Next Year In... It is traditional to end a seder with L’shanah ha-ba’ah b’Yerushalayim—Next Year in Jerusalem! The call speaks to a feeling of exile which characterized the Jewish Diaspora for centuries. How might we understand this today? A close look at the word Yerushalayim suggests an answer. The name can be read as deriving from Ir Shalem (“City of Wholeness”) or Ir Shalom (“City of Peace”). No matter where we are or what our politics, we all slip into exile from the state of wholeness and unity which only connection with our Source can provide. Next year, wherever we are, may we be whole and at peace.


haggadah Section: Nirtzah
Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach