HAFTARA: THE CONCLUSION OF THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE The haftara for Shemini Atzeret describes the end of the ceremony of the dedication of the Temple, conceived by David, and built under the direction of Solomon his son. The celebration lasted for two weeks, the first of which was the dedication itself, while the second took place on Sukkot. The sense of closure must have been immense. Sukkot reminded the people of the years when their ancestors wandered the desert without house or home. Now, some 480 years later (I Kings 6:1), they had a land, a king, a capital city, Jerusalem, and finally a Temple, the visible home of the Divine Presence in the midst of the nation. They must have felt that the journey had been completed: they had arrived at their destination. Solomon did what the great Jewish leaders of the biblical age always did at key moments in the life of the nation: he told the story of the people thus far, recalling its history, emphasizing the decisive role of God in the shape and outcome of events, His faithfulness to the covenant, and the way in which all His promises to the patriarchs and to Moses have come true. This is history through the eyes of faith, and it represents a profound moralization of politics.