"Cheder" number three hundred twenty-eight in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Thursday, 22 Tishrei, Shemini Atzeres, 5704.
Shiurim: Chumash, Berachah, fifth aliyah, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, on the 22nd of the month, one recites chapter 106 and chapter 107.
Tanya: On this day we conclude Iggeret 23. The lesson begins and ends on the same page — page 137 — from the words "u'veShabbat kodesh" until the end of the letter, with the words "yehi ratzon".
In the daily teaching the Rebbe brings several customs, and finally a saying that speaks about the essence of the day of Shemini Atzeret, which outside the Land of Israel is already a festival in its own right. The first custom the Rebbe writes: "We make Kiddush and eat and drink in the sukkah, both at night and during the day." In order to understand how precise every word is — many matters in the books of halacha are connected to this line. We will not bring the entire lengthy discussion, but rather a few points that will clarify the intent.
The discussion here relates first of all to the diaspora. It is known that in the diaspora there exists the concept of "sfeika deyoma" — we do not know with certainty when the festival begins. For example, on Pesach we know that it begins on the 15th, but when does the 15th fall? Is the 15th of Tishrei the first day, as in the Land of Israel, or perhaps the 16th of Tishrei is the first day? Therefore, on each of the days there is a doubt whether it is the first or the second, the second or the third, and so in the diaspora each day two days are recited in Musaf.
According to this, it emerges that when we reach this day, 22 Tishrei: in the Land of Israel the festival of Sukkot has already ended, and this is Simchat Torah; but outside the Land it is possible that this day is the seventh day of Sukkot. If it is the seventh day of Sukkot — then on Sukkot one sits in the sukkah; yet on the other hand, since out of doubt it is possible that this day is no longer Sukkot but rather Shemini Atzeret, it would consequently be forbidden to sit in the sukkah, because there is a concept called "bal tosif" — it is forbidden to add to what the Torah has stated.
It turns out that we have a dilemma here: what does one do? If one sits [in the sukkah] — perhaps he transgresses "bal tosif" [the prohibition against adding to a mitzvah]; if one does not sit — perhaps he forfeits the mitzvah of sukkah. From this, the halachic authorities developed various approaches for dealing with the matter. The Mechaber writes that one eats in the sukkah both at night and by day, but one does not recite the blessing "leishev basukkah" — out of doubt one sits, but one does not bless. On the other hand, there are those who say to make a distinction: one eats and drinks in the sukkah, but one does not sleep in it on this night (even though throughout the entire week it is obligatory to sleep in the sukkah). There are those who disagree and say that one should not sit in the sukkah at all. And others say that it depends: an obligatory meal or a fixed meal — in the sukkah; but an incidental snack or an incidental drink — not in the sukkah. There is a range of opinions on this.
Similarly, there are differing opinions regarding the Kiddush: On the night of Shemini Atzeret, does one make Kiddush in the sukkah? What is the problem? In the Kiddush we say "Shehecheyanu," and to what does the "Shehecheyanu" of the night of Shemini Atzeret refer — to the new festival. If so, if we recite "Shehecheyanu" because we have reached the new festival, there is no point in sitting in the sukkah, for it is no longer Sukkot; and if one sits in the sukkah, there is no point in reciting "Shehecheyanu." Once again there is a dilemma pulling in both directions. Therefore, there are opinions in halachah that the Kiddush on the night of Shemini Atzeret is made in the house, while during the day, when there is no "Shehecheyanu," one sits in the sukkah.
I have only noted the range of opinions on the matter. Now we will understand what precision the Rebbe expresses in the saying: "we recite Kiddush and eat and drink" — meaning that we do both incidental drinking and incidental eating in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret, and without a blessing (as brought in the Shulchan Aruch), "whether at night or during the day." This single line contains so much — it folds within it all the opinions and states the bottom line.
The second custom that the Rebbe notes is already written in the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe. Before "Atah Hareisa," the Alter Rebbe writes a few lines, from which one understands what the Rebbe notes here briefly, in three words: "Hakafos on the night of Shmini Atzeres." Not only on the night of Simchas Torah do we perform hakafos, but also on the first night — the night of Shmini Atzeres.
The third matter the Rebbe notes is the haftarah recited on Shemini Atzeret. The haftarah is in Melachim I, chapter 8, from verse 54 until the end of the chapter. This is what the Rebbe says here: "the haftarah 'Vayehi kechalot'" — beginning at verse 54 — until the end of the chapter, which concludes with the words "ul'Yisrael amo." What is the Rebbe being precise about here? As we often follow the Sephardic custom regarding haftarot: according to the Ashkenazic custom an additional verse is added afterward, whereas among us it is not customary to add the additional verse. That is why the Rebbe points this out.
The fourth and final custom that we note on this day: "We do not recite the Yehi Ratzon upon leaving the sukkah." When the time for eating in the sukkah is about to conclude — in Eretz Yisrael on Hoshana Rabbah, and outside of Eretz Yisrael on Shemini Atzeret — the custom is to enter the sukkah toward evening, before the time ends, in order to take leave of the sukkah, tasting or eating something and bidding it farewell. There are siddurim and communities in which, during this meal of parting from the sukkah, a special prayer is recited, a special "Yehi Ratzon." The Rebbe notes that although we do enter to take leave of the sukkah, the "Yehi Ratzon" that is said in many places — we do not recite upon leaving the sukkah.
The final matter the Rebbe notes is the inner spiritual content of the day of Shemini Atzeret. This is a quotation from a maamar delivered by the Rebbe Rayatz in the year 5695, the discourse beginning "Bayom HaShemini Atzeret." There the Rebbe Rayatz explains at length the difference between the festivals at the beginning of Tishrei — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — and what comes from Sukkot until Shemini Atzeret. During the first days of Tishrei, on Rosh Hashanah, the entire movement is from below to above, everything is ascent — as is known in Chassidus that on the night of Rosh Hashanah there is a withdrawal of the life-force, and the entire movement is a movement of ascent. And on Sukkot the opposite process begins — the drawing down and descent and the return of the light below; and Shemini Atzeret completes the goal, that all the drawings-down are brought below and everything is fully absorbed. It emerges that Shemini Atzeret and Rosh Hashanah are very similar: Rosh Hashanah is the extreme at which the movement of ascent begins, and Shemini Atzeret is the other, lower extreme, at which the movement of descent begins.
Now let us read the wording that the Rebbe quotes from that maamar: "Shemini Atzeres and Rosh Hashanah are alike in several matters of kavanos and lofty yichudim". There are similar kavanos; for example, on Rosh Hashanah there is the aspect of reciting letters — we say Tehillim and so on, and on Shemini Atzeres too there is the aspect of reciting letters, in that we recite the verses of the Torah and go around in the hakafos — not so much the study but rather the reciting of the letters. In this Rosh Hashanah and Shemini Atzeres are alike.
But there is a difference between them. What is it? "Only that on Rosh Hashanah they are in the mode of ascent" — Rosh Hashanah is a movement from below to above — "and on Shemini Atzeret they are in the mode of drawing down," which is the opposite movement. That same idea is expressed in a further, more practical difference: "On Rosh Hashanah the avodah is through supplications, submission, and intense bitterness" — on Rosh Hashanah we plead with the Holy One, blessed be He, that there should be a drawing down, for this is a time of withdrawal and ascent, and we want there to be a drawing down. By contrast, "on Shemini Atzeret," when the drawing down below has already reached its conclusion, "the avodah is along the line of joy" — on the contrary, we are on a line of great joy, for behind all the verses and the lulav and so forth we draw down all the drawings-down here below.