Shmini Atzeret: The Jewish Goodbye
October 2, 2026
I Kings 8:66
בַּיּ֤וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי֙ שִׁלַּ֣ח אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וַֽיְבָרְכ֖וּ אֶת־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֵּלְכ֣וּ לְאהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם שְׂמֵחִים֙ וְט֣וֹבֵי לֵ֔ב עַ֣ל כל־הַטּוֹבָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לְדָוִ֣ד עַבְדּ֔וֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּֽוֹ׃
On the eighth day he let the people go. They bade the king good-bye and went to their homes, joyful and glad of heart over all the goodness that GOD had shown to God’s servant David and to Israel, God’s people.
More than any other holiday, Shemini Atzeret is the one I am most often asked to explain. What is its meaning and purpose? A beautiful answer is found in a midrash, which explains the holiday through a simple story.
A king once invited his children home for a magnificent banquet. After many days of celebration, the festivities came to an end, and the time arrived to bid his children farewell. But as they prepared to leave, the king pleaded, “My children, I beg of you, stay one more day with me. It is so hard for me to part with you!”
The High Holy Days are special. From the blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, to the intense spiritual experience of fasting and prayer on Yom Kippur, to the joy of breaking the fast, to building our sukkot and sharing festive meals beneath their roofs, it feels as though we have been guests at God’s banquet for nearly a month. And now, as our high holy day season comes to a close, the time has come to say goodbye to that unique sense of connection with God and one another that we experience during this season.
Shemini Atzeret is our Jewish goodbye. Just as we are about to walk out the door, crossing the threshold from the sacred back into the ordinary rhythms of life, God calls after us: Don’t rush off. Stay a little longer. It is a reminder that the most precious gift we have is time together, and we need not be so quick to rush on to whatever comes next. There will be time for all that is to come. But for now, we turn from the door and cherish one more day together.