A created being can move its Creator only because G‑d bound Himself, by an oath above reason, to the love hidden in every Jew; the festivals and daily Torah study draw that power down, and on Shemini Atzeres the encompassing light of Sukkos is gathered inward to empower every mitzvah of the year.
ביום השמיני עצרת תהיה לכם. הנה כתיב שמאלו תחת לראשי וימינו תחבקני. להבין מהו תחת לראשי.
“On the eighth day, there shall be an atzeres (assembly) for you.” Now, it is written, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.” [We need] to understand what “under my head” means.
ExplanationThe maamar opens with the Torah’s verse on Shemini Atzeres, the eighth day that follows the seven days of Sukkos. It pairs it with a verse from the Song of Songs, which Chassidus reads as the embrace between G‑d and the Jewish people, and asks what it means that the left hand is “under my head.”