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==={{anchor|name=atzeret}}''Atzeret:'' A day for assembly—or pause===
Spiritually, Shemini Atzeret can also be seen to "guard the seven days of Sukkot".{{sfn|Gurary|Kaplan|2000|p=83-93}} The Hebrew word ''atzeret'' is generally translated as "assembly", but shares a linguistic root with the word ''atzor'', meaning "stop" or "tarry". Shemini Atzeret is characterized as a day when the Jewish people "tarries" to spend an additional day with God at the end of Sukkot.<ref name=JESA>{{Jewish Encyclopedia|title=Shemini 'Azeret|year=1901–1906|publisher=Funk and Wagnalls|location=New York|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13559-shemini-azeret|no-prescript=1|noicon=1}}</ref> [[Rashi]] cites the parable of a king who invites his sons to dine with him for a number of days, but when the time comes for them to leave, he asks them to stay for another day, since it is difficult for him to part from them.<ref>Rashi on Leviticus 23:36.</ref> According to this idea, Sukkot is a universal holiday, but Shemini Atzeret is only for the Jewish people. Moreover, Shemini Atzeret is a modest holiday, just to celebrate [God's] special relationship with
A different, but related, interpretation is offered by Yaakov Zevi Mecklenburg, who translates ''atzeret'' as "retain": "During the holiday season, we have experienced a heightened religious fervor and a most devout spirit. This last day is devoted to a recapitulation of the message of these days, with the hope that it will be retained the rest of the year".<ref>Quoted in {{harvtxt|Isaacs|2000|p=93}}.</ref>
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