A message from the Rebbe for Shvi'i shel Pesach — and for right now
By Moshe Gorin
Gorin HaChaim
Astronauts circling the Moon. War deadlines ticking. It's the 7th night of Passover. What's the message?
Right now, four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II are on their historic mission around the Moon — the first humans to venture beyond low Earth orbit in over half a century. At the same time, an escalating war between the US, Israel, and Iran has the world on edge, with millions of lives in the balance and diplomatic deadlines passing by the hour.
And tonight, Jews around the world are marking Shvi'i shel Pesach — the seventh day of Passover — which commemorates one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah: the splitting of the sea.
The connection runs deeper than you might think.
According to the Midrash, when the Jewish people stood trapped between the Egyptian army and the sea, nobody moved. The tribes argued about what to do. Then Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Yehudah jumped into the waves — and only when the water threatened to engulf him did the sea finally split.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that what made Nachshon's act extraordinary wasn't just courage. When he plunged into the sea, he wasn't thinking about himself — not about survival, not even about spiritual fulfillment. He was focused on one thing only: G-d's command to reach the Giving of the Torah at Sinai. Nothing, not even an ocean, could stand between him and the mission.
The Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe of Chabad, remarked that Shvi'i shel Pesach is the "Rosh Hashanah of Mesiras Nefesh" — each year, this day renews our capacity for selfless dedication.
The message of Nachshon is simple: when the sea rages, don't wait for conditions to be perfect. Forget yourself. Focus on the mission. The sea will split.
Chag Sameach
Sources & Further Reading
The Rebbe on Nachshon & Shvi'i shel Pesach (adapted from Likkutei Sichos Vol. 1 & Vol. 3): chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/151040
Nachshon ben Aminadav: The Man Who Jumped Into the Sea (Chabad.org): chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2199147
Sotah 37a — Talmudic account of Nachshon entering the sea (Sefaria): sefaria.org/Sotah.37a
Bamidbar Rabbah 13:7 — Midrash on Nachshon and the waves (Sefaria): sefaria.org/Bamidbar_Rabbah.13.7
Likkutei Sichos audio shiur: Shvi'i shel Pesach, Vol. 3 (Chabad.org): chabad.org/multimedia/audio_cdo/aid/1832821
Shvi'i shel Pesach — Rosh Hashanah of Mesiras Nefesh (ShulchanAruchHarav.com): shulchanaruchharav.com/shevii-and-achron-shel-pesach-summary-of-laws
The Rebbe on Nachshon's mesiras nefesh — Sicha from 5751 (Chabad.org): chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/2487582
NASA Artemis II Mission: nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii
