Passover · Day 7

The Seventh Day of Passover falls on 21 Nisan and closes the seven-day festival observed in Israel. Jewish tradition connects this day with the Israelites’ passage through the sea and their deliverance from Pharaoh’s forces, a narrative read in the Torah during morning services. It is distinct from the intermediate days of Passover: those days may bring school vacations and reduced office schedules, but they are not all statutory rest days.

Israeli law identifies both the first and seventh days of Passover as legal holidays. The seventh day begins at sunset on 20 Nisan, while the calendar entry marks the following civil daytime. Government offices and many businesses close, and Jewish-festival restrictions can substantially reduce transport and services in many places. Outside Israel, an additional eighth festival day is widely observed; Israel’s national calendar ends the festival after day seven. The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, so this Gregorian date is for planning. Israel’s official annual calendar and any employer, school or municipal notice should be checked before fixed travel or work arrangements.

The closing day has a quieter character than the opening Seder night. Synagogue readings focus on the Song at the Sea, families complete festival meals without chametz, and some communities gather for study or song before ordinary routines return after nightfall. Employees from non-Jewish religious communities may choose their own community holidays rather than Jewish festival dates under applicable employment arrangements, so a national closure pattern should not be confused with identical personal religious observance.