Nirtzah נִרְצָה
Nirtzah נִרְצָה
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 may be, we all slip into exile from the state of wholeness and unity that a connection with the Divine and within ourselves can provide. Even though the Passover story ends in freedom, there are many who are not free, and the story should be carried with us after the end of Pesach. We carry hope and aspiration for a world which has more freedom. Next year, wherever we are, may we be whole and at peace.
Let us say:
לְשּׁנָהָ הבַּאָהָ בּ חִֵרוּת
L’shana ha-ba b’heroot
Next year in freedom.
צֶדֶ֥ק צדֶֶ֖ק תּרְִדּףֹ֑
Tzedek tzedek tirdoff!
Justice, Justice We Shall Pursue!
We can go around the room and say "Next year in..." filling in a hope or desire inspired by the theme of slavery, freedom and liberation.
Source: All of us or none and The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah
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