Jerusalem - the First Among Visions
A slave has no hope.
For a slave, yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all the same, and hoping for a better life - for change - invites bitter disappointment.
In contrast, a free person dares to envision change, to imagine a better future.
At the culmination of the Seder we dare to proclaim: "Next Year in Jerusalem." We have been saying this for 2000 years, through good years and bad. We are free - free to dream - free to create. It doesn't get more powerful than this.
Abraham Joshua Heschel writes: "Jerusalem is not the first among cities. She is the first among visions. Her power is in her promise. What is the mystery of Jerusalem? A promise: peace and God's presence." At the Seder, we dare to dream - and we end the Seder by envisioning utopia.
Activities for Seder:
- Appreciate the beauty and depth of the seder's final moment! Get everyone up, dance around the table and sing "L'shana Haba'a b'Yerushalayim" at the top of your lungs!
- Have everyone share a "Jerusalem Moment" - a highpoint they experienced in Jerusalem or that could only happen in Jerusalem.
