Next year in Jerusalem

For many years I have hosted an irreverent-but-ritually-correct seder for Pesach with my BFF. Inspired by Ira Steingroot’s book Keeping Passover, I first assembled my own haggadah back in the 20^th century, and have refined it over the years since.

Almost a decade ago, I added this as its first page, to satisfy my personal Jewish-Pagan-atheist-esotericist sensiblities and to enbable me to say “next year in Jerusalem” in Nirtzah. It seems to get more important every year.

Our text — few key words:

Ha’Shem, “The Name”, is used instead of יהוה, the unspoken name of the god of the Torah, borrowing from the usage of the Chassidim

Israel, ישראל, “wrestler with El”, may or may not be Jacob after his encounter with the divine, or the mythical Promised Land of the Torah, or Jews’ dream of a perfect home

Mitzrayim, מצרים, “the narrow place”, may or may not be the Place of Bondage of the Torah, or the Nile river valley

Children Of Israel may or may not refer to the descendants of Jacob, or the people of the Exodus story, or the Jews of today

Jerusalem, ירושלם, “feel awe at wholeness”, may or may not be the dream of the City of the Messianic Age, or the mythical city of the First Temple in the Torah, or the real city which still stands now

We and us refers to the people gathered at this table and to all Children Of Israel