Irwin Steingroot's Keeping Passover
(HarperOne, $16) is a marvelous guide to
the Seder's rituals and meanings behind each step. It's superb both for Seder
preparation and for a participant to weave in a few points of learning during
the Seder.
I’d
love to recommend the following two Haggadahs,
but they are out-of-print or unavailable at this time. Perhaps you can
borrow one from a friend or find them through a used book dealer.
Rabbi Richard Levy's On Wings of Freedom was a breakthrough
Haggadah when it appeared in 1989. Its
translations reflect an egalitarian and non-sexist mindset, filled with ancient
and modern readings including lots from the Song of Songs. It connects
contemporary events with personal spiritual concerns.
Jonathan Sachs' The Chief Rabbi's Haggadah has elegant
essays to accompany a traditional Haggadah. Rabbi Sachs, an Orthodox Jew,
provides a learned and humane approach to the Passover story. He is the Chief
Rabbi of the United Kingdom and has stood down intolerance within the British
Jewish community. His midrash (interpretation) of
how Moses was conceived is alone worth reading the book. That is but a foretaste
of matters to be read in Sachs' writing.
Click here for more of our suggested Haggadahs.
We interpret Next Year in Jerusalem (the traditional
Seder closing before the songs) to mean Next Year in a City of Peace. May All
Humanity Be Redeemed.
- David Cohen
