The last day of Passover, also known as the eighth day in many communities, holds significance as a celebration of the future redemption, the coming of the Messiah, and the culmination of the Exodus story. It’s viewed as a day of reflection on the past and hope for a brighter future.
Many Jewish traditions associate the last day of Passover with the coming of Moshiach, the Jewish Messiah, who will usher in a new era of peace and redemption.
As Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet comments, “Just as the first day celebrates the redemption from the first exile, the last day celebrates the future redemption from our final state of exile. The two are intimately connected, the beginning and end of one process, with God in the future redemption showing wonders ‘as in the days of your exodus from Egypt’ (Micah 7:15).”
And what a future it is, an era marked by a complete transformation of both society and nature. The ruler, inspired by God’s spirit, will govern not by force, but with “wisdom and insight, counsel and valor, devotion and reverence for God” (Isa. 11:2), exercising “justice for the lowly” (11:4). Previously carnivorous beasts will graze peacefully alongside their former prey, and poisonous snakes will threaten no longer (11:6–8). This dramatic transformation represents nothing less than a new Exodus—from a world filled with warfare, oppression, and suffering to one characterized by wise governance, justice, and peace.
The eighth day of Pesah is an occasion to redirect our gaze from the past to the future, and the haftarah (which some Israelis recite on Yom Ha’atzma’ut) encourages us to envision and yearn for a better, safer, and healthier world. However, as Rabbi Schochet admonishes us, “Our awareness must be translated into action.” We cannot sit idly by and wait for justice and peace to come about on their own. We must strive for them, “confident, unafraid, for God is [our] strength” (Isa. 12:2).
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