October 7, 2023 is the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret. Shemini Atzeret is the postscript to the seven days of Sukkot, which is a harvest festival that commemorates the 40-year journey of the Children of Israel through the desert. The role of Shemini Atzeret is as an extra day of spiritual celebration of the protective relationship between God and the Jewish people. In the books of Leviticus and Numbers, God specifies that the eighth day of Sukkot should be a “day of assembly” . Over the centuries, however, in the Diaspora, Shemini Atzeret was stretched into two days. During the Middle Ages, the second day was reserved for the reading of the final section of the Torah for the year and the people’s renewed gratitude for receiving the Torah. Because of the significance of reading the Torah on that day, it eventually was given its own name and became a separate holiday – Simchat Torah, or “rejoicing in the Torah” .