By Rabbi Alberto Sermoneta
The seventh day of Pesach is perhaps the most important of the festival.
It is called by rabbinic tradition YOM HA EMUNAH - THE DAY OF FAITH.
Indeed, it commemorates the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and the death of all the soldiers of the Egyptian army, who pursued the people after they left Egypt.
In the verse that precedes the shirat ha jam – the Song of the Sea, which we will read tomorrow morning together with the Torah passage that recounts it, we find written:
"Vajaaminu bA' uv Moshè avdò, az jashir Moshè uvnè Israel et ha shirà ha zot... - And they put their trust in the Lord and in Moses His servant, then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song...".
Trust in G-d is fundamental in our life, but even more important is trust in a leader who, like Moses, guided the people towards freedom.
There is a characteristic of the festival of Pesach: despite its great importance, we recite the complete Hallel only on the first two days and the first two evenings, during the seder, whilst for all the other days we recite it incomplete.
The explanation for this comes from a Midrash, which recounts that, after the crossing of the Red Sea the malakhim (the divine angels) began to sing the praises of G-d; to this the Lord said:
"My children (referring to the Egyptians, who are still children of G-d) have died and you sing My praises?
For this reason, as a sign of mourning for the Egyptians, in the final six days of Pesach we do not recite the complete Hallel.
Moadim le simchà