What is Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day)?

The Hebrew name for “assembly of the eighth [day]” (Lev. 23:39) is שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת Shemeni Atseret. Functionally, it’s the “last” day of the seven-day festival of ingathering, or Sukkot (Tabernacles).

It was a שַׁבָּתוֹן shabbaton (H7677, observance of rest) and day of convocation on the eighth day after Sukkot (Tabernacles), which started on the 15th day of the seventh month (September–October) of Israel’s calendar (Lev. 23:33–36; 39–43). That places Shemeni Atzeret on the 22nd day of that month.

The annual memorial of Sukkot recalls the transition from Yisrael’s wandering in the wilderness in tents for 40 years, and Shemini Atzeret may point to the new beginning in permanent homes in the Land after crossing the Yarden (Jordan).

This new beginning is likened to entering God’s eternal rest (Psalm 95; Hebrews 3–4). Symbolized by Ha’aretz (“the Land”), this “rest” is points forward to a time when Heaven and humanity are reunited in “the Kingdom,” also known as the messianic age.

And the phrases “in Christ” or “Christ in you” (Rom. 8:1–2; Col. 1:27–28) seem to point us back to the Tabernacle/Temple, when the Presence of God dwelled amidst Israel, calling people to “come near” through offerings, especially on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). How much more of a new beginning is there for the one who newly puts his or her trust in God’s Messiah, Yeshua¹Hebrew name for Jesus.

Eight and eighth day in Scripture

Eight in Hebrew is שְׁמֹנֶה shemoneh (H8083). It could be related to the verb שמן shaman, which means fat, plenty.

Considering that seven in Hebrew carries the meaning of completeness, shemoneh in being one more than seven communicates that something has reached its fullness and is going beyond.

Lesson: Eight is associated with new beginnings.

The Flood

Eight people entered the Ark to survive the Flood (Gen. 7:7; 7:13; 1Pet. 3:20). They were a new beginning for mankind, both spiritually and physically.

Spiritually, those eight were the family of the righteously trusting in God’s words.

Physically, those eight were a genetic “bottleneck.” Today, we find one major line of the X chromosome — Noach and his sons — and three mitochondrial DNA lines — that of Noach’s wife and the wives of his sons’ wives.²Robert W. Carter, Dan Criswell, and John Sanford, “The ‘Eve’ Mitochondrial Consensus Sequence,” Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Creationism (2008), Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship and Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research, 111–116. See also Elizabeth Mitchell, “Geneticists duel dates for ‘Y-chromosomal Adam,'” Answers in Genesis, Feb. 11, 2014.

Lesson: Just as Heaven gave humanity a new beginning with Noach and his family, so too will God create “a new heavens and a new earth” (Isa. 66:22–23; Rev. 22:1–2).

Consecration of baby boys, priests, Tabernacle and Temple

God commanded Abraham to circumcise boys on the eighth day of life, and Abraham does so with Yitzkhak (Gen. 17:12; 21:4).

Offerings for the LORD were to start transitioning to God’s house on the eight day (Ex. 22:30).

Aharon and the priests were consecrated on the eighth day after waiting at the gate of the tabernacle for seven days (Lev. 8:35–9:1).

On the eighth day after starting to celebrate “the Khag” while dedicating the temple, Solomon sends the people back home, and the people bless the king and were joyful for all the goodness God showed David and Israel (1Kings 8:66; 2Chron. 7:10).

What is Simchat Torah?

Shemeni Atzeret in rabbinical times came to be known also as שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה Simchat Torah (“rejoicing of/with the Torah”), which is a group of traditions related to the completion of the reading cycle of the Torah at the end of Deuteronomy/Devarim and the restarting of the cycle with Genesis/Beresheet.

A common practice is for the congregation to dance in the synagogue or out on the streets with the Torah scrolls.

Studies on Shemini Atzeret