By now, most of us have put our Sukkahs away in storage until next year. The holiday spirit that remained with us for close to a month has waned. Our celebration is but a fleeting memory as we return to our ?normal? lives, so to speak. We have entered the winter months, a period devoid of major holidays. Hashem realized that this period of time, one seemingly lacking in occasions to come close to Him, needed some infusion of lasting spirituality. Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv notes that Hashem provided us with this source of ?warmth? in the form of the holiday we know as Shemini Atzeres.

In Tehillim (118: 27), we find ?Hashem is G-d, He illuminated for us; bind the festival offering (?isru chag?) with cords?? We traditionally refer to the day after a holiday as ?Isru Chag,? the ?binding of the festival.? Rav Elyashiv says that the psalm is alluding to the fact that, upon the departure of a holiday, we need to ?bind up the festival:? we need to hold tight to the lessons and inspiration of the holiday, so that the impact it had upon us does not become diminished or spoiled. Each holiday is accompanied with an assortment of unique commandments and practices. These performances are obviously not actions to be performed by rote, without any though as to why what is being done is being done. These performances are meant to inspire us. They are meant to spark within us a desire to come closer to Hashem.

On Pesach, we recall how Hashem miraculously took the nation of Israel out of Egypt to become His servants and His servants only. The eating of Matzo and the entire Seder recalls these events and allows us to appreciate the relationship we as a nation have with Hashem.

On Shavu?os, we celebrate the giving of a special gift, one that only the nation of Israel received: the Torah.

On Sukkos, we eat in a Sukkah, a reminder of the Divine Providence and protection that was with the nation of Israel during their sojourn in the desert and that is with us now. Obviously, these special Mitzvos serve to inspire us, and those lessons should not be lost once the holiday ends. Yet, Shemini Atzeres is different. There are no special commandments to be performed. We do not have any obligation to do anything other than observe the festival as such. What makes Shemini Atzeres special?

The Medrash Tanchuma (Pinchas 16) describes a dialogue between Hashem and the nation of Israel. The nation tells Hashem how they bring offerings and worship Him, yet the other nations do not. The nation therefore says that Hashem should give them festivals on which they have the opportunity to serve Him. The nation acknowledges that they have been given a number of opportunities to do such.

Not only do they bring offerings on all the holidays, but on Sukkos, they even bring offerings in the merit of the other nations of the world. Yet, not only do the nations of the world do not appreciate this, but they even express hatred towards the nation of Israel. Therefore, Hashem told the nation, ?After you have brought 70 offerings on behalf of the nations of the world (on Sukkos), now, I want you to bring something just for yourself ? on Shemini Atzeres ? one bull and one ram.?

This, the Medrash says, is comparable to a king, who made a week-long feast to which his entire kingdom was invited. Upon its conclusion, the king turned to those dear to him and said ?We have fulfilled our obligation to the citizenry. Now, let just us join together with what even we find, with a measure of meat, or fish or vegetables.? Shemini Atzeres, as the Medrash says, is a holiday lacking in ?quantity.? It has a minute amount of offerings compared to the preceding 7 days of Sukkos.

It is not associated with any special observances or performances. However, it is most definitely a holiday of ?quality.? It is holiday totally devoted to fostering a close relationship between us and Hashem. It is a holiday that Hashem gave us as an expression of His love and His desire to be close with us. It is this aspect of Shemini Atzeres that makes the holiday special.

Rav Elyashiv notes that our celebrations come to a close with Shemini Atzeres. The holiday that is meant to impart the message that stays with us during the long winter months is Shemini Atzeres. It is not the memory of eating in the Sukkah that was designed to bring us continuing inspiration. It is not the shaking of the Lulav and Esrog that serves to keep us close to Hashem during a period lacking holidays. Rather, it is the holiday with no special observances ? Shemini Atzeres ? that is supposed to stay with us until the next holiday comes around. It is the knowledge that Hashem loves us in a special way that we are supposed to keep forefront in our minds once the celebrations have concluded.

The ?Isru Chag,? the ?binding of the festival,? that is long lasting is the Isru Chag of Shemini Atzeres. Any time when we feel we may be slipping from the lofty levels we achieved during the High Holidays, when we feel disconnected from Hashem because we have fallen into a rut and have no special occasions to jolt is out of our doldrums, we are supposed to remember Shemini Atzeres.

We are supposed to remember that special time Hashem set aside for us, a time to recall the special love that exists. It is the warmth of this love that should remain with us and inspire us when inspiration is needed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- YomTov, Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Yehudah Prero and Torah.org. The author has Rabbinic ordination from Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem, NY.

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