The requirements of living in a sukkah and of waving the four species (Hebr. arba minim) are no longer binding during Shemini Atzeret. The central place is occupied by the Rain Prayer – recited already at the time of the Jerusalem Temple – for winter rainfall in Israel, of paramount importance for the spring harvest. The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which poses questions about the meaning and purpose of human existence, is read on this day.