Redempton Requires Repentance

Haggadah Section: Nirtzah

In the medieval midrash Pirkei deRebbe Eliezer (ch. 43), Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah teaches that even Pharaoh was capable of teshuvah. Just as Pharaoh sinned by saying, “Who is the ETERNAL / Mi Adonai ? ” (Exodus 5:2), he repented with the same language, saying, “Who is like the ETERNAL / Mi Chamocha ?” (Exodus 15:11). God rescued him from the Red Sea and made him King of Nineveh. When Jonah came to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, at once Pharaoh led his people in teshuvah, and God spared the city.

The midrash has an epilogue, though: After 40 years, Nineveh backslid and was swallowed in the depths of the underworld. This teaches us that teshuvah is an ongoing process, never a closed ledger.

What might redemption look like today? What teshuvah does it demand from us?

• Reparations for African-Americans and Native Americans/First Nations

• An immigration policy that treats all people with respect and compassion — such as the “Free to Move, Free to Stay” framework proposed by United We Dream: https://unitedwedreamaction.org/framework-2020/

• Ecological sustainability, so that none would have to flee as climate refugees

• A civilization governed by values other than the bottom line and production of cheap goods

What else do you envision?

Clip Featured in Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights'sThe Other Side of the River, the Other Side of the Sea, by T'ruah
Edit Clip
The Other Side of the River, the Other Side of the Sea, by T'ruah
TT
Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Table of contents
    Introduction
  • Introduction: Forced Labor, Racism, and Immigration
    • Karpas
  • Water, Bitter and Sweet
    • Maggid - Beginning
  • The Thesis Statement of the Haggadah
    • -- Exodus Story
  • After Pittsburgh
  • Slavery and Racism
  • The Statue of Liberty Reimagined
  • Refugees, Then and Now
  • Jewish Diversity: Great, Mighty, and Multitudinous
  • Embodying Anti-Racism at the Seder
  • Excerpts from "Maror and Maggid: Clearing My Throat"
  • We Cried Out: Class and Labor Activism
  • They Put Hard Work Upon Us: Border Security
  • God saw our suffering: A new midrash
    • -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
  • Dayeinu: The Long Process of Redemption
  • In every generation: The fulcrum of the seder
    • Tzafun
  • The Organizing Principle for the Second Half of the Seder
    • Nirtzah
  • Counting the Omer Towards Redemption
  • Redempton Requires Repentance
  • Inspired to create
    your own Haggadah?

    Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world

    Have an idea
    for a clip?

    People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip

    Support Us
    with your donation

    Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
    home-based Jewish rituals.

    OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS

    contributor image
    Esther Kustanowitz
    4 Haggadahs44 Clips
    contributor image
    JQ International
    1 Haggadah40 Clips
    contributor image
    MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
    5 Haggadahs109 Clips
    contributor image
    18Doors
    1 Haggadah13 Clips
    contributor image
    JewishBoston
    1 Haggadah78 Clips
    contributor image
    Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
    1 Haggadah36 Clips
    contributor image
    American Jewish World Service
    1 Haggadah44 Clips
    contributor image
    JewBelong
    3 Haggadahs57 Clips
    contributor image
    Repair the World
    12 Clips
    contributor image
    HIAS
    5 Haggadahs48 Clips
    contributor image
    Be'chol Lashon
    2 Haggadahs27 Clips
    contributor image
    PJ Library
    1 Haggadah17 Clips
    contributor image
    Jewish World Watch
    3 Haggadahs42 Clips
    contributor image
    Secular Synagogue
    10 Clips
    contributor image
    SVIVAH
    1 Haggadah9 Clips
    contributor image
    The Blue Dove Foundation
    20 Clips
    contributor image
    ReformJudaism.org
    24 Clips
    contributor image
    Jewish Emergent Network
    1 Haggadah22 Clips

    Passover Guide

    Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
    know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
    to all of your questions.

    Haggadot

    Haggadot.com by Recustom, is a free resource for all backgrounds and experiences. Consider making a donation to help support the continuation of this free platform.

    Copyright © 2024 Custom and Craft Jewish Rituals Inc, dba Recustom, dba Haggadot.com.
    All Rights Reserved. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN: 82-4765805.