When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special. Last Shabbat celebrated Chag Ha-Matzot; the festival of Matzoh; the festival of our freedom; Passover 5785. The fun continued all week as we counted the Omer through each of the days of Chol HaMoed, culminating in the 7th day of Passover this coming Shabbat.
According to Wikipedia, Chol HaMoed Pesach refers to the intermediate days of Passover. As the name implies, these days mix features of chol (mundane) and moed (festival). On Passover, Chol HaMoed consists of the second day through to the sixth day of the holiday (or the third through to the sixth in the Diaspora). The special mitzvahs for the entire holiday are observed during the Chol HaMoed such as the Pesach prohibition on Chametz.
Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on the 7th day of Passover 5785 for Shabbat, April 19, 2025 aka 21 Nisan 5785:
“What a special day this is! This is the day that the Jewish people crossed the Yam Suf and witnessed the final destruction of Pharaoh’s armies as they were swallowed up in its raging waters..Imagine the scene: you and thousands of others who had just left Egypt after being slaves for hundreds of years- having just seen the miraculous events of the plagues upon the Egyptians – now you are faced with another monumental challenge- to your left, are hundreds of Pharaoh’s finest charioteers who are pursing you at close quarters ready to annihilate you. To your right, the Sea is ready to swallow you up! People are wailing and praying, fearful that the end will be coming soon. Miraculously, one person, Nachshon the son of Aminadav, in an act of sublime faith, jumps into the swirling waters. Moses is commanded to hold up the rod and somehow a huge east wind begins to blow and the entire sea splits into two parts with dry land in between. Everyone begins to follow Nachshon, with walls of water to left and right, and soon all are safe on the opposite shore. As the Egyptians pursue, the walls of water reunite and all the soldiers are drowned in the raging sea. We commemorate these events on the 7th day of Passover by retelling the story and singing Az Yashir- the Song of the Sea.
What does this narrative teach us in modern times? Should we focus on the miracles that G-d performed in order to increase our faith and belief that G-d is with us especially in our most difficult times? Or, should we focus more on the noble actions of Nachshon, who, at the peril of his life, braved the swirling waters, to express his faith as an act of courage? Perhaps, we should focus on the reasons that G-d led us on this path so that we become more cognizant of the role G-d plays in our lives especially in challenging situations?
The answer is that all of these answers are correct. The lesson for all of us is that we must stay focused on our life’s mission, disregarding all obstacles. If we use the Torah as our guide throughout life there are no guarantees that life will occur without serious challenges: health, prosperity, sadness, loss of loved ones, etc, only that Hashem will be with us to provide courage and hope to help us through rough times.
May Hashem always guide us and our faith become stronger and more enduring. May we witness the return of our hostages alive to their families and the end of those who cause pain to our people.
Questions to ponder:
- Many in the Sephardic community celebrate Mimouna at the conclusion of Passover. What is the significance of this holiday?
- Many people have a huge gathering at the conclusion of Passover called Moshiach’s Seuda. What is the significance of this celebration?
- How does the splitting of the sea represent more than just an occurrence of natural events?
- How does the counting of the Omer during this period emphasize the time frame and reasons for our liberation?“
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his smicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
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