Root Word
רָצָה (ratzah) — to accept, to delight in, to take pleasure in
Nirtzah (נִרְצָה) is the passive form of ratzah — meaning “to be accepted,” “to be found pleasing.” The one who is nirtzah is the one who brings pleasure and delight to God — the one whose offering has been received with divine favor.
Action
Conclude the Seder with a spirit of gratitude, hope, and rededication.
Meaning and Symbolism
Nirtzah marks the final step of the Seder. It does not simply signal that the meal is over — it is a sacred closure, a prayerful offering that everything we’ve shared tonight — our stories, songs, symbols, and hearts — might be accepted by God.
It is a quiet but profound moment of reflection:
- Have I come closer to the Savior?
- Have I remembered and renewed my covenant?
- Have I prepared my heart to walk forward in holiness?
We remember that Christ, our High Priest, makes our offerings acceptable — not because they are perfect, but because He is.
Declaration:
“May our offering tonight be accepted by God. May we be accepted of Christ, who gave Himself that we might be sanctified and brought into His presence.”
Scripture Connection
“Can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?” — Alma 5:16
“Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say… that ye have been sufficiently humble? … Are ye stripped of pride?” — Alma 5:27
Shir HaMa'alot — Psalm 134: A Song of Ascents
Psalm 134 is the final Song of Ascents — a brief, tender benediction. The servants of the Lord stand in His house by night, lifting their hands in the sanctuary. This is the psalm of Nirtzah — the closing, the acceptance, the final offering. The pilgrimage is complete. The ascent is done. All that remains is to bless the Lord and receive His blessing in return.
1 Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. 3 The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
The Covenant Pattern
At the Seder Table: The sacred closing — everything offered tonight may be accepted by God. The word nirtzah shares its root with ratzon (will, desire) — suggesting that the offering has been received with divine pleasure. The evening ends with the ancient declaration: “L’shanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim!” — “Next year in Jerusalem!” It is a cry of hope, exile, and longing for the day when God’s people will gather in His holy city.
At the Seder Table — Next Year in Jerusalem
Edersheim notes that Jewish tradition connected “the most important events in Israel’s history” with the Paschal season — from Abraham’s covenant to the fall of Jericho, from the handwriting on Babylon’s wall to the future deliverance of Israel. He writes: “in the last days it would be the Paschal night when the final judgments should come upon ‘Edom,’ and the glorious deliverance of Israel take place.”
This is why the Seder ends with the declaration “L’shanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim!” — “Next year in Jerusalem!” It is a cry of exile, longing, and hope — a people still waiting for the final gathering, the final deliverance, the coming of the Messiah. Edersheim observes that “no other service contains within the same space the like ardent aspirations after a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple, nor so many allusions to the Messianic hope, as the liturgy for the night of the Passover.”
At the Last Supper: In Gethsemane, Jesus prays: “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). He seeks the Father’s acceptance of His offering — and receives it. He is the one whose offering makes ours acceptable. The entire 15-step pattern of the Seder — from sanctification through suffering, from bread and wine to praise — finds its completion here: the Son offers Himself, and the Father accepts.
At the Last Supper — From the Table to Gethsemane
“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30). The Seder was complete — the four cups drunk, the Hallel sung, the Paschal meal finished. What followed was not another step in the liturgy but the offering itself.
Edersheim writes: “Then it was that the Lord’s great heaviness and loneliness came upon Him; when all around seemed to give way, as if crushed under the terrible burden about to be lifted; when His disciples could not watch with Him even one hour.” In the agony of His soul, “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood, falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). And He prayed: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).
The word nirtzah — acceptance — finds its deepest expression here. The Son offered Himself, and the Father accepted. “When He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:7–9).
Edersheim concludes: “Thus the ‘Lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world’ (1 Peter 1:20) — and, indeed, ‘slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8) — was selected, ready, willing, and waiting. It only remained, that it should be actually offered up as ’the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole world’ (1 John 2:2).”
The Seder that began with Kadesh — sanctification — ends with Nirtzah — acceptance. The Lamb who was set apart is now offered. The offering is accepted. The pattern is complete.
In the Nephite Assembly: Alma asks: “Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, that ye have been sufficiently humble?” (Alma 5:27). The entire 15-step pattern leads to this: will you be accepted before God? The Seder, the Supper, and the Sermon all culminate in the same question — not of performance, but of the heart’s posture before the Almighty.
In the Nephite Assembly — Alma 5: Accepted or Rejected
The word nirtzah carries a duality that matters: it can mean “accepted” — but its absence implies rejection. Alma invites his people to imagine this moment of acceptance: “Can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?” (Alma 5:16). This is Nirtzah — hearing the Lord pronounce you accepted, welcomed, blessed.
The question at the close of the Seder is not merely “Is the service finished?” but “Has it been received with divine pleasure — or not?” Alma poses this question with unflinching directness:
“And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the energy of my soul… I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father.” — Alma 5:46
“And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things.” — Alma 5:57
“For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand.” — Alma 5:58
The accepted have their names written in the book of life. The rejected are blotted out. There is no middle ground at Nirtzah.
What follows Alma’s sermon shows the practical outworking of this acceptance. In Alma 6, he establishes the order of the church — ordaining priests and elders by the laying on of hands. This is the divine commissioning that follows acceptance: the faithful are recognized, called, and appointed to serve. The Savior follows the same pattern in 3 Nephi when He calls and ordains His disciples.
In Alma 8, after establishing the church in Gideon, Alma returns to Zarahemla and rests from his labors. This period of rest is the concluding peace of Nirtzah — the assurance that the work has been accepted and the servant may rest in the Lord.
The Seder ends with the declaration “L’shanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim!” — “Next year in Jerusalem!” Alma’s sermon ends with the same forward-looking hope: the righteous shall receive an inheritance at the Lord’s right hand. The journey from Kadesh to Nirtzah, from sanctification to acceptance, is complete.
On the Covenant Path Today: President Nelson promises: “Those who keep their covenants with God will become a strain of sin-resistant souls” (“The Everlasting Covenant," 2022). The culmination of the covenant path — from sanctification through suffering, through the sacrament, through praise — is acceptance before God. “Next year in Jerusalem!” becomes “Zion — the pure in heart” (D&C 97:21). The pattern holds. The holy order endures. And the covenant — unchanged from the beginning — carries us home.
On the Covenant Path — The Bridegroom Comes
The Four Cups and the Wedding Covenant describes the Second Coming as a wedding — not a warning of doom, but a celebration. The cry goes forth: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (D&C 133:10).
In ancient Israelite wedding customs, guests knocking at the door did not give their name — their voice had to be recognized. The Seder’s closing cry — “Next year in Jerusalem!” — is the Bride’s voice, calling out in hope for the Bridegroom’s return. And the Bridegroom’s promise is sure: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 136:22).
The Nirtzah is the moment of acceptance — and it is also the moment of anticipation. The Seder ends, but the story does not. The Bride waits. The Bridegroom prepares. And when the Father gives the word, the trumpets will sound, and the cry will go forth: “Go ye out to meet him.”
Reflection Questions
- Has this Seder helped me feel closer to Christ? What offering have I given Him from my heart tonight?
- What does it mean for me to be “accepted” of the Lord? Am I seeking His approval more than the world’s?
- Have I stripped away pride, fear, or distraction so I can stand clean before Him?
- As I close this evening, how do I want to live differently going forward?
- Can I carry the spirit of this night into the rest of my week — and into my daily discipleship?