Jews had lost everything else, but they never lost their capacity to rejoice. A people whose capacity for joy cannot be destroyed is itself indestructible.”
Shemini Atzeret acts as a day to take a breath (a word which has its own variety of meanings throughout this period of the calendar) and connect most intimately with God.
As with most Jewish holidays, trying to connect the throughlines between time and space across millennia and miles can often feel both perfectly understood in spirit and beyond understanding in mind all at once. And, the accompanying deluge of feelings can be complicated, particularly when confronting the dichotomies of holiness and evil; joy and suffering.
To that end, since October 7, 2023, Shemini Atzeret has additional meaning in Judaism, as it represents the horrific day of Hamas’ terrorist campaign of death, destruction, kidnapping, and sexual violence. Two years later, what Shemini Atzeret means has evolved still, as we welcome it after the jubilant return of the remaining living hostages taken on that dark day.
Rabbi Gustavo Geier of Temple Beth El in Utica, NY, writes, “Shemini Atzeret reminds us that one more day can change everything, that presence and closeness are invaluable, and that even a moment can be eternal when lived in intimacy with God—or in the anxious waiting for someone or something we deeply desire.”
Beginning on Rosh Hodesh Elul and ending on Shemini Atzeret, it is customary to say Psalm 27 twice a day, and in this context its meaning is only more deeply reinforced as we conclude this year’s almost two-month recitation.
Attributed to King David as a way to (as my rabbi, Marc Soloway, put it) “draw himself into a spiritual frenzy” of courage while being hunted and surrounded by Saul and his armies, Psalm 27 is a song of praise and trust.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life,
whom should I dread?When evil men assail me
to devour my flesh —
it is they, my foes and my enemies,
who stumble and fall.Should an army besiege me,
my heart would have no fear;
should war beset me,
still would I be confident.One thing I ask of the Lord,
only that do I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord,
to frequent His temple.He will shelter me in His pavilion
on an evil day,
grant me the protection of His tent,
raise me high upon a rock.Now is my head high
over my enemies round about;
I sacrifice His tent with shouts of joy,
singing and chanting a hymn to the Lord.Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
have mercy on me, answer me.In Your behalf my heart says:
“Seek My face!”
O Lord, I seek Your face.Do not hide Your face from me;
do not thrust aside Your servant in anger;
You have ever been my help.
Do not forsake me, do not abandon me,
O God, my deliverer.Though my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will take me in.Show me Your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my watchful foes.Do not subject me to the will of my foes,
for false witnesses and unjust accusers
have appeared against me.Had I not the assurance
that I would enjoy the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living…Look to the Lord;
be strong and of good courage!
O look to the Lord!
It is a confrontation of faith and belief, opening with a steadfastness, but moving towards doubt, only to return to assurance. It is a poetic representation of what it means to be Jewish and the special covenantal relationship. It’s why we say it during Elul in preparation, during the High Holidays as we show up for God and ask God to show up for us, and through that special “one more day” of intimacy with Him: Shemini Atzeret.
Once again, to quote Rabbi Jonathan Sacks:
“But those who choose Judaism have made space in their minds for the most life-changing idea of all: Whether or not we have faith in God, God has faith in us.
“There may be times in our lives – certainly there have been in mine – when the sun disappears and we enter the cloud of black despair. King David knew these feelings well. They are theme of several Psalms. People can be brutal to one another. There are some who, having suffered pain themselves, find relief in inflicting it on others. You can lose faith in humanity, or in yourself, or both. At such times, the knowledge that God has faith in us is transformative, redemptive.”
Big Men will take credit for this day. But it’s the courage of the hostages, the steadfastness of their families and the trust of the Jewish community in all their beliefs who deserve the praise here.
And now, we must look forward: To the return of the remaining deceased hostages and to their remembrance and the remembrance of those who perished on October 7, who were previously returned and those who passed in the name of their release (may all their memories be a blessing); to the future of Israeli democracy and a vibrant Jewish society; to the healing of communities around the world; and to a lasting peace.
In the Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism, “The Problem of Evil” is addressed in the context of the fulfillment of God’s Ultimate Plan, the challenge that comes with humanity’s free will and and our inability to reconcile people’s decision to commit evil when presented with choice. The statement says, “When words fail us, when our understanding cannot grasp the connection between suffering and our deeds, we can still respond with our acts. Tragedy and personal suffering can spur us on to new levels of compassion, creativity, healing, and liberation of the human spirit.”
This year, Shemini Atzeret offers us an opportunity to take inspiration from those who stood up for the hostages, ensuring they were never forgotten and securing their return. Like them and like King David, we must intimately hold on to our belief in God, and His belief in us, to find the courage needed to make this moment a bridge towards a joyous new beginning.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָֽינוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמָן הַזֶּה
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Peter Kane 