10 Facts About Shemini Atzeret

The first day of Shemini Atzeret therefore coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot outside the Land of Israel, leading to sometimes involved analysis as to which practices of each holiday are to apply.

When Shemini Atzeret is mentioned in the Torah, it is always mentioned in the context of the seven-day festival of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, which it immediately follows.

Shemini Atzeret is therefore simultaneously "a holiday in its own right" and the "end holiday of [Sukkot]".

Shemini Atzeret is characterized as a day when the Jewish people "tarries" to spend an additional day with God at the end of Sukkot.

Two observances of Shemini Atzeret are mentioned in the Prophets and Writings portions of the Tanakh.

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Outside Israel, where Shemini Atzeret is observed for two days, Simchat Torah is deferred to the second day, when all agree there is no obligation of sukkah.

Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right, without sukkah, lulav and etrog.

When Shemini Atzeret falls on the Shabbat, the Scroll of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, is read on that day outside the Land of Israel.

Karaites, followers of a branch of Judaism that accepts the Written Law, but not the Oral Law, Shemini Atzeret is observed as a single day of rest, not associated with the practices of Simchat Torah, which are a rabbinic innovation.

In 2015, Shemini Atzeret fell on October 7 for Karaites, two days later than in the conventional Jewish calendar.