Of all the great biblical personalities, I connect most to Joseph.
Why? Because of his ability to forgive and see God's hands in everything, even his own pain.
When Joseph finally revealed his identity to the brothers who had sold him into slavery 22 years earlier, he told them not to worry. Everything that happened, he said, had been divinely orchestrated to allow the family to survive the terrible famine.
On Shemini Atzeres we also have no mitzvos. Unlike the holiday of Succos that precedes it, this day (two in the Diaspora) does not come along with any distinctive commandments, nor does it demand much in terms of advanced preparation. Neither does it seem to have any particular identity; perhaps it is the least understood of all of the Jewish holidays. What exactly is the nature of Shemini Atzeres and why did Hashem include this day in the Jewish calendar?
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