shemini atzeret
While Shemini Atzeret is considered to be the last day of Sukkot, it is also a separate holiday unto itself. Therefore many of the Sukkot customs, including dwelling in the sukkah, using the lulav and etrog, and doing processions around the sanctuary, are omitted (although Kiddush is still recited in the sukkah).
The Midrash (Jewish legend) gives an interesting interpretation of the significance of this holiday. It says that since we are arriving at the end of the long "holiday season," Shmini Atzeret serves as a way to allow the holidays to "stick around" just a little longer. It is one of the pinnacles of our rejoicing and celebrating.
One of the key parts of the Shemini Atzeret service is the prayer for Geshem, or rain. This is said because it is the beginning of the rainy season in Israel, and if there is no rain, then there will be famine, thirst, disease, etc. We say this prayer at the end of Sukkot and not at the beginning because if we prayed for rain at the beginning of the holiday, and our prayers were answered, then we’d be sitting outside in the sukkah in the rain for seven days, and that is not what we want for the holiday.
This page was originally created by John Davis and Michael Kay, and can be found at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jdd16/guide/.
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