Welcome home to Los Angeles!

Starting over. Returning home. Joining a new community. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone! This seder was inspired by all of the transpLAnts that took a risk, dug deep to find the courage to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. We have followed our ancestrors The Israelites (OG transpLAnts) to create a new chapter in our lives.

Passover is a time of inclusion. From the most downtrodden to the most celebrated, the message is clear: everyone is welcome and everyone is necessary. Why is it that we go out of our way to include all at our seder table? Perhaps it is because when we make room for others, we have the opportunity to make room for ourselves as well. 

Perhaps the only way we are able to see ourselves, is when we are truly able to see those around us. This message of inclusion hopes that this reimagined seder offers something for everyone. Sit back and enjoy as we re-imagine our Passover Seder through the lens of LA culture and the idea of having the courage to start fresh.

Thank you for joining us and wishing you a meaningful Passover.

This Haggadah was written with contributions by co-creators:

Danny Bittker

Lindsay Dick

Danielle Kanizo

Mitch Marmon

Powered by NuRoots -  NuRoots mobilizes people in their 20's and 30's to create meaningful Jewish community across LA. 

The seder officially begins with a physical act: lighting the candles.  In Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a time of transition, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning, from ordinary time to sacred time.  Lighting the candles is an important part of our Passover celebration because their flickering light reminds us of the importance of keeping the fragile flame of freedom alive in the world.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with laws and commanded us to light the festival lights.

As we light the festival candles, we acknowledge that as they brighten our Passover table, good thoughts, good words, and good deeds brighten our days.

All Jewish celebrations, from holidays to weddings, include wine as a symbol of our joy – not to mention a practical way to increase that joy. The seder starts with wine and then gives us three more opportunities to refill our cup and drink.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who chose us from all peoples and languages, and sanctified us with commandments, and lovingly gave to us special times for happiness, holidays and this time of celebrating the Holiday of Matzah, the time of liberation, reading our sacred stories, and remembering the Exodus from Egypt. For you chose us and sanctified us among all peoples. And you have given us joyful holidays. We praise God, who sanctifies the people of Israel and the holidays.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
 שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything,
who has kept us alive, raised us up, and brought us to this happy moment.

Drink the first glass of wine!

What's on that plate!? 

The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass over,” because God passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt when visiting plagues upon our oppressors.

The matzah reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was no time to pack or prepare. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake into matzah as they fled.

The bitter herbs provide a visceral reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt.

Traditional                         Meaning                                           Our Seder Plate

Shank                                Sacrifice                                           Watch

Egg                                    Spring                                              Flowers

Celery                                Renewal                                          Avocado

Maror                                 Bitterness                                       Rejection Letter

Charoset                            Slavery                                           Building Blocks

Parsley                               Tears of the slaves                         Phone Charger

Orange                              Inclusion                                            Orange

The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the centrality of involving everyone in the seder. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. If everyone at your seder is around the same age, perhaps the person with the least seder experience can ask them – or everyone can sing them all together.

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילות

Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot?

Why is this night different from all other nights?

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה  הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה  

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah.

On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah.
Tonight we only eat matzah.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror.

On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables,
but tonight we eat bitter herbs.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָֽנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּֽעַם אחָת  הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעמים

Shebichol haleilot ain anu matbilin afilu pa-am echat. Halaila hazeh shtei fi-amim.

On all other nights we aren’t expected to dip our vegetables one time.
Tonight we do it twice.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין.  :הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּֽנוּ מְסֻבין

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin uvein m’subin. Halaila hazeh kulanu m’subin.

On all other nights we eat either sitting normally or reclining.
Tonight we recline.

Turn to your neighbor and ask the following questions:

1. Why are so many people moving here? 

2.  Why is there so much traffic?

3. Why aren't there any seasons?

4. Why can LA seem so big?

What are YOUR  questions? Turn to your neighbor  and discuss these questions.

As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who might react differently to the Passover seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community, so we think about how we might best reach each type of child:

What does the wise child say?

The wise child asks, What are the testimonies and laws which God commanded you?

You must teach this child the rules of observing the holiday of Passover.

What does the wicked child say?

The wicked child asks, What does this service mean to you?

To you and not to himself! Because he takes himself out of the community and misses the point, set this child’s teeth on edge and say to him: “It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.” Me, not him. Had that child been there, he would have been left behind.

What does the simple child say?

The simple child asks, What is this?

To this child, answer plainly: “With a strong hand God took us out of Egypt, where we were slaves.”

What about the child who doesn’t know how to ask a question?

Help this child ask.

Start telling the story:

“It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.”

-

Do you see yourself in any of these children? At times we all approach different situations like each of these children. How do we relate to each of them?

4 Children

 Wise child - LA is the place to be; we all are wise for moving here

 Wicked child - LA can be a scary place at times; it can seem so big and easy to lose yourself

Simple child - LA can be a complex place, filled with dozens of languages, hundreds of communities and millions of people; that complexity can sometimes force people to take the easy route or the simple one

Didn't Ask child - LA has millions of opportunities for everyone to find themselves if you only ask the questions

There's also a 5th presence that some families choose to identify (the narrator) - LA is your community; you are the narrator; narrate your path to successfully living in LA 

4 Types of Transplants:

 The 'dive right in and make your own community' transplant

The 'shy and hold back until I'm comfortable with LA' transplant

The 'homesick and trying to replicate my old life in LA' transplant

The 'slowly but surely finding my place and patiently loving LA' transplant

When did you move to LA?

What has been the biggest challenge?

Where is your LA safe spot?

I haven't been to.....

I loved........

By: Mitch Marmon

Our exodus story for this evening centers on our hero Masha, and her band  The Vassals and their difficult departure from Cedar Rapids, IA to the promised land of the music industry, Los Angeles.  Masha is the lead singer and guitarist, and sisters Miriam and Erin play bass and drums respectively.

Not long after winning a local battle of the bands contest in the summer after Masha graduated from high school, Perry Ramsay, the then new owner of the Abu Cymbal (a bar and music venue in downtown Cedar Rapids, IA) signed the band to a 5 year contract to be the house band.  Masha, had always looked up to Perry when they were growing up. Perry was 5 years Masha’s senior and had been like an older sister to her. Perry had taught her to play her first chords, and once she had seen Masha’s talent for guitar playing and songwriting, she handed down her old beat up acoustic to Masha.  Masha always cherished that guitar and used it to write all the band’s new songs. When Perry signed the band, Masha thought it was the best thing that ever happened to them. Perry’s father had built Abu Cymbal into an institution, a cornerstone of culture in Cedar Rapids. Every touring band that came through Cedar Rapids wanted to play there.  Being the house band seemed like it would be their ticket to a steady career in music.

Masha began to see things different not long after the band started at the club.  She saw a different side to Perry that she had never seen before and had learned that there was a lot more to Perry’s father than she had known.  The Cedar Rapids temple of sound that was Abu Cymbal was built on exploitation and disrespect. Masha found out from the employees that Perry’s father would go on tirades of verbal abuse, refuse time off when reasonable requests were made and would vindictively fire people when he knew it would hurt them most.  

Perry followed her father’s footsteps and began to treat Masha, the person whom she once loved like a little sister, and the rest of the band like dirt.  Perry fancied herself queen of the music scene in town and treated her employees as peons, deserving of no respect.

After about two years of working for Perry, Masha had no idea what to do.  She felt completely stuck. She knew that Perry would sue her and her sisters for all they were worth if they reneged on the contract and that the lawsuit and the aftermath would be a blow that the band might not survive.  

One Saturday evening in the summer after their regular gig at Abu Cymbal, feeling almost completely defeated, Masha decided to go to a bonfire at the animal sanctuary where she volunteered.  The fire was built in the large grazing field meant for the flock of sheep. Masha was able to decompress a bit with her animal loving volunteer friends but still felt defeated as the fire was dying down.  She stayed after everyone left, staring into the flames, meditating for a miracle.

After a while, she noticed headlights pulling up the drive.  It was a Tesla, something that wasn’t too common in Cedar Rapids.  As the car pulled up and the driver stepped out, Masha couldn’t believe her eyes.  It was Allison Mighty, the record producer. She had produced some of Masha’s favorite albums growing up.  Ally Mighty was one of the biggest success stories of Cedar Rapids. She had left the city in her youth and made it huge in the music industry in Los Angeles.

Thinking of nothing else to say, Masha blurted out, “You’re Ally Mighty!  What are you doing here?!” Ally laughed and said, “Looking for you!” Masha was confused and dumbstruck.  Ally waited a second for Masha to gather herself and began to explain. “I’ve heard some of your demos on Soundcloud and I’ve been watching you for a while on social media.  You write all the songs, correct?” Masha nodded yes with wide eyes. “I caught your show tonight. I was tucked away in the corner booth in a wig, so that’s why you didn’t see me.”  Masha couldn’t believe it. “I’ll cut to the chase, because I don’t beat around the bush when it comes to things like this. I want to cut a record with you and your sisters in Los Angeles.”  Masha sad “YES, YES, one thousand times YES. This can’t be real, how is this happening.” Ally responded “Oh it is happening and it is very real Masha. It’s not every day I see an act like yours.  You have a future in music.” Masha’s heart leapt and she was on cloud nine for a second, but she quickly crashed down to reality when she remembered her contract with Perry.

Masha explained the situation to Ally Mighty, contract, abuse of power by Perry, and all.  Ally was dismayed, but not surprised. “Perry sounds a lot like her father. It’s a shame that the apple fell so close to the tree.  I had hoped things would be different when I heard She took over Abu Cymbal. I had a few run ins with Perry’s father back in my youth.  I worked at Abu Cymbal for a few months before I left for L.A. He treated me like human garbage. Don’t you worry about that contract, though Masha.  Abu Cymbal will not stand up to what is going to be thrown at it.”

Masha was perplexed.  “What do you mean,” she asked.  “The venue will go under within 5 months,” Ally responded.  “What? How do you know?” Ally said “You may not believe me right now, but I know because I’ve seen whats going to happen to that place.  A string of incidents will force the venue to close, ten incidents to be precise. You’ll be in L.A. before the new year.”

Masha was a bit uneasy seeing how certain Ally was of herself.  Masha was never one believe in divination or spirituality or anything hocus pocus-y and had always been put off whenever someone started to talk about it.  However, she refrained from judging Ally because of who she was.

“I get visions from time to time,” Ally said.  “I haven’t had one as clear as I do about Abu Cymbal, you, and your band since I experienced the vision of myself leaving Cedar Rapids for L.A. and becoming a producer.  I know you may not trust me now, but let me give you my number and I’ll text you when each incident is about to happen.” They exchanged numbers and said their goodbyes and both went on their way as the final embers of the fire burned out.  

Masha recounted the story of her encounter with Ally at the bonfire to Miriam and Erin.  They were both shocked and in disbelief. As the ten incidents began to plague Abu Cymbal, all three of the sisters quickly developed faith in Ally.  She would text Masha 2 hours before each incident occurred like clockwork with a description of what was going to happen. First the pipes rusted and turned all the water in the venue brown and had to be replaced.  Next, a critically endangered mother frog with her clutch of eggs was found in the water feature in the back patio which caused a judge to order the temporary closing of the venue till the eggs hatched and into tadpoles and could be safely captured and moved to a more suitable home.  After that, a termite infestation was found to have caused extensive damage to the building. Then, a wild bison somehow found it’s way into the venue after hours and went berserk, destroying much of the interior. Next, E. Coli contamination on the romaine lettuce used in the kitchen then caused many people to get sick and sue Abu Cymbal.  Then, an outbreak of staph swept through the employees leading to painful, unsightly boils which caused most of them to be unable to work. A violent ice storm destroyed much of the outer facade of the building. Next, a swarm of the previously-thought-to-be-extinct rocky mountain locust descended on the block where the venue was located. Then, there a series of wiring mishaps lead to a blackout inside the venue that lasted for days, and finally, a pyrotechnics malfunction at a concert caught an onstage curtain on fire and caused the venue to burn to the ground.  

The ten incidents really did a number on Perry Ramsay.  Losing Abu Cymbal made her question her priorities. In the end she decided to sell the property and the business.  She apologized to Masha and her sisters and expressed to them her sorrow that she turned into a tyrant. She then released Masha and her sisters from the contract and apologized for how she had let her father’s legacy corrupt her.  She wished Masha and the band good luck with Ally Mighty in L.A.

Masha, Miriam and Erin left for L.A. free from the oppression of Perry Ramsay and ready to embark on a sure to be illustrious career with Ally Mighty on their side.  

As we rejoice at our deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge that our freedom was hard-earned. We regret that our freedom came at the cost of the Egyptians’ suffering, for we are all human beings made in the image of God. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them.

Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass for a drop for each plague.

These are the ten plagues which God brought down on the Egyptians:

Blood | dam | דָּם

Frogs | tzfardeiya |  צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ

Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים

Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב

Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר

Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין

Hail | barad | בָּרָד

Locusts | arbeh | אַרְבֶּה

Darkness | choshech | חֹֽשֶׁךְ

Death of the Firstborn | makat b’chorot | מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת

The Egyptians needed ten plagues because after each one they were able to come up with excuses and explanations rather than change their behavior. Could we be making the same mistakes? Make up your own list. What are the plagues in your life? What are the plagues in our world today? What behaviors do we need to change to fix them? 

LA 10 Plagues:

1. Traffic

2. Parking Signs

3. Flooding

4. Fire

5. Flakey People

6. Noise Pollution

7. Texting While Driving

8. Earthquakes

9. Cost of Living

10. Superficiality

10 Blessings of LA:

1. Accessibility

2. Sweet Parking Spot

3. Super Bloom

4. Community Coming Together

5. Finding Meaningful Relationships

6. Avocados

7. Old/New Hollywood

8. Weather

9. Healthy Living

10. Diversity of people- place to be!

As all good term papers do, we start with the main idea:

ּעֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ הָיִינו. עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין  

Avadim hayinu hayinu. Ata b’nei chorin.

We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now we are free.

We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and God took us from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. Had God not brought our ancestors out of Egypt, then even today we and our children and our grandchildren would still be slaves. Even if we were all wise, knowledgeable scholars and Torah experts, we would still be obligated to tell the story of the exodus from Egypt.

The plagues and our subsequent redemption from Egypt are but one example of the care God has shown for us in our history. Had God but done any one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu.

אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָֽנוּ מִמִּצְרַֽיִם, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, Dayeinu

If God had only taken us out of Egypt, that would have been enough!

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָֽנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et ha-Torah, Natan lanu et ha-Torah , Dayeinu

If God had only given us the Torah, that would have been enough.

 The complete lyrics to Dayeinu tell the entire story of the Exodus from Egypt as a series of miracles God performed for us. (See the Additional Readings if you want to read or sing them all.)

Dayeinu also reminds us that each of our lives is the cumulative result of many blessings, small and large. 

בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim.

In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt.

The seder reminds us that it was not only our ancestors whom God redeemed; God redeemed us too along with them. That’s why the Torah says “God brought us out from there in order to lead us to and give us the land promised to our ancestors.”

---

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the second glass of wine!

The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה

The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat matzah.

Distribute and eat the top and middle matzah for everyone to eat.

Eating the meal! | shulchan oreich | שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ

Enjoy! But don’t forget when you’re done we’ve got a little more seder to go, including the final two cups of wine!

The Seder's Order by Marge Piercy

The songs we join in

are beeswax candles

burning with no smoke

a clean fire licking at the evening

our voices small flames quivering.

The songs string us like beads

on the hour. The ritual is

its own melody that leads us

where we have gone before

and hope to go again, the comfort

of year after year. Order:

we must touch each base

of the haggadah as we pass,

blessing, handwashing,

dipping this and that. Voices

half harmonize on the brukhahs.

Dear faces like a multitude

of moons hang over the table

and the truest brief blessing:

affection and peace that we make.

Finding and eating the Afikomen | tzafoon | צָפוּן

The playfulness of finding the afikomen reminds us that we balance our solemn memories of slavery with a joyous celebration of freedom. As we eat the afikomen, our last taste of matzah for the evening, we are grateful for moments of silliness and happiness in our lives.

I want to move to LA because....

Are you a religious person?

Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Do you have a favorite number? Any particular reason why you like that number?

Do you have any brothers or sisters? How many?

Do you like to read? Who is your most favorite author?

Do you like to talk on the phone?

Do you like traveling?

Do you think any kind of afterlife exists?

Do you think God exists?

Do you think morals are universal or relative to the beliefs, traditions, and practices of individuals or groups?

Refill everyone’s wine glass.

We now say grace after the meal, thanking God for the food we’ve eaten. On Passover, this becomes something like an extended toast to God, culminating with drinking our third glass of wine for the evening:

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all. Thanks to You, we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for everyone. We praise God, source of food for everyone.

As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise God for the earth and for its sustenance.

Renew our spiritual center in our time. We praise God, who centers us.

May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world. Amen.

The Third Glass of Wine

The blessing over the meal is immediately followed by another blessing over the wine:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the third glass of wine!

Singing songs that praise God | hallel | הַלֵּל

This is the time set aside for singing. Some of us might sing traditional prayers from the Book of Psalms. Others take this moment for favorites like Chad Gadya & Who Knows One, which you can find in the appendix. To celebrate the theme of freedom, we might sing songs from the civil rights movement. Or perhaps your crazy Uncle Frank has some parody lyrics about Passover to the tunes from a musical. We’re at least three glasses of wine into the night, so just roll with it.

Fourth Glass of Wine

As we come to the end of the seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the fourth and final glass of wine! 

The Cup of Elijah

We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder.

In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah at many joyous, hopeful Jewish occasions, such as a baby’s bris and the Passover seder.

אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּיאֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי

בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ

עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד

עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד

Eliyahu hanavi
Eliyahu hatishbi
Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi
Bimheirah b’yameinu, yavo eileinu
Im mashiach ben-David,
Im mashiach ben-David

Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad:
return to us speedily,
in our days with the messiah,
son of David.

Nirtzah   marks the conclusion of the seder. Our bellies are full, we have had several glasses of wine, we have told stories and now it is time for the evening to come to a close. At the end of the seder, we honor the tradition of declaring, “Next year in Jerusalem!”

Though it comes at the end of the seder, this moment also marks a beginning. We are beginning the next season with a renewed awareness of the freedoms we enjoy and the obstacles we must still confront. We are looking forward to the time that we gather together again. We are ready for a future filled with meaning, new adventures and love!

What can  we do to fulfill our reckless dreams? What will be our legacy for future generations?

Our seder is over, according to Jewish tradition. As we had the pleasure to gather for a seder this year, we hope to once again have the opportunity in the years to come.  As we say…

לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָׁלָֽיִם

L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!

Thank you so much for attending! We hope you had fun and can not wait to see you at another NuRoots event soming up soon!