Assembly Required
We finally made it. It is over. Solemn Days. Days of Faith. Celebratory Days. We have made it through Elul, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, and Atzeres with Simchas Torah. For some, that is a lot of “down time,” and for others there has been some “up time,” with the mood-boost of being with family, friends, and hopefully, a sense of being close to Hashem.
The term Atzeres is an intriguing one. It has been translated as “gathering” or “solemn assembly,” or just “assembly” or “holding back.” Our Sages have introduced a delightful image of Hashem signaling to us with this extra add-on festival following Sukkos that “it’s hard to see you leave, so stay a little longer.”
This is how our sages prompt us to view that tail-end of the holiday season. However, I’m not sure all of us feel that it’s so hard to leave. After all, we’ve had a sobering month of Elul, two intense days of Rosh Hashanah, a full ten days of repentance, and a long Day of Awe while fasting on Yom Kippur. This was followed by a week of Sukkot with its varied observances, including eating in a sukkah. And then, after all that, Hashem asks us to stay a little longer because He finds it hard to see us go. He wants us to stay with Him just a little while longer. But some of us are eager to go, to move back to our familiar routines and normal life replete with all the demands, challenges, and benefits.
Some of our earlier Rishonim, the medieval French Baalei Tosafos, offer a novel view of this Atzeres and its “hard to see you go, stay a little longer” message. They point out that the Pesach holiday is followed by Shavuos seven weeks later. From Shavuos to Sukkos is about three months; however, when Sukkos ends, it is a full half year until we reach Pesach. This means that the longest interval in the year where there is no yom tov is between Sukkos and Pesach. In earlier centuries, the longest time between our pilgrimages to Yerushalayim were during the six-month interval between Sukkos and Pesach. What Hashem is signaling us, according to our Sages, is that it is hard knowing that so many months will pass before we can commune once again with Heaven. This is why we have an Atzeres. This is why that Atzeres happens right after Sukkos. It is not just that “it is hard to see you leave” but it’s about “it’s hard to see you leave and not return for half a year.”
From our experiential standpoint, this may be the attitude that we can adopt. We get a lot out of these yomim tovim. Some of them last quite a while. Knowing that it may be many months before we can revisit the spiritual elevation and good feelings that are a part of yom tov, including the Yamim Noraim, adds a touch of wistfulness and nostalgia in the mind and heart of a sensitive person. Knowing that we are now entering the longest stretch of time between one holiday season and the next is no cause for celebration. It is an opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished over this recent season, what good feelings we take with us, and how we can build up some enthusiasm and inspiration that can escort us through the fall and winter leading up to Pesach. Onward to Pesach! n
Rabbi Dr. Dovid Fox is a forensic and clinical psychologist, and director of Chai Lifeline Crisis Services. To contact Chai Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis helpline, call 855-3-CRISIS or email [email protected]. Learn more at ChaiLifeline.org/crisis.
