We are approaching the end of the Tishrei festivals. This seventh month is full of events, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and the intervening days. The end of this cycle is Shemini Atzeret (and Simchat Torah).
Now, to understand why a festive ending is necessary after so much celebration and so many commandments (the Shofar, fasting, the four species, and the Sukkah), our sages give us the example of a king who invited his children to a feast for several days. When the time came to leave, he said to them, "Please stay one more day; it is difficult for me when you are separated from me.".
As we've mentioned many times, Hebrew is a very special language, one that lends itself to different interpretations of the same words. The most interesting thing is that this doesn't mean one interpretation invalidates another; rather, the different meanings coexist, and sometimes we even find connections between the explanations that offer a deeper perspective than understanding each interpretation on its own.
The Midrash (source of the aforementioned example) states that the king's words (upon seeing his sons depart) are: kashé alái pridatjém, which translates as "It is difficult for me to see their departure." However, a deeper analysis leads us to understand the word pridatjém as "their separation," in which case the king would be saying, "It is difficult for me to see them separate," that is, when you, my sons, separate. But not only when you separate from me, the king, but also when you separate from one another. (The Midrash would be saying that it is painful for God to see a situation of disunity within the Jewish people...).
This festival of Shemini Atzeret helps us project the unity forged among the Jewish people throughout the holidays, all year round. On Rosh Hashanah, we crown God as King over us, expressing the idea that all of us, from the wisest to the most ignorant, are merely servants of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. On Yom Kippur, we all, as one, repent and/or return to our source, expressing that we all have the capacity to grow and draw closer to God, again highlighting this unity within the Jewish people. On Sukkot, we all sit together in the Sukkah, which completely surrounds and unites us, expressing, once more, this aspect of equality and unity among all.
Shmini means "the eighth," that which transcends the cyclical (of the seven days of the week). On Shmini Atzeret, we become aware that this concept should be applied to all aspects of our lives, every day of the year, transcending the boundaries of festivities or special occasions.
May God grant that through dancing with the Torah we can break down the barriers that separate us and connect with the transcendence of our souls and imbue our lives with that sublime energy.
Chag Sameaj and Lejáim!