It’s a bumper time of year for Jewish holidays at the moment, with yet another set to kick off at sundown on Sunday night.
Following the Jewish New Year celebrations earlier this month and the fast of Yom Kippur, the last week has seen Jewish people celebrating the festival of Sukkot.
That’s set to slide straight into yet another holiday, Shemini Atzeret, beginning this evening – but just what is that holiday all about?
Here’s what you need to know…
What does Shemini Atzeret mean and what is the holiday about?
The words ‘shemini atzeret’ actually mean ‘Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly’.
The festival immediately follows the seven-day holiday of Sukkot – the harvest festival which sees Jewish people eating and sleeping in specially constructed outdoor booths – and gets its name from its connection to that festival.
However it is regarded as a festival in its own right in spite of their obvious links.
While Jewish people may continue to eat and live in their sukkah during the festival, they no longer recite the blessings that are said in the booth during the week.
What are the customs of Shemini Atzeret?
The main custom on Shemini Atzeret is to recite a special prayer for rain during the morning service in synagogue.
The rabbi or person leading the service will also wear special white garments worn on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur.
Shemini Atzeret is a ‘yom tov’ day – meaning that Jewish people observing the festival must refrain from work and certain other activities during the day – although certain activities prohibited on the Sabbath, such as carrying and cooking, are permitted on this day.
Why is a prayer for rain said?
The prayer for rain is recited on Shemini Atzeret as it coincides with the time of year when the Jewish people have been atoning for sins committed in the past year.
Since the Jewish people are considered at this time of year to be free from sin and full of merit, they are considered deserving of blessing – and therefore it’s considered the best time of year to pray for rain.
It also coincides with the start of the rainy season in Israel – with Passover, when the prayer is supposed to last until, marking the end of the rainy season.
What should you say to someone celebrating the festival?
If you want to give greetings to someone celebrating the festival, you can wish them the standard festival greeting of ‘Chag Sameach – pronounced CHAG sah-may-ach – which means simply ‘happy holiday’ and can be used for any Jewish festival.
Alternatively you can wish someone a ‘good Yom Tov’ – ‘Yom Tov’ referring to a festival day when work is forbidden.
Are there any more Jewish holidays coming up?
There have been a whole bunch of them this month – but they’re not quite over yet, as there’s one more to come.
That’s the festival of Simchat Torah (Rejoicing Of The Law) which begins at sundown on Monday and lasts until sundown on Tuesday night.
That particular festival rounds off the current crop of holidays with a big celebration, to mark the end of the reading of the Torah (the first five books of the old testament) in synagogue, and starting it all over again from the beginning.
The day is an excuse for a big celebration, with the usual decorum of the synagogue service giving way to singing, dancing and a whole lot of food and drink.
MORE: What Jewish holidays are left in 2019 from Yom Kippur to Hanukkah?
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/20/what-is-shemini-atzeret-about-and-why-do-jewish-people-pray-for-rain-during-the-festival-10950740/
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