Seventh Day of Passover (2026)

Seventh Day of Passover

Dvar Torah - Embracing the Point of No ReturnOn the seventh day of Passover, we stand at the shore of the Red Sea, commemorating perhaps the greatest miracle of our nation. Yet, a cursory glance at any map reveals a puzzling truth: the Israelites took the long way. The coastal road to the Promised Land was shorter and more direct, so why detour into a dead end?

The Torah addresses this outright, explaining that Hashem feared the people would retreat at the first sign of conflict. Slavery, it turns out, is a bondage with two locks—one held by the master, and the other by the slave themself. To someone born into slavery and knows nothing else, it is easy to fall into the trap of romanticizing our familiar sorrows rather than face the unknown.

By leading them to the water’s edge, G-d was forming more than a miracle; He was establishing a point of no return. As the sea parted and then crashed closed behind them, the bridge to the past dissolved. The Israelites weren't just fleeing Egypt; they were being forced to leave their bondage behind there – enabling us to receive the Torah and live our destiny.

It is possible that in the landscape of our own lives, we eventually reach these same shores. We face transitions that require more than a tentative step—they demand an uncompromising leap. To truly elevate ourselves and grow, we must occasionally burn the ships that would carry us back to our lesser selves. At these junctures we pray for the courage to stop looking behind us, and like our ancestors, simply jump in.

Chag in/out timesYerushalayim 18:23/19:40Tel-Aviv 18:43/19:42Kiryat Shmona 18:32/19:41London 19:26/20:39NYC 19:09/20:11Toronto 19:34/20:38Los Angeles 19:01/19:59

(note that the Festival concludes on Thursday night in all geographies outside Israel)

Chag Sameach!

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