Like after all the hard work, the dedication, the striving... shouldn't there be a bonus round of celebration? Well, Jewish tradition understands that feeling perfectly. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 21, which explores this very idea through a lens of divine reward and the unique relationship between God and Israel. The verse we're focusing on is from Numbers 29:35: “On the eighth day it shall be an assembly for you; you shall not perform any toilsome labor.” But what does this "eighth day" really signify?
The text cleverly connects this verse to another, seemingly unrelated one from Isaiah 26:15: “You added for the nation, Lord." This is where things get interesting. See, the Israelites are essentially having a conversation with God, a sort of divine negotiation, if you will.
The context is important. Isaiah 26:14 precedes this verse, speaking of the dead who will not rise and the spirits who will not live. It talks about how God reckoned with and destroyed the wicked, like the generation of the Flood, the people of Sodom, Pharaoh, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar. The key point? None of these groups honored God with sacrifices.
According to Bamidbar Rabbah, the congregation of Israel comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, and asks a poignant question: “Master of the universe, have You added tranquility to the generation of the Flood? Did they, perhaps, sacrifice one bull or one ram?” In other words, why should these undeserving nations receive any blessings or rewards? They actively defied God!
The Israelites continue, "It is not enough for them that they did not respect You, but they said: “Come, let us build us a city” (Genesis 11:4); and likewise the people of Sodom, and likewise Pharaoh, and likewise Sennacherib, and likewise Nebuchadnezzar? Did any of them, perhaps, sacrifice one bull or one ram? It is not enough that they did not sacrifice, but they angered you. To whom is it appropriate for You to add tranquility and honor? It is to Israel..."
Bamidbar Rabbah emphasizes that it's Israel who deserves the added blessings, the extra celebration. Why? Because they did make sacrifices. They did honor God. As the text says, “You added for the nation [goy], Lord,” and goy, in this context, refers to Israel. We even see scriptural support for this claim in II Samuel 7:23: “Who is like Your people, like Israel, one nation [goy] on earth?”
The Israelites essentially remind God: "Master of the universe, it is incumbent upon You to give us the festivals, and it is incumbent upon us to sacrifice offerings before you as appropriate." They recount all the festivals – New Moons (Rosh Chodesh), Passover (Pesach), New Year (Rosh Hashanah), Yom Kippur, Sukkot – and emphasize that they upheld their end of the bargain. They didn't abolish even one festival!
And so, they ask for more! "You should add festivals for us, and it is incumbent upon us to sacrifice before You and honor You." This idea is powerfully illustrated in the verse "You added for the nation; You are honored; You distanced them to all ends of the earth” (Isaiah 26:15).
A fascinating commentary on this passage, the Radal, explains that the other nations, for whom the seventy bulls were sacrificed, were ultimately distanced from God. In contrast, Israel was honored and given an extra festival.
Finally, the Holy One, blessed be He, responds, promising not to retract holidays but to add festivals, times of rejoicing. And this, according to Bamidbar Rabbah, is the significance of the "eighth day...an assembly." It's an extra dose of joy, a divine reward for faithfulness.
So, the next time you're celebrating a Jewish holiday, remember this story. It's a reminder that our traditions are not just about rituals and observances, but about a deep and ongoing conversation with the Divine. And sometimes, that conversation leads to an extra day of joy, a little something extra for all the effort. It's a beautiful thought, isn't it? A testament to the enduring bond between God and the Jewish people.