Shemini Atzeres: One More Day of Closeness

Topics

• Shemini Atzeres and the Closeness to the Eibishter
• Simchas Torah and kasha alai pridaschem

Transcript

# Shemini Atzeres and the Closeness to the Eibishter

Why do we have Shemini Atzeres? One more day. How come by Pesach we do not have it? The teretz, the way we are explaining it, is emes.

You came to the Eibishter now. Sukkos means you are His guest. Now you are leaving, and the Ribono Shel Olam says: one more day. It is the same ענין with Yom Kippur. You said, Ribono Shel Olam, one more minute. The Ribono Shel Olam says: by Shemini Atzeres, one more minute, one more day. Now you understand? It is all connecting to the Eibishter. It starts with Rosh Hashanah, continues with Yom Kippur. Ribono Shel Olam, one more minute before you leave.

So the Ribono Shel Olam says: okay, now I am giving you an invitation to come to Me. That is Sukkos. I am going back up; now is your chance to come to Me. So we visit the Eibishter in the sukkah.

And then the Eibishter says: just like by Yom Kippur you asked Me for one more day, one more minute, I am begging you back in return. Give Me one more day, Shemini Atzeres.

# Simchas Torah and kasha alai pridaschem

Chazal tell us about Simchas Torah, Shemini Atzeres: *nagilah v’nismachah bach*. Who are we happy with? Bach, with the Eibishter. There is a connection by Shemini Atzeres, such a connection that it is *kasha alai pridaschem*. The same way you said *kasha alai pridaschem* on Yom Kippur, I tell you at the end of Sukkos, *kasha alai pridaschem*.

This is giving you a picture of what the Yid should feel, the closeness to the Eibishter. Try to experience it when you sit in the sukkah and you take a lulav and esrog. Try not to make it menial. People sit in the sukkah and talk who knows what, and they fight about this and that, the bickering, the issues. They are small things. Sit in a sukkah and experience the love and warmth of Avinu, the *tzelusa d’mehemnusa*, that the Father takes care of us.