We are nearing the end of the Passover festival. This festival is composed of three parts: the first two days, during which a Passover Seder is held (one each night); the middle days, called in Hebrew Chol HaMoed—the mundane aspects of the festival—which are neither ordinary days nor holidays; and finally, the last two days, which are holidays, like the first two, but no special Passover Seders are held.
In this regard, a special characteristic distinguishes these final days. Our sages established, among other rabbinic mitzvot (precepts), the mitzvah of berachot (blessings). They prescribed different blessings for different situations, such as when eating, when giving thanks for a good event, or when praising God.
One of the blessings is the Shehecheyanu, which is a praise to God for giving us life, sustaining us, and bringing us to the good times we are experiencing now. This blessing is recited on each of the holy days, such as Passover, Shavuot, etc. However, unlike the last two days of Sukkot (a festival with a similar structure to Passover), this blessing is not recited on the last two days of Passover. These days have their own names, Shevi'i shel Pesach and Acharon shel Pesach, but our sages did not prescribe the Shehecheyanu blessing for them. Why?.
One explanation is that these last two days of Passover are intrinsically linked to the Geulah—the Final Redemption. The very fact that we cannot recite the Shehecheyanu blessing for the Final Redemption makes us aware that we are in the Diaspora Exile and awakens in us the desire to bring about this Geulah through our good deeds and Torah study.
May the special energy of these last days materialize in the final Redemption, and may we all celebrate together the last days of Passover in Jerusalem with Messiah!