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In this episode of Hebrew Voices #228 - Shemini Atzeret: The Grand Finale?, Nehemia and Lynell discuss the dual significance of Atzeret as well as its deeper Biblical meaning.

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Nehemia: He says, “I reviewed all the matters of the appointed times in the Bible, and I did not find Shavuot called Atzeret.” Right? So, this is a big discovery for him, because imagine… think about this for a second; imagine if I told you that in the entire Tanakh, Passover is never called Passover, it’s called Chag Hamatzot, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. If I told that to any Jew, they’d be shocked. “Of course, it’s called Passover, that’s the name of the holiday!” No, it’s not. That’s a later development.

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Nehemia: All right. Chag sameach, everybody. I am going to talk today about Shemini Atzeret. Shemini Atzeret is… I think that’s probably a hard Hebrew word for some people to say. That is the name of the festival that I’m observing today, and many of us are. Shemini Atzeret is the eighth day of Sukkot, and it’s a bit strange because it’s actually not part of Sukkot. Sukkot’s seven days, and then there’s an eighth day on which there’s an atzeret. Well, what is atzeret? Atzeret is usually translated in English as a solemn assembly. It’s a day of very serious solemnity.

Lynell: [Laughter]

Nehemia: But is that what it says in the Hebrew? And that’s interesting, because it implies the other holidays, the other biblical appointed times, would be just assemblies, and Shemini Atzeret is the solemn assembly. So, let’s see what it actually says in the Tanakh. So… oh, I’m going to have Lynell read.

Lynell: So, are you saying it’s a solemn assembly, Nehemia?

Nehemia: No, I’m saying that’s how it’s usually translated.

Lynell: Right. That’s what I thought you were saying.

Nehemia: But I looked up one translation, and it had “a joyous assembly”. Well, which one is it? We’re going to look in the Hebrew, and we’re going to find out. And this is actually a really interesting study for me, because I love how words evolve over time and their meanings change. We have what’s called a semantic shift, right? Where, like… I actually heard this the other day, that if you go back to English from like 500 years ago, they would say there’s like, you know, “five beef out in the field,” because beef could refer to the animal and the food. But today, it only refers to the food. You wouldn’t say, “I have a herd of beef in the field.” Right? I don’t think you would, or in the pasture.

So, atzeret is an example of that. We’re going to see what it meant in Tanakh times; we’re going to see what it meant later, to try to get an understanding of… okay, what does this word actually mean? All right, so, babe, can you, and you actually have the verses. I’m going to ask you to read Leviticus 23:36 , and I’m going to make some comments about the Hebrew there.

Lynell: “Seven days you shall bring offerings by fire to Yehovah. On the eighth day, you shall observe a sacred occasion.”

Nehemia: Which translation is that?

Lynell: That’s the JPS Tanakh.

Nehemia: Okay. Oh, that’s Mikra Kodesh, that’s the holy convocation in the King James. That’s a separate study. All right, go on.

Lynell: “…and bring an offering by fire to Yehovah. It is a solemn gathering.”

Nehemia: Okay. And the word in Hebrew that they translate… Right? There’s two words in English: solemn, gathering. In Hebrew it’s atzeret. Ayin-Tzadi-Reish-Tav. Okay. So, it is an atzeret. You shall do no manner of labor.

Lynell: It doesn’t say “solemn”?

Nehemia: No, it says atzeret, whatever atzeret means. Maybe it does mean solemn, right? We have to find out.

Lynell: We’ll find out.

Nehemia: So, there’s a very similar statement which we don’t have to read, but, guys, go do your own study afterwards. Numbers 29:35 , my favorite one, Nehemiah 8:18 , and then 2 Chronicles 7:8-10. Now, there’s a list of sacrifices in Numbers 28 and 29, so you’ll find all the biblical feasts there, all the biblical holidays in Numbers 28 and 29, along with a lot of sacrifices. Nehemiah 8 is when they came back and they read the Torah, and they said, “Oh, there’s this thing called Sukkot. We didn’t know that. We better celebrate that.” And they end up celebrating Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, and so it’s mentioned there.

And then, in 2 Chronicles 7:8-10 you have Solomon dedicating the Temple during Sukkot. And there it’s interesting; Sukkot is called the Ha’chag, the feast. It’s like, THE feast. Right? So, I think we talked about that; Sukkot is THE holiday in the ancient Israelite mind. It’s the most, maybe, celebratorious; is that a word? It’s the one you celebrate the most on, and partly because you’re done harvesting all your crops. Right? And you’ve taken all your crops in, and you’ve processed them and everything, and now you can really celebrate the joy of your bounty, or the bounty of your labor, maybe.

Anyway, so that’s in 2 Chronicles. So, he dedicates the Temple and he celebrates Sukkot, and then it talks about the eighth day.

Lynell: And I forgot to say; at the end of the verse it says, “You shall not work at your occupations.”

Nehemia: Right. All right, so, that’s atzeret of Sukkot, whatever atzeret means. We haven’t defined it yet. So, the atzeret of Sukkot is the eighth day, but there’s also an atzeret of Passover, and most people don’t know that. Most Jews don’t know there’s an atzeret of Passover, because that’s not something we’re really told. The atzeret of Passover is mentioned in Deuteronomy 16:8. Can you read that, my love?

Lynell: “After eating unleavened bread six days, you shall hold a solemn gathering for Yehovah