ה י ו נ ב ה ם י ל ש ו ר י ב ה א ב ה ה נ ש
ל L ’ shanah Haba ’ ah B ’ Yerushalayim
Next Year in Jerusalem
Looking Forward , with Hope
Rabbi Debra Orenstein
Twice yearly , almost exactly six months apart , we sing out , “ Next year in Jerusalem - L ’ shanah Haba ’ ah B ’ yerushalayim .” This rallying cry punctuates the Jewish calendar at the culmination of two major celebrations : Neilah , the last service of Yom Kippur and Nirtzah , the last portion of the Passover seder . Regardless of past slavery or sins , we eagerly anticipate improvement , rebuilding , and redemption .
For centuries , L ’ shanah Haba ’ ah B ’ yerushalayim expressed longing . Travel to and in the Land of Israel was rare and hazardous . Today , even in wartime , Jews simply take planes , trains , or automobiles to arrive in Jerusalem . Despite grief and danger , Jews are safer now than we were for most of Jewish history . We enjoy access to Jerusalem that our ancestors could only dream of .
From the time of Jeremiah ( 2,600 + years ago ) until today , Jews have governed the land of Israel less than 7 % of the time . In Israel and the Diaspora , our ancestors generally lived under foreign , unfriendly , rule . Insecure in their homes ,
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