I apologize. This post should have been on March 27, the first day of Passover and the day of the Passover Seder. Passover began on March 27 and will end on April 4. I am not Jewish, so don’t always remember the dates. However, my sister Julie’s family in the photo is Jewish, and they are celebrating the Seder meal. I have been to a Passover Seder meal once before. I was a Methodist church youth sponsor, and we held a Seder meal so the youth could learn more about the Jewish religion. Not sure how authentically Jewish it was since Christians organized it, but it was a learning experience. I do remember that I really liked the charoset, a sweet fruit-and-nut dish — usually made with apples and walnuts. There is a lot of symbolism in the food of the Passover Seder. Let’s learn more about it.
According to Wikipedia, the Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar i.e., at the start of the 15th; a Hebrew day begins at sunset. The day falls in late March or in April of the Gregorian calendar, and the Passover lasts for seven days in Israel and eight days outside Israel. Jews generally observe one or two seders: in Israel, one seder is observed on the first night of Passover; many Jewish diaspora communities hold a seder also on the second night. The seder is a ritual performed by a community or by multiple generations of a family, involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. This story is in the Book of Exodus or Shemot in the Hebrew Bible. The seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" (Exodus 13:8) Traditionally, families and friends gather in the evening to read the text of the Haggadah, an ancient work derived from the Mishnah or Pesahim 10). The Haggadah contains the narrative of the Israelite exodus from Egypt, special blessings and rituals, commentaries from the Talmud and special Passover songs.
Seder customs include telling the story, discussing the story, drinking four cups of wine, eating matza, partaking of symbolic foods placed on the Passover Seder plate and reclining in celebration of freedom. The Seder is the most commonly celebrated Jewish ritual, performed by Jews all over the world.
Overview Kiddush קדש – recital of Kiddush blessing and drinking of the first cup of wine. Kiddush, literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Additionally, the word refers to a small repast held on Shabbat or festival mornings after the prayer services and before the meal.The Torah refers to two requirements concerning Shabbat – to "keep it" and to "remember it" — shamor and zakhor. Jewish law therefore requires that Shabbat be observed in two respects. One must "keep it" by refraining from 39 forbidden activities or 39 Melachot, and one must "remember it" by making special arrangements for the day, and specifically through the kiddush ceremony. Reciting kiddush before the meal on the eve of Shabbat and Jewish holidays is thus a commandment from the Torah, as it is explained by the Oral Torah. Reciting kiddush before the morning meal on Shabbat and holidays is a requirement of rabbinic origin. Kiddush is not usually recited at the third meal on Shabbat, although Maimonides was of the opinion that wine should be drunk at this meal as well. Kiddush rituals To honor the mitzvan of reciting kiddush, a silver goblet is often used, although any cup can suffice. The cup must hold a revi’it of liquid. A revi’it is between 5.46 fluid ounces per Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz and 3.07 fluid ounces per Rabbi Avraham Chaim Naeh. After the person reciting the kiddush drinks from the wine, the rest of it is passed around the table or poured out into small cups for the other participants. Alternatively, wine is poured for each of the participants before kiddush.
Before reciting kiddush, the challah, which will be the next food item eaten in honor of the Shabbat or holiday, is first covered with a cloth. According to Halakha, the blessing over bread takes precedence to the blessing over wine. However, in the interests of beginning the meal with kiddush, the challah is covered to "remove" it from the table. Some do not have the challah on the table at all during kiddush. Some interpret the covering of the challah allegorically, explaining that if we are supposed to go out of our way to protect even an inanimate object (the bread) from being "insulted" by the blessing over wine taking precedence, then certainly we must go out of our way to display sensitivity toward the feelings of other people.
Wine or grape juice may be used for kiddush. The Talmud permits the use of unfermented fresh grape juice for sacramental use. While later legal codes have expressed a preference for wine, traditional and orthodox communities generally permit the use of grape juice in place of wine for blessings and rituals. During the 17th century, because of blood libels, David HaLevi Segal "issued a Passover ruling ... that the traditional red wine used at the Seders be substituted with white wine in lands of persecution in order to not arouse suspicion." On Friday night kiddush may be recited over the challah; the blessing over bread is substituted for the blessing over wine. In that case, the ritual hand-washing normally performed prior to consuming the challah is done before the recitation of kiddush. German Jews follow this procedure even if wine is present. If there is only sufficient wine or grape juice for one kiddush, it should be used for the Friday night kiddush. In many synagogues, kiddush is recited on Friday night at the end of services. This kiddush does not take the place of the obligation to recite kiddush at the Friday night meal. When recited in a synagogue, the first paragraph — Genesis 2:1–3 — is omitted. The text of the Friday night kiddush begins with a passage from Genesis 2:1–3, as a testimony to God's creation of the world and cessation of work on the seventh day. Some people stand during the recital of these Biblical verses even if they sit for kiddush, since according to Jewish law testimony must be given standing. There are different customs regarding sitting or standing while reciting kiddush depending on communal and family tradition. Some Hasidic and Sephardic Jews pour small amounts of water into the wine before kiddush on Friday night. This is done either to commemorate the old custom of "mixing of the wine" in the days when wine was too strong to be drunk without dilution or to infuse the wine with the quality of mercy which is symbolized by water. Since the Shabbat morning kiddush is rabbinically rather than biblically mandated, it has a lesser status than the Friday night kiddush. Its name Kiddusha Rabba or "The Great Kiddush," first mentioned in the Talmud, is euphemistic. There are different versions for the kiddush on Sabbath morning, and it is generally shorter than the Friday night kiddush. Originally, this kiddush consisted only of the blessing over the wine. Later, additional verses related to Shabbat were added. However, there are a wide variety of customs as to which verse are recited, and in some liberal congregations no verses at all are recited.
Urchatz ורחץ – the washing of the hands
In Judaism, netilat yadayim is the washing of the hands with a cup. According to the editors of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, the phrase netilat yadaim referring to washing of the hands, literally "lifting of the hands," is derived either from Psalm 134:2 or from the Greek word natla, in reference to the jar of water used. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that many historic Jewish writers — and particularly the Pharisees — took it to mean that water had to be poured out onto uplifted hands, and that they could not be considered clean until water had reached the wrist. The Christian New Testament states that in Jesus' time, "Pharisees, and all the Jews" would not eat until they had washed their hands to the wrist, and it was noteworthy that Jesus and his followers did not wash.”
Karpas כרפס – dipping of the karpas in salt water
Karpas is one of the traditional rituals in the Passover Seder. It refers to the vegetable — usually parsley or celery — that is dipped in liquid, usually salt water, and eaten. Other customs are to use raw onion or boiled potato. Some say the word comes from the Greek karpos meaning a fresh raw vegetable. It is more likely though that it is related to the Farsi "karafs" meaning celery. The standard pronunciation karpas may be a corruption which developed due to a misidentification between this and a similar word found in Esther 1:6 which means fine linen, originally though it was pronounced "karafs." The karpas is traditionally placed on the seder plate on the left side, below the roasted egg. The liquid is usually salt water or wine vinegar. The idea behind the salt water is to symbolize the salty tears that the Jews shed in their slavery in Egypt.
One reason given for dipping a vegetable into salt water is to provoke children to ask about it, as per the theme of the Seder night that the story is to be recounted by way of question and answer. Dipping a vegetable prior to the main meal is not usually done at other occasions, and thus arouses the curiosity of the children. There is a second ceremonial dipping later in the Seder, when maror is dipped into the charoset. Hence one of the Four Questions, traditionally sung by the youngest at the Seder table, asks why "on all other nights we do not dip vegetables even once, on this night, we dip twice."
Some have explained the dipping of the karpas into salt water to symbolize Joseph's tunic being dipped into blood by his brothers. Karpas is therefore done at the beginning of the seder, just as Joseph's tunic being dipped into blood began the Israelites' descent to Egypt. Indeed, the Greek word 'karpos' is very similar to the Hebrew loan word from Old Persian 'karpas' meaning fine linen. The second dipping some say reminds us of the dipping of hyssop into lambs’ blood and painted on the doorposts, so the angel of death would pass over that house.
Yachatz יחץ – breaking the middle matzo; the larger piece becomes the afikoman
According to Getzel Davis’ April 7, 2017 article “Yachatz – Breaking Our Hearts” at huffpost.com, Yachatz is one essential steps of the Passover Seder that many of us speed through. During yachatz, we break the middle of our three matzahs, take the larger of the broken halves and hide it as the afikoman. Many know the tradition of having children search for the afikoman at the end of the meal, for we cannot complete the Seder until the afikoman is found.
In the mystical tradition, the middle matzah symbolizes the heart. It is broken by living amid the injustices in the world and witnessing so much suffering. In life, most of the time, we are unable to focus clearly on our heartbreak. It simply hurts too much, and there is so much wrong. Instead, we cover it over, and just try to move on. On Passover, as part of our freedom ritual, we reconnect with our own broken heartedness. It is only from this connected place that we can begin to envision a perfected righteous world.
Sometimes, we adults are unable to reconnect with our broken hearts. That is what the role of children is at the Seder. Children or our inner children not only are tasked with the important job of asking questions at the Seder, but also asked to seek out and find the afikoman. It is only then that we can move forward and sing the Halleluyah psalms that conclude the Seder. It takes the energy and open heart of a child to question the status quo and to reconnect us with what our hearts most yearn for. It is only from that place of wholeness that we and our world can truly become free.
Maggid מגיד – re-telling the Passover story, including the recital of "the four questions" and drinking of the second cup of wine
According to Wikipedia, Ma Nishtana are the first two words in a phrase meaning "Why is tonight different from all other nights?" The phrase appears at the beginning of each line of The Four Questions, traditionally asked via song by the youngest capable child attending Passover Seder.
The questions are included in the Haggadah — Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder — as part of the Maggid section. The questions originate in the Mishna, Pesachim 10:4, but are quoted differently in the Jerusalem and Babylonia Talmuds. The Jerusalem Talmud only records three questions; why foods are dipped twice as opposed to once, why matzah is eaten and why the meat sacrifice is eaten exclusively roasted. The last question is a reference to the paschal sacrifice which was fire-roasted. The Babylonian Talmud quotes four questions; why matzah is eaten, why maror (bitter herbs) is eaten, why meat is eaten exclusively roasted and why food is dipped twice. The version in the Jerusalem Talmud is also the one most commonly found in manuscripts. As the paschal sacrifice was not eaten after the destruction of the temple, the question about the meat was dropped. The Rambam and Saadia Gaon both add a new question to the liturgy to replace it: "why do we recline on this night?" Ultimately, the question of reclining was maintained, in part to create a parallelism between the number of questions and the other occurrences of the number four in the Hagaddah.
The following text is that which is recorded in the original printed Haggadah, translated into English.
Why is this night different from all the other nights?;
That in all other nights we do not dip vegetables even once, on this night, we dip twice?
That on all other nights we eat both chametz and matzah, on this night, we eat only matzah?
That on all other nights we eat many vegetables, on this night, maror?
That in all other nights some eat and drink sitting with others reclining, but on this night, we are all reclining?
Rachtzah רחצה – second washing of the hands
According to the article “Rachtzah – wash your hands again” at Chabad.org, you fill a cup with water. Pour the water to cover your right hand. Repeat. Repeat again. Ditto for your left hand. Say the blessing. "Blessed be You, Lord our God, King of the World, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands." Dry your hands.
It means as long as we live in this world, freedom remains elusive: While moving forward, we are free. Stop, and we are bound and fettered again.
That is why freedom is something you cannot buy nor steal. Never can you put freedom in your purse and say, “Freedom is mine forever!”
For freedom is a marriage: Freedom is the bond of our finite selves with the infinite, the power to transcend the world while working inside it. It is a marriage of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, soul and body. And like any marriage, it is kept alive only by constant renewal. Like the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea, suspended in its state of paradox by a continuous, otherworldly force.
Yet, in our exodus, we were granted eternal freedom. Not because we were released from slavery. But because we were given the power to perpetually transcend.
That’s the order of the Seder: Kadesh/Urchatz, Transcend and Purify. Over and over. Rise higher, then draw that into deeds. Rise higher again, then draw that down even more. Never stop rising higher. Never stop applying.
Motzi מוציא, Matzo מצה – blessing before eating matzo
According to Wikipedia, matzo, matzah, or matza is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz — leaven and five grains that, per Jewish Law, are self-leavening — is forbidden.
As the Torah recounts, God commanded the Israelites — modernly, Jews and Samaritans — to eat only unleavened bread during the seven-day Passover festival. Matzo can be either soft like a pita loaf or crispy. Only the crispy variety is produced commercially because soft matzo has a very short shelf life. Matzo meal is crispy matzo that has been ground to a flour-like consistency. Matzo meal is used to make matzo balls, the principal ingredient of matzo ball soup. Sephardic Jews typically cook with matzo itself rather than matzo meal.
Matzo that is kosher for Passover is limited in Ashkenazi tradition to plain matzo made from flour and water. The flour may be whole grain or refined grain, but must be made from one of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, rye or oat. Some Sephardic communities allow matzo to be made with eggs and/or fruit juice to be used throughout the holiday.
There are numerous explanations behind the symbolism of matzo. One is historical: Passover is a commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The Biblical narrative relates that the Israelites left Egypt in such haste they could not wait for their bread dough to rise; the bread, when baked, was matzo. (Exodus 12:39). The other reason for eating matzo is symbolic: On the one hand, matzo symbolizes redemption and freedom, but it is also lechem oni, "poor man's bread." Thus, it serves as a reminder to be humble and to not forget what life was like in servitude. Also, leaven symbolizes corruption and pride as leaven "puffs up." Eating the "bread of affliction" is both a lesson in humility and an act that enhances the appreciation of freedom.
Another explanation is that matzo has been used to replace the pesach or the traditional Passover offering that was made before the destruction of the Temple. During the Seder, the third time the matzo is eaten it is preceded with the Sephardic rite, "zekher l'korban pesach hane'ekhal al hasova." This means "remembrance of the Passover offering, eaten while full." This last piece of the matzo eaten is called afikoman and many explain it as a symbol of salvation in the future.
The Passover Seder meal is full of symbols of salvation, including the closing line, "Next year in Jerusalem," but the use of matzo is the oldest symbol of salvation in the Seder.
Maror מרור – eating of the maror
Maror refers to the bitter herbs eaten at the Passover Seder in keeping with the Biblical commandment "with bitter herbs they shall eat it." (Exodus 12:8). According to the Haggadah, the traditional text which is recited at the Seder and which defines the Seder's form and customs, the maror symbolizes the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. The following verse from the Torah underscores that symbolism: "And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and with bricks and with all manner of labor in the field; any labor that they made them do was with hard labor" (Exodus 1:14).
Maror is one of the foods placed on the Passover Seder Plate, and there is a rabbinical requirement to eat maror at the Seder. Chazeret is used for the requirement called korech, in which the maror is eaten together with matzo. There are various customs about the kinds of maror placed at each location.
During the Seder, each participant recites a specific blessing over the maror and eats it. It is first dipped into the charoset — a brown, pebbly mixture which symbolizes the mortar with which the Israelites bound bricks for the Egyptians. The excess charoset is then shaken off and the maror is eaten.
The halakha or Jewish law prescribes the minimum amount of maror that should be eaten to fulfill the mitzvah — a kazayis or kezavit, literally meaning the volume of an olive — and the amount of time in which it should be consumed. To fulfill the obligation, the flavor of the maror must be unadulterated by cooking or preservatives, such as being soaked in vinegar.
The Mishnah specifies five types of bitter herbs eaten on the night of Passover: ḥazzeret or lettuce, ʿuleshīn or endive/chicory, temakha, ḥarḥavina — possibly melilot or Eryngium creticum, a species of flowering plant native to Israel and maror, likely sowthistle. The most common vegetables currently used as bitter herbs are horseradish and romaine lettuce.
Koreich כורך – eating of a sandwich made of matzo and maror
According to Dovid Zaklokowski’s article “Hillel’s Passover Sandwich: A Dose of Positivity” at Chabad.org, the great sage Hillel did not eat the bitter herbs separately. Nor did he eat the matzah alone. Hillel lived at the time of the Holy Temple, when eating the Passover sacrifice was a part of the Passover obligations. Instead of eating the three foods separately — matzah, bitter herbs, meat from the sacrifice — he would make a sandwich combining the three and eat it while reclining. To commemorate Hillel’s sandwich or “korech,” Jews do the same today, eating the Hillel sandwich minus the meat while reclining.
Symbolized in the sandwich is Hillel’s positive approach to all the hardships in his life.
The sandwich is a comprised of matzah and bitter herbs. Matzah is the thin bread that represents the freedom we have been granted, as opposed to being slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt. Inside the two pieces of matzah we place the bitter herbs, symbolizing life’s hardships.
Hillel viewed the bitter parts of his life — particularly the hardships of poverty that God bestowed upon him — positively. So, while his life appeared difficult, he was able to understand that it was God’s will and, ultimately, for a good reason. Therefore, he placed the bitterness or bitter herbs inside the freedom or matzah and ate it while reclining.
Shulchan oreich שלחן עורך – literally "set table" – the serving of the holiday meal
As pictured in photo:
1. Zeroa — lamb shankbone/chicken wing or neck 2. Beitza — roasted hard-boiled egg 3. Maror/Chazeret — horseradish 4. Maror/Charzeret — onion 5. Charoset 6. Karpas — parsley
According to the article “Shulchan Orech – The Festive Meal” at Chabad.org, it's customary to begin the meal with the hard-boiled egg that was on your Seder Plate (commemorating the festival offering), dipped in salt water. A boiled egg is a sign of mourning. On every festive occasion, we remember to mourn for the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem.
It means we’ve escaped Egypt and reached a higher vision. And then we start the process again — on a higher level.
Because freedom consists of more than escape. Complete freedom is when you can turn around and liberate all the elements of your world from their pure material state and make them transcendent as well.
That’s what we do when we eat every day; we take foods which grow from the earth, say a blessing over them and bring them into our journey as human beings. And when it’s Shabbos or another Jewish holiday, we elevate them further, into the realm of pure spirituality.
Tzafun צפון – eating of the afikomen
Afikoman, meaning "that which comes after" or "dessert" is a half-piece of matzo which is broken in two during the early stages of the Passover Seder and set aside to be eaten as a dessert after the meal.
Based on the Mishnah in Pesahim 119b, the afikoman is a substitute for the Passover sacrifice, which was the last thing eaten at the Passover Seder during the eras of the First and Second Temples and during the period of the Tabernacle. The Talmud states that it is forbidden to have any other food after the afikoman, so that the taste of the matzo that was eaten after the meal remains in the participants' mouths. Since the destruction of the Temple and the discontinuation of the Korban Pesach, Jews eat a piece of matzo now known as afikomen to finish the Passover Seder meal.
Customs around the afikoman vary, though they often share the common purpose of keeping children awake and alert during the Seder until the afikoman is eaten. Following Ashkenazi customs, the head of household may hide the afikoman for the children to find, or alternatively, the children may steal the afikoman and ransom it back. Chabad tradition discourages stealing the afikoman lest it lead to bad habits. Following Mizrahi customs, the afikoman may be tied in a sling to a child's back for the duration of the Seder.
The Babylonian Talmud explains that the word "afikoman" derives from the Greek word for "dessert," the last thing eaten at a meal. The Jerusalem Talmud, however, derives the word afikoman from epikomion, meaning "after-dinner revelry" or "entertainment." It was the custom of Romans and Greeks to move from one party or banquet to another. The halakha prohibiting anything else being eaten after the afikoman therefore enjoins Jews to distinguish their Passover Seder from the pagan rituals of other nations.
The custom of hiding the afikoman so that the children at the Seder will "steal" it and demand a reward for it is based on the following Gemara: Rabbi Eliezer says that one should "grab the matzos" so that the children won't fall asleep.
The Haggadah Otzar Divrei HaMeforshim cites several other reasons for the custom of stealing the afikoman. According to Mekor Chaim – Chavos Yair, this custom demonstrates love for the mitzvah of afikoman. Rabbi Menashe Klein, the Ungvar Rebbe, says that this custom is a re-enactment of the Biblical account of Jacob stealing the blessings that were supposed to go to his brother Esau. Midrash Pliah says that Isaac told Esau, "Your brother came with trickery" (Genesis 27:35), adding, "and he took out the afikoman." According to the Midrash, this account took place on Passover. Therefore, the children steal the afikoman to get the blessings, which are the presents that they ask their fathers to buy for them.
After the meal and customary desserts, the leader of the Seder distributes pieces of the afikoman to each guest. If there is not enough to go around, additional pieces of matzo may be added to each person's portion of afikoman.
Jewish law prescribes that an olive-sized piece of matzo be eaten to fulfill the mitzvah of eating the afikoman. Many people eat an additional, olive-sized piece of matzo together with it. The first piece of matzo commemorates the Korban Pesach or Paschal lamb, whose meat was eaten at the very end of the festive Seder meal in the days that the Temple stood. The second piece commemorates the matzo that was eaten together with the meat of the Paschal Lamb in the days of the Temple, in fulfillment of the Torah commandment, "They shall eat [the Passover lamb] together with matzo and maror" (Exodus 12:8). Like the eating of the matzo earlier in the Seder, the afikoman is eaten while reclining to the left. In some Orthodox Jewish circles, women and girls do not lean.
According to Jewish law, the afikoman must be consumed before midnight, just as the Korban Pesach was eaten before midnight during the days of the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus, if the Seder is running late with much singing and discussion of the themes of the Exodus from Egypt, families may have to shorten the meal segment of the Seder and proceed quickly to the afikoman.
After the eating of the afikoman, no other food may be eaten for the rest of the night, other than the last two cups of wine at the Seder and coffee, tea or water.
Bareich ברך – blessing after the meal and drinking of the third cup of wine
According to the article “Passover: The Seder” at jewishvirtuallibrary.org, the third cup of wine is poured, and grace after meals is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any Sabbath. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk. The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald the Messiah, and is supposed to come on Passover to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point — supposedly for Elijah, but historically because Jews were accused of nonsense like putting the blood of Christian babies in matzah, and we wanted to show our Christian neighbors that we weren’t doing anything unseemly.
According to the article “Barech – Blessing after the meal” at hebrew4christians.com, a typical blessing is:
Blessed are you, LORD our God, master of the universe, Who nourishes the whole world in goodness, with grace, kindness, and compassion. He gives bread to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever. And through his great goodness, we have never lacked, nor will we lack food forever, for the sake of His great Name. For He is God, who nourishes and sustains all, and does good to all, and prepares food for all His creatures which He created. Blessed are You, LORD, who nourishes all. Amen.
Note that Jews normally do not say grace before meals as Christians do, but rather after they have eaten; they do not “bless” the food either, but rather acknowledge that God is the One who provides for their sustenance.
Hallel הלל – recital of the Hallel, traditionally recited on festivals; drinking of the fourth cup of wine
According to Wikipedia, Hallel is a Jewish prayer, a verbatim recitation from Psalms 113-118 which is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as an act of praise and thanksgiving.
According to Rabbi David Silber’s article “Hallel at the Seder” at myjewishlearning.com, the Hallel we recite at the seder and in holiday prayers is called “the Egyptian Hallel” not only because of the explicit reference to Israel leaving Egypt in Psalm 114, but also because the historical Exodus story and the experience of personal redemption are predominant motifs throughout the passages.
In the Biblical text itself, the Israelites do not pray to God in response to their suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. The Israelites “groan” when their labor is intensified and “cry out” when they cannot bear the oppression (Exodus 2:23), and God responds to these cries of pain (2:23-25); but they are not expressions of prayer. Lack of voice and personal agency is a fundamental feature of slavery that precludes prayer. Remarkably, by the end of the story, the People of Israel are able to sing – to tell of their experiences, to express their gratitude, to articulate their hopes –which is the ultimate mark of freedom.
Nirtzah נירצה – say "Next Year in Jerusalem!"
L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim, literally "Next Year in Jerusalem," is a phrase that is often sung at the end of the Passover Seder and at the end of the Ne’ila service on Yom Kippur. Its use during Passover was first recorded by Isaac Tyrnau in his 15th century CE book cataloging the Minhaggim of various Ashkenazi communities.
L'Shana Haba'ah evokes a common theme in Jewish culture of a desire to return to a rebuilt Jerusalem, and commentators have suggested that it serves as a reminder of the experience of living in exile.
Jewish belief posits that although the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed twice, it will be rebuilt a third time, ushering in the Messianic era and the ingathering of the exiles. Ross has suggested that the recitation L'Shana Haba'ah serves as a reminder of the personal experience of exile that "we need to reconcile in order to truly be in Jerusalem, a city whose name suggests peace and completeness." Berg has also suggested that the recitation of L'Shana Haba'ah "unite[s] the Jews as a people" because it is a reminder of the shared experience of living in exile. Dosick has also suggested that L'Shana Haba'ah is both a prayer "for an end to exile and return to the Land of Israel" as well as "a prayer for ultimate redemption, for peace and perfection for the entire world."
Love your post about Passover and the Seder, sissy! Thank you!