Jerusalem at the Seder

As we draw near to Pesach and the house is cleared of chametz, our thoughts are directed to the Seder.

The central theme of the Seder is the exodus from Egypt - yetzi'at Mitzra'im - with all the attending miracles. It is most interesting to note that there is another thread weaving through the Hagaddah from the very beginning to the very end, one that directs our attention to the ultimate achievement of freedom. I speak of Eretz Yisrael.

We open the Seder with an invitation to the poor to join us at the Seder table: "Kol dikhfin yeitei veyekhol," and conclude that paragraph with: "Hashata hacha, leshana haba'ah be'ar'a deyisra'el" - "This year here (in the Galut), next year in the Land of Israel.

We conclude the Seder with "Leshana haba'ah biYerushalayim" - "Next year in Jerusalem." There are references throughout the Hagaddah to Eretz Yisrael as the ultimate goal of the Jewish people. This seems, therefore, to be an appropriate time to renew our commitment to the ultimate goal of Aliya to Eretz Yisrael.

I would urge everybody to follow the declaration of "Leshana haba'ah biYerushalayim" with the song: (Tehillim 137:5-6): "Im eshkacheikh Yerushalayim tishkakh yemini; tidbak leshoni lechiki im lo ezkereikhi, im lo a'aleh et Yerushalayim al rosh simchati."

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This is a weekly column contributed by Aloh Naaleh an organization devoted to motivating Jews to make Aliya.
Aloh Na'aleh
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