Passover’s Seventh Day: A Time for Miracles

As the final day of Passover begins, we reflect on the meaning of this ancient holiday—its miracles, its message, and its modern relevance in light of today’s global and national crises.

Today at Sundown begins the seventh and final day of the Passover festival. This day specifically commemorates one of the most awe-inspiring events in history: the splitting of the sea. 

It was an open miracle. It was a moment where the natural order was overturned in favor of the faithful, and a people enslaved for generations were granted divine deliverance.

Today, we stand in need of a miracle once again.

The Eternal Quest for Truth and Humanity

Since the atrocities of October 7, 2023, a clouded veil has been lifted around the globe. Pain, fear, and loss have forced us to confront uncomfortable truths that many in the world had grown used to avoiding: 

Evil ideologies exist, and that they are alive and active in the hearts of those who have turned their backs on truth, kindness, and ultimately, humanity itself.

The cruelty we are witnessing today is not merely tragic—it is staggering in its scale. Human beings—mothers, children, grandfathers—are still being held hostage, some in deep underground tunnels, enduring torture simply for who they are. 

In this same moment, others are held hostage ideologically, trapped in systems and beliefs rooted in hatred and destruction.

All of this begs the question with urgency:

What does it mean to be free? 

What does it mean to be human?

Today does not mark the first time such darkness has threatened to consume the world. Like many places today, ancient Egypt was also built on the backs of slaves. It was a place where cruelty was law, and power was idolized. 

The Pharaohs believed they were eternal. All powerful. Invincible. But as you and I know so clearly, today, reality has proven otherwise.

One by one, their illusions of control were shattered: their rivers turned to blood. Their bodies rotted with lice and boils. Vermin overtook their homes. Their children died. And in one final blow of divine reckoning, the sea—the very symbol of their “divinity,” swallowed them whole.

The lesson is here, in black and white: 

Empires built on cruelty do not last.

But faith, persistence, and divine justice endure.

The Narrow Path Through History

Those who believed—those who carried the spark of emunah (faith)—walked through the Red Sea via a very narrow canal of history. On either side of them, walls of water held steady.

In front of them, freedom. Behind them, oppression. With each step, they walked into their purpose, their identity, and their sacred mission in this world.

This is the message of the 7th day of Passover. Not just a story of the past, but a blueprint for our moment.

Faith, Kindness, and the Power of Avodah

There’s a powerful Midrash that says the sea didn’t split until Nachshon ben Aminadav stepped into the water—up to his neck. Only when he took that leap of faith did the miracle begin.

Today, we too are called to step forward. Every candle we light, every kind act we perform, every heartfelt prayer and word of truth we speak—these are our steps into the sea.

As Rachel Goldberg-Polin so powerfully reminds us, prayer is not just found in books. It is in the moments of silence between grieving parents. It is in the streets, in the protests, in the private conversations we have in pursuit of justice. It is in the relentless advocacy for freedom for our hostages, for relief for our soldiers, and for the healing of a people and a planet so broken by grief and fear.

In Hebrew, the word Avodah means both work and prayer. We are here to do the work; to do our part, and to partner through faith with God through our Avodah.

A Personal Prayer for the Splitting of the Sea

So today, I offer this personal prayer:

To our Infinitely Good Creator, who sustains and guides all of life—please split the sea again. For those still in bondage. For those aching in loss. For those crying out for their children to return home.

May we merit the miracle. May we walk forward with courage. And may we see, in our days, a world flooded not with fear or blood—but with truth, light, and peace.

This is the meaning of Passover. This is what freedom looks like. And this is what we’re here to build.