Nirtzah

Nirtzah marks the conclusion of the seder. Traditionally, we conclude with the blessing "Next year in Jerusalem!" It may feel conflicting to say these words today, as Jerusalem has becoming increasingly politicized. Rabbi Katie Mizrahi from the Or Shalom Jewish Community in San Francisco writes beautifully about this issue, so before we say our blessing we will read her words:

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How can I say “next year in Jerusalem” after an Israeli election full of fearmongering and hate? An election many say has buried the prospect of peace and democracy if not the long-term viability of a Jewish or a Palestinian state? Would I really want to live in today’s Jerusalem, where the religious right declares me not to be a rabbi, because they do not like rabbis to come in female bodies? In 2019, can I still say “next year in Jerusalem”?

For me, the answer is yes. I do still want to be part of it, broken though it may be. I refuse to relinquish the sacred symbolic language or ideals of my people to those who would corrupt them with narrow, fear-based politics. I refuse to let religious extremists “own” Jerusalem or define Judaism. And still I hold out hope that the heavenly Jerusalem can yet manifest in that earthly city I hold so dear.

But when I say, “next year in Jerusalem” on Passover, I will also have Jeremiah in my heart. And I will be praying, with all my soul, that the Jewish people can yet mend our ways and prove ourselves worthy of the great gift and responsibility of sovereignty with which our generation has been entrusted.

When I say these words at my seder this week, this is what I will mean:

Next year in Jerusalem, may there be peace and justice for all who dwell there. Next year in Jerusalem, may there be hope, may there be love. Next year in Jerusalem, may there be freedom — for Jews, for Muslims, for Christians, for people of all faiths. Next year, may my small life in some real way, move the earthly Jerusalem closer to its heavenly potential.

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L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim

Everyone together: Next year in Jerusalem!


haggadah Section: Nirtzah