Comentario sobre Levítico 23:36

עצרת הוא — The word is derived from the root עצר “to hold back” and suggests: I keep you back with Me one day more. It is similar to the case of a king who invited his children to a banquet for a certain number of days. When the time arrived for them to take their departure he said, “Children, I beg of you, stay one day more with me; it is so hard for me to part with you!” (cf. Rashi on Numbers 29:36 and Sukkah 55b).

IT IS ‘ATZERETH.’⁴²⁶The word atzereth is of the root atzor (to hold back, restrain). Rashi will accordingly explain that the eighth day of Tabernacles is the day G-d requested Israel “to hold back” yet another day before leaving for their homes. Ramban will explain atzereth in the sense of “binding,” or “holding in,” because this day represents the assembly of all emanations alluded to by all festivals, as mentioned in the text. “I keep you back before Me. It is similar to the case of a prince who invited his children to a banquet for a certain number of days. When the time came for them to leave, he said, ‘I beg of you stay with me for yet one more day, for your departure is so hard for me!’” This is Rashi’s language. And these are words of Agadah (homily) in Vayikra Rabbah.⁴²⁷I did not find it in Vayikra Rabbah. See though Tractate Succah 55 b.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], for in six days the Eternal made the heaven and the earth,⁴²⁸Exodus 20:11. See also Vol. I, p. 28: “In the profounder sense etc.” and the seventh day is the Sabbath which has no partner, and the congregation of Israel is its partner,⁴²⁹To each of the first six days of the week there is, so-to-say a partner, but the seventh odd day has no partner. And since blessing does not come solitary, G-d gave the congregation of Israel to be the Sabbath’s partner (Bereshith Rabbah 11:9). See also Vol. I, p. 60. as it is said, and the earth,⁴²⁸Exodus 20:11. See also Vol. I, p. 28: “In the profounder sense etc.” this being the eighth day. It is ‘Atzereth,’ for there everything is assembled. Now with respect to the Festival of Unleavened Bread He commanded that it be observed for seven days, with the first and seventh [days] being holy, though they are all holy and the Eternal is among them.⁴³⁰Numbers 16:3. From then on [i.e., beginning with the second day of Passover] we are to count forty-nine days[of the omer], which are seven weeks comparable to the [seven] “days” of the world,⁴³¹The thought suggested is that the seven “weeks” of the omer are comparable to “the days” of the world, and Shevuoth is thus like the “eighth day” in the Festival of Tabernacles; and the forty-nine days between the first day and “the eighth day” are thus like the intermediate days of the Festival of Tabernacles (Abusaula). and then to sanctify the “eighth day” [i.e., the Festival of Weeks] just as the eighth day of Tabernacles [is holy]; and [the forty-nine days] counted between them are in the “intermediate days” of the festival, in the interval separating the first day and “eighth day” of the festival, this being the day of the Giving of the Torah when He made them to see His great fire and His words they heard out of the midst of the fire.⁴³²Deuteronomy 4:36. Therefore our Rabbis, of blessed memory, always called the Festival of Weeks by the name of Atzereth⁴³³As in Chagigah 17 a. [a name here used in the verse for the eighth day of the Festival of Tabernacles], for it is on “the eighth” day of the festival, which Scripture here so called by that name. And this is the [intention of the] saying of the Rabbis:⁴³⁴Rosh Hashanah 4 b. “The eighth day is a festival for itself” with respect to ‘p’zar k’shab,’⁴³⁵This is an acrostic for the following Hebrew words: pa’yis (lots), z’man (time), regel (festival), korban (offering), shir (song), brachah (blessing). These are all references to various laws indicating that the eighth day of Tabernacles is not considered as just another day of that festival, but is rather an independent festival by itself. Such acrostics were used in order to assist memory. but yet it complements the first [seven] days⁴³⁶Thus: “He that made no offerings on the first festival day of Tabernacles, must offer them any day throughout the whole festival, even on the last [i.e., the eighth] day of Tabernacles” (Chagigah 9 a). In that respect the eighth day is connected with the first seven days. since it is an emanation of the first days but is not like their unity. Therefore in the section of All the firstlings⁴³⁷Deuteronomy 15:19. He mentions in speaking of the three festivals — the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles — [that the Festival of Tabernacles] is seven days⁴³⁸Ibid., 16:15. and He did not mention the eighth day, for there He said, all thy males appear etc.⁴³⁹Ibid., Verse 16. See my Hebrew commentary p. 197. This is thus clear.

עצרת היא. The concept of עצירה is something apart from the concept of שביתות. The latter pertains to abstaining from ordinary secular activities, whereas the former entails spending a certain amount of time performing holy tasks, studying Torah, engaging in communal prayer, etc. The expression נעצר occurs in this context in Samuel I 21,8 ושם איש מעבדי שאול ביום ההוא נעצר לפני ה', “and there was a man, one of Saul’s officials detained before the Lord, etc.” In Yoel 1,14 we find the line קדשו יום, עצרו עצרה, “solemnize a fast, proclaim an assembly!” In Kings II 10,20 we find that Yehu proclaimed an assembly in honour of the Baal, [he meant to make sure that he could kill all those who would worship the Baal, which he succeeded in doing, eradicating this cult from Israel. Ed.] The invitation read: קדשו עצרה לבעל, “proclaim a holy assembly for the Baal.” It is in this sense that the Torah refers to the day following the seventh day of the Sukkot festival as Atzeret, an assembly for G’d, the pilgrims for the Sukkot festival to Jerusalem being detained there for an additional day. The joy on that day was to be a Torah inspired and oriented joy, akin to when David says in Psalms 149,2 ישמח ישראל בעושיו, “Israel rejoices in its Maker.”
We find that the description of the family dinners held in the home of Job’s children, his seven sons and three daughters, at set intervals such festive get togethers were held. On the day after the completion of these festivities their father would send word to them to sanctify themselves and rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings to atone for the possibility that they might have been remiss and committed some misdemeanour which would have displeased their G’d. (Job 1,4-5)
On the seventh day after the Exodus from Egypt the Israelites took time out to sing a song of thanksgiving to G’d for their final delivery from the pursuing Egyptians. Subsequently, in commemoration of that occasion, the Torah decreed that this day become an עצרת, a day devoted to contemplation of the great miracle on that first occasion. (Compare Exodus 15,1 and Deuteronomy 16,8).
Again, on the fiftieth day after the Exodus when the Israelites in a great assembly at Mount Sinai spent the day contemplating their elevation to an almost supernatural people, this day was also subsequently observed as an עצרת, although in the Torah this day is never referred to as such. The reason why the Torah itself does not refer to this day as an עצרת may be the fact that shortly thereafter all the accomplishments of this day were lost and the Jewish people were even commanded to divest themselves of the “jewelry” they had worn in commemoration of that wonderful day. (Exodus 33,6)

עצרת, a stoppage, i.e. a day when one must refrain from work.

[A day] of holy assembly. The purpose of the appointed times, the reason Hashem wanted Israel to gather in Jerusalem and be seen in the Courtyard, is so they could learn wisdom and discipline from the kohanim. Jerusalem is the source for the entire word of Hashem, and there they learned how to behave when they returned to their homes after the festival. In the festival’s first days all of Israel was busy with the sight-offerings, festival-offerings, and peace-offerings of vows and free-will from the entire year; they were brought during the intermediate days of the festival. Only on the festival’s last day were there no longer any sight-offerings of festival-offerings, except for someone who transgressed and did not bring them in the first days. This was not appropriate, and therefore it was not common to find these offerings. Thus, the entire people of Israel was free at that time to accept discipline and rebuke, and that is why the eighth day was called Atzeret, a day of convocation.

עצרת היא, “it is a day of special assembly;” this is a parable describing a king whose children came to visit him for the first time; at that time the king said to them: “when are you going to visit me again?” they said to him: “in about a couple of months. ”Thereupon the king took his leave of them. When the children came again to see their father the king, he asked again when they would come to see him again. When they said that they would come again in about four months, the king again thanked them for their visit and bid them farewell. When this story repeated itself a third time and on that occasion the children told him that they would not visit him again until after about seven months, the king begged them to delay their departure for at least one additional day. They agreed and did so. He gave them a special blessing for having spent the extra time with him. This parable is supposed to explain why there is no day called עצרת after Passover and after Shavuot, but only after Sukkot, seeing that it is over six months until the next Passover. The reason there is no pilgrimage festival during the winter is to save the people having to travel to Jerusalem during the inclement winter months.

כל מלאכת עבדה ANY WORK THAT IS AN עבדה — i. e. even such work which rests as an obligation (עבודה) upon you because if it is left undone it involves monetary loss (cf. Rashi v. 8),

לא תעשו YE SHALL NOT DO: — One might think that it is forbidden to do such urgent work (מלאכת עבדה) also on the intermediate days of Passover and Tabernacles (which are Half-festivals)! Scripture, however, states: עצרת] הוא], “it (i. e. the eighth day) forms a restriction: [ye shall do no urgent work]” — but on the intermediate days such work is not forbidden (Sifra, Emor, Section 12 6).

That is that He commanded to offer an additional sacrifice on the holiday of Sukkot. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "You shall offer a burnt-offering" (Numbers 29:13). And that is the additional offering of the holiday. (See Parashat Pinchas; Mishneh Torah, Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 10:3.)

That is that He commanded to offer an additional sacrifice on the eighth day of the Holiday (Sukkot). And that is the additional offering of the eighth day holiday of Atzeret. And that which obligates us to count this additional offering separately - separate from all the days of Sukkot - it that we expound that the eighth day Atzeret is its own festival. And that is completely clear. (See Parashat Pinchas; Mishneh Torah, Daily Offerings and Additional Offerings 10.)