An Elaborate Curtain Call

BY ZAHAVA FRIED

As an Opera and Broadway aficionado, a part of me can’t help but view the Passover Seder as a glorious musical with fourteen intricate and moving acts. Through the lens of an all-night hang-out starring some of the greatest Rabbinic voices of all time, we are privy to a tale of betrayal, indecision, plagues, and, of course, miracles. Let’s not forget the delectable intermission concession of matzoh!

The Final Act of the Seder is called Nirtzah, which is translated as “acceptance.” It begins with a paragraph stating that we have now completed the Seder according to the law. We then ask the Divine to accept our offering, and then we sing “L’Shana Ha’Ba’ah B’Yerushalayim!” (Next Year in Jerusalem) not once, or twice, but three times! To continue my metaphor comparing the Seder to a musical, Nirtzah is akin to a curtain call. We reflect on what we have accomplished, and now we are all done. What a perfect way to end a long show, right?

Well, not quite. There’s an encore. If you’ve gone to a musical recently, you may have noticed that the curtain calls have become a bit more elaborate.

Curtain calls used to consist of the performers bowing, the audience applauding, and the curtain closing. Well, those are the curtain calls of the past. Now there are song remixes, exuberant dance numbers, and sometimes even confetti cannons. In her article, The Show Must Go On, and On, and On, Alexis Soloski calls these elaborate encores “megamixes.” She writes that, “these post-curtain numbers serve three purposes- to brighten the mood, to offer intimacy, [and] to send the audience into the night with a parting gift.”

Dare I say that the remainder of Nirtzah accomplishes these three purposes, too? Regarding “brightening the mood,” Rabbi Micha’el Rosenberg from Hadar comments that, “The Seder is primarily a joyous night, less focused on remembering our sufferings than on celebrating our redemptions [...] Still, the Seder alludes to the historic suffering of the Jewish people: ‘In every generation, they stood against us to destroy us.’” The beginning of Nirtzah also contains the words “Next Year in Jerusalem.” Although the melody is arguably upbeat, the words do remind us that the Temple has not been restored and thus an air of sadness permeates the air.

I believe the songs following aim to dissipate those painful reminders of slavery and that we still do not have the next Temple. Truly, how can one not smile when our loved ones attempt to wrap their mouths around the Yiddish of “Chad Gadya,” or young children proclaiming “Who Knows One?” at the top of their lungs! These moments not only brighten the mood, but also add an element of intimacy as we create treasured holiday memories which we, in Soloski’s words “send us into the night with a parting gift.”

So, when it comes time for Nirtzah, I encourage you to get up out of your seat! Sing, bust a move, and celebrate! I have a feeling by the end of the night no one will even need to ask why this night is different from other nights.

Zahava Fried is the Cantorial Intern at Temple Beth Tzedek and a Cantorial Student at The Academy for Jewish Religion. She is often found bursting out into spontaneous song as she drinks copious amounts of coffee. She resides in Williamsville with her husband, two daughters, and small zoo of animals.