נרצהWe rarely make it this far in the seder. Maybe that's because we don't want to worry about whether we can sincerely say "Next Year in Jerusalem." I think I've got a work-around. Jerusalem means "city of peace." We can all hope to be in a city of peace next year.
Speaking of things we say but don't necessarily mean, Chistopher J. Moore claims in his book In Other Words that the Japanese word tatemae means "the reality that everyone professes to be true, even though they may not privately believe it." Please send in your favorite examples of tatemae.
Before calling it a night, let's fill and deplete a final glass of wine. Some call it Nirtzah or Conclusion, I call it the perfect end to another fabulous Austin seder.
1 comment:
Our first Seder! I'm going to leave thoughts in stream-of-consciousness flow:
lovely place settings, these tablecloths are gorgeous, please let my children behave, how come no one can read Hebrew?, can everything just be a vehicle for horseradish?, gefilte fish! - not weird since we're used to eating kamaboko, what does this say about me that I love this sweet wine?, may I have more horseradish?, what? Ava has to go to the bathroom? right now?, what's with the discussion about what's supposed to come next? I thought everyone's done this before, I hope the exaggerating gulping sounds Jake is making as he drinks his grape juice is not too distracting, yes! time for the meal, what? we're not done?, my husband looks uncomfortable reading aloud, Jake's under the table now, they want me read this all in one breath? I decide to read with the most interpretive dramatic effect instead.
What a lovely evening! Our hosts were most gracious. We didn't get home until 10:30, but were well sated with good food and company. L'Chayim!
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