8. Shemini Atzeret

"On the eighth day will be a withholding for you. You shall do no burdensome work." —The Five Books of Moses

Why is it called a with­holding? Because G‑d is like a king who hosts a seven-day party. When everyone is about to leave, he holds back his closest friend and says, "It's hard for us to part. Stay another day and we'll party with whatever is left." —The Talmud

What drives a Jew to take on the entire world and be different no matter what? Guilt can be pretty powerful, but as we have seen today, it's not always effective. The Baal Shem Tov revealed a far better fuel: The power of joy.

The greatest celebration of the year are is last two days of the High Holiday seasonThat's why, for Chassidim, the greatest celebration of the year is the last two days of the High Holiday season, Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah, days dedicated to the joy of being a Jew.

Details:

One more day to eat in the sukkah—but without the Leshev BaSukkah blessing. We make a holiday kiddush and enjoy a festive meal at night and by day. Shemini Atzeret begins the prayer for rain. Yizkor is also said.

On the first night of Shemini Atzeret, we do hakafot (explanation coming up). As with every holiday, we do no work.

Click here for more about Shemini Atzeret.