מועדים לשיחה; מהדורה משפחתית, חג הפסח, נרצה, במחשבה נוספתCeremony and Celebration Family Edition, The Hagim, Pesah, Nirtza, Further Thoughts
א׳
1Jerusalem is a place, but it is more than a place. It became a metaphor for the collective destination of the Jewish people. A city is what we build together, individually through our homes, collectively through our public spaces. So Jerusalem became a symbol of what the Jews were summoned to build, a city of righteousness worthy of being a home for the Divine Presence. Its stones would be good deeds, and its mortar, relationships of generosity and trust. Its houses would be families; its defensive walls, schools and houses of study. Shabbat and the festivals would be its public parks and gardens. For Jews believed that, even in a violent and destructive world, heaven could be built on earth. It was their most daring vision. The architect of the city would be God. The builders would be ordinary men and women. It would be a Jewish city, but it would be open to all, and people from all faiths would come and be moved by its beauty.
ב׳
2So Jerusalem, the “faithful city” (Yeshayahu 1:27), became the destination of the Jewish journey, which began with Avraham and Sara and will be complete only at the end of days. This is how the prophet Yeshayahu envisioned it, in words that for millennia have captured the human imagination:
ג׳
3In the last days
ד׳
4The mountain of the Lord’s Temple will be established
ה׳
5As chief among the mountains;
ו׳
6It will be raised above the hills,
ז׳
7And all the nations will stream to it.
ח׳
8Many peoples will come and say,
ט׳
9“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
י׳
10To the house of the God of Yaakov.
י״א
11He will teach us His ways,
י״ב
12So that we may walk in His path.”
י״ג
13For the Torah shall come forth from Zion,
י״ד
14And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
ט״ו
15He will judge between the nations
ט״ז
16And settle disputes for many peoples.
י״ז
17They will beat their swords into ploughshares
י״ח
18And their spears into pruning hooks.
י״ט
19Nation will not take up sword against nation,
כ׳
20Nor will they train for war anymore. (Yeshayahu 2:2–4)
כ״א
21These words, among the most influential ever written, sum up much of Jewish faith. They epitomise what it might be like to “perfect the world under the sovereignty of God” (as described in the Aleinu prayer). And as they journeyed through the centuries and continents, Jews carried this vision with them, believing that their task was to be true to their faith, to be loyal to God, to exemplify His ways to humankind, and to build a world at peace with itself by learning and teaching how to respect the freedom and dignity of others.
כ״ב
22☛ REFLECT
What must the Jewish people do when they reach their final destination, Jerusalem?
What must the Jewish people do when they reach their final destination, Jerusalem?
כ״ג
23QUESTIONS TO ASK AT YOUR SEDER
כ״ד
241. Do you think Jews in Israel should still say this at the end of their Seder?
כ״ה
252. What does Jerusalem have to do with the Exodus story and Seder night?
כ״ו
263. Has anyone around your Seder table celebrated Pesaḥ in Israel? Was it special or different?