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Shmini Atzeret
Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת - “the Eighth [day] of Assembly”) is a Jewish holiday. It is celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (first month of calendar). In the Diaspora, an additional day is celebrated, the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah. In Israel and Reform Judaism, the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into a single day and the names are used interchangeably.
Shmini Atzeretשְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת
1:
Deuteronomy 14:22 - 14:29
· 8 p’sukim
2:
Deuteronomy 15:1 - 15:18
· 18 p’sukim
3:
Deuteronomy 15:19 - 16:3
· 8 p’sukim
4:
Deuteronomy 16:4 - 16:8
· 5 p’sukim
5:
Deuteronomy 16:9 - 16:17
· 9 p’sukim
Maftir:
Numbers 29:35 - 30:1
· 6 p’sukim
Haftarah:
I Kings 8:54 - 8:66
· 13 p’sukim
Shmini Atzeret (on Shabbat)שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת (בְּשַׁבָּת)
1:
Deuteronomy 14:22 - 14:29
· 8 p’sukim
2:
Deuteronomy 15:1 - 15:18
· 18 p’sukim
3:
Deuteronomy 15:19 - 15:23
· 5 p’sukim
4:
Deuteronomy 16:1 - 16:3
· 3 p’sukim
5:
Deuteronomy 16:4 - 16:8
· 5 p’sukim
6:
Deuteronomy 16:9 - 16:12
· 4 p’sukim
7:
Deuteronomy 16:13 - 16:17
· 5 p’sukim
Maftir:
Numbers 29:35 - 30:1
· 6 p’sukim
Haftarah:
I Kings 8:54 - 8:66
· 13 p’sukim
About Shmini Atzeret
Although it directly follows the seven days of Sukkot, the Talmud treats Shemini Atzeret as a "festival in its own right" (regel bifnei atzmo) rather than the eighth day of Sukkot. The name "Atzeret" is read in two complementary ways: as "stopping" or "cessation" from work, and as "tarrying" or "gathering" — traditionally pictured as God asking Israel to linger one extra day after the long pilgrimage season. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch described it as a day to "store up" the gratitude and devotion built over the festival cycle. Its two distinctive religious additions give the day its character: the Yizkor memorial service and Tefillat Geshem, the prayer for rain that formally opens the rainy-season petitions in the liturgy.
When it’s observed
Shemini Atzeret falls on 22 Tishrei, in autumn, the day after the seventh day of Sukkot. In Israel and in Reform Judaism it is observed as a single day that also incorporates Simchat Torah; in the Diaspora (traditional/Orthodox and Conservative practice) it is the first of two days, with the second day, 23 Tishrei, observed separately as Simchat Torah. In the Gregorian calendar of 2026 (Diaspora reckoning), Shemini Atzeret begins at sundown on Friday, October 2 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 3; Israel's single-day timing differs by one day. Exact local candle-lighting and end times vary by location and should be confirmed against a community calendar.
The readings & trope
The Torah reading for Shemini Atzeret is Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17, divided into the festival aliyot, with the maftir drawn from the Sukkot-cycle Musaf passage for the eighth day, Numbers 29:35-30:1. The Haftarah is I Kings 8:54-66, in which Solomon dismisses the people after dedicating the Temple — fitting for an "eighth-day assembly" theme (some Sephardic and other rites use a slightly different range). The Torah and Haftarah are chanted in the standard festival Torah trope, the regular reading melody — Shemini Atzeret does not have a unique cantillation system the way Eicha (Tisha B'Av), Esther (Purim), or the High Holiday trope do, and most rites read no Megillah on the day (Kohelet is read on the Shabbat of Sukkot). The day's distinctive melody is liturgical rather than cantillation: the Musaf and the Geshem prayer for rain are sung to a solemn Days-of-Awe-style nusach, and the leader wears a white kittel. TropeTrainer lets you hear and practice the standard festival Torah and Haftarah cantillation for these readings.
Customs
Yizkor, the memorial prayer, is recited on Shemini Atzeret — one of the four annual Yizkor occasions — and a 24-hour memorial candle is often lit beforehand. During the Musaf repetition the cantor leads Tefillat Geshem, a series of piyutim petitioning for rain that officially begins the rainy-season insertion "mashiv ha-ruach u-morid ha-geshem," continued until Passover; the leader wears a kittel and uses a High Holiday-style melody. The festival also marks the transition out of Sukkot: the lulav and etrog are no longer taken and Sukkot is no longer mentioned in the prayers. In the Diaspora many still eat meals in the sukkah on Shemini Atzeret but without reciting the "leishev ba-sukkah" blessing, a farewell to the sukkah; in Israel eating in the sukkah generally stops. As a full Yom Tov, the day carries festival work restrictions, candle-lighting, Kiddush, and festive meals.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shmini Atzeret?
Shemini Atzeret ("the Eighth [day] of Assembly") is a Jewish festival that falls on 22 Tishrei, immediately after the seven days of Sukkot. Although it adjoins Sukkot, the Talmud treats it as an independent holiday in its own right. It is best known for the Yizkor memorial service and Tefillat Geshem, the prayer for rain. In Israel and Reform Judaism it is combined with Simchat Torah into a single day; in the Diaspora it is the first of two days, with Simchat Torah observed the next day.
When is Shmini Atzeret?
Shemini Atzeret is observed on 22 Tishrei in the autumn, the day after the seventh day of Sukkot. In 2026 (Diaspora reckoning), it begins at sundown on Friday, October 2 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, October 3. Israel observes it as a single combined day with Simchat Torah, and timing there differs by one day, so confirm exact times with a local community calendar.
What is read on Shmini Atzeret?
The Torah reading is Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 with the maftir from Numbers 29:35-30:1, and the Haftarah is I Kings 8:54-66 (the range varies slightly in some rites). The readings are chanted in the standard festival Torah trope; there is no special cantillation melody unique to Shemini Atzeret, and no Megillah is read. You can hear and practice these readings in their festival trope on TropeTrainer.
What is the difference between Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?
In Israel and in Reform Judaism, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are the same single day and the names are used interchangeably. In the Diaspora (Orthodox and Conservative practice), they are two consecutive days: Shemini Atzeret on 22 Tishrei, featuring Yizkor and the prayer for rain, followed by Simchat Torah on 23 Tishrei, which celebrates completing and restarting the annual Torah-reading cycle.
Where to go next
How the Haftarah, the Five Megillot, and the High Holiday Torah readings are chanted.
Guided lessons on Torah cantillation, from the basic symbols to advanced phrases.