1 Kings 8:54-66
After the hubbub surrounding the placing the Ark in the Holy of Holies, which was read on the Second Day of Sukkot[1], Solomon and the people embark on the actual consecration of the Temple. Solomon blesses the people, and they engage in a 14-day consecration feast. On Shemini Atzeret itself (see verse 66 below), Solomon bids the people farewell and they head home.
Haftarah Breakdown
Verses 54-61: King Solomon’s blessing of the people.
| I Kings 8:55-56 | מלכים א ח:נ״ה-נ״ו |
| And he stood and blessed the entire congregation of Israel (with) a loud voice, saying, “Blessed (be) the Lord, Who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He spoke; there has not failed one word of all his good word, that He spoke through Moses His servant.” | וַֽיַּעְמֹ֕ד וַיְבָ֕רֶךְ אֵ֖ת כָּל־קְהַ֣ל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ק֥וֹל גָּד֖וֹל לֵאמֹֽר׃ בָּר֣וּךְ ה’ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן מְנוּחָה֙ לְעַמּ֣וֹ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר לֹֽא־נָפַ֞ל דָּבָ֣ר אֶחָ֗ד מִכֹּל֙ דְּבָר֣וֹ הַטּ֔וֹב אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֔ר בְּיַ֖ד מֹשֶׁ֥ה עַבְדּֽוֹ׃ |
Verses 62-65: The consecration feast.
| I Kings 8:63-64 | מלכים א ח:ס״ג-ס״ד |
| And Solomon slaughtered the peace- offerings that he slaughtered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. [With this] the King and all the children of Israel inaugurated the Temple of the Lord. On that day the King consecrated the middle of the court that was before the Temple of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt-offerings (and) the meal-offerings and the fat of the peace-offerings, for the copper altar that was before the Lord was too small to contain the burnt-offerings (and) the meal- offerings and the fat of the peace-offerings. | וַיִּזְבַּ֣ח שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה אֵ֣ת זֶ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִים֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר זָבַ֣ח לַה’ בָּקָ֗ר עֶשְׂרִ֤ים וּשְׁנַ֙יִם֙ אֶ֔לֶף וְצֹ֕אן מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים אָ֑לֶף וַֽיַּחְנְכוּ֙ אֶת־בֵּ֣ית ה’ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ וְכָל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא קִדַּ֨שׁ הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶת־תּ֣וֹךְ הֶחָצֵ֗ר אֲשֶׁר֙ לִפְנֵ֣י בֵית־ה’ כִּי־עָ֣שָׂה שָׁ֗ם אֶת־הָֽעֹלָה֙ וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה וְאֵ֖ת חֶלְבֵ֣י הַשְּׁלָמִ֑ים כִּֽי־מִזְבַּ֤ח הַנְּחֹ֙שֶׁת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לִפְנֵ֣ ה’ קָטֹ֗ן מֵֽהָכִיל֙ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֣ה וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה וְאֵ֖ת חֶלְבֵ֥י הַשְּׁלָמִֽים׃ |
Verse 66: The people return home.
| I Kings 8:66 | מלכים א ח:ס״ו |
| On the eighth day, he dismissed the people, and they blessed the King and went to their homes, rejoicing and delighted of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had wrought for David His servant and for Israel His people. | בַּיּ֤וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי֙ שִׁלַּ֣ח אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וַֽיְבָרֲכ֖וּ אֶת־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֵּלְכ֣וּ לְאָהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם שְׂמֵחִים֙ וְט֣וֹבֵי לֵ֔ב עַ֣ל כָּל־הַטּוֹבָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה ה’ לְדָוִ֣ד עַבְדּ֔וֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּֽוֹ׃ |
Connections
Verses from Solomon’s blessing appear across Jewish liturgy, such as in the conclusion of Hoshanot…
| Siddur Ashkenaz, Festivals, Sukkot, Hoshanot, | סידור אשכנז, חגים, סוכות, הושענות |
| Deliver and bless Your people; tend them and sustain them forever (Psalms 28:9). And may these words of mine, which I have offered in supplication before the Lord, be close to the Lord our God day and night, that He may provide for His servant and for His people Israel, according to each day’s needs. In order that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord alone is God, there is no other (I Kings 8:59-60). | הוֹשִׁיעָה אֶת עַמֶּךָ וּבָרֵךְ אֶת נַחֲלָתֶךָ וּרְעֵם וְנַשְּׂאֵם עַד הָעוֹלָם: וְיִהְיוּ דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר הִתְחַנַּנְתִּי לִפְנֵי יְיָ קְרוֹבִים אֶל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפַּט עַבְדּוֹ וּמִשְׁפַּט עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּבַר יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ: לְמַעַן דַּעַת כָּל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כִּי יְיָ הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים אֵין עוֹד: |
… and in the prayer of “Atah Haretah”, which is read on Simchat Torah.
| Siddur Sefard, Simchat Torah, Hakafot | סידור ספרד, שמחת תורה, הקפות |
| It has been clearly demonstrated to you that the Lord alone is God; there is none beside Him (Deuteronomy 4:35)…. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He never abandon us or forsake us (I Kings 8:57)… For instruction shall come forth from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). | אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי ה’ הוּא הָאֱלֹקים אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּוֹ … יְהִי ה’ אֱלֹקינוּ עִמָּנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה עִם אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַל יַעַזְבֵנוּ וְאַל יִטְּשֵׁנוּ:.. כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר יְהֹוָה מִירוּשָׁלָיִם: |
The extended consecration celebration, which occurred even on Yom Kippur, is a point of controversy in the Talmud, for example:
| Shabbat 30a | שבת ל׳ א |
| And [I Kings 8:66] is written: “On the eighth day, he dismissed the people, and they blessed the King and went to their homes, rejoicing and delighted of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had wrought for David, His servant and for Israel, His people.” … “For David, His servant” means that at that opportunity they all saw that God forgave him for that sin. “And for Israel, His people” means that He forgave them for the sin of Yom Kippur, [as they did not fast that year] | וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב: ״בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שִׁלַּח אֶת הָעָם וַיְבָרֲכוּ אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֵּלְכוּ לְאׇהֳלֵיהֶם שְׂמֵחִים וְטוֹבֵי לֵב עַל כׇּל הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ לְדָוִד עַבְדּוֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ ״עַל כׇּל הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ לְדָוִד עַבְדּוֹ״ — שֶׁמָּחַל לוֹ עַל אוֹתוֹ עָוֹן. ״וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ״ — דְּאַחֵיל לְהוּ עָוֹן דְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. |
Don Issac Abarbanel, however, claims otherwise.
| Abarbanel on I Kings 8:65 | אברבנאל על מלכים א ח:ס״ה |
| It is possible that on that day [Yom Kippur] they offered peace offerings, like the other days, but didn’t eat from the offerings until the evening. Or, if they ate that day, as per the opinion of the Sages, it was a temporary [halachic] injunction brought down by a Prophet. | אפשר שאותו היום עשו שלמי חגיגה כשאר הימים אבל באותו יום לא אכלו משלמיהם עד הלילה, ואם היה שאכלו אותו היום כדעת חז”ל יהיה הדבר להוראת שעה וע”פ נביא |
With emendations, biblical translations are by Rabbi A. J. Rosenberg and other translations are from Sefaria.org.
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[1] For more, read its Haftarah Helper at https://www.ou.org/holidays/haftarah-helper-sukkot/