JEWISH WORLD

JEWISH WORLD • APRIL 1 - 7, 2022 23 By STEVE LIPMAN W ith the nation slowly re-opening after two years of pandemic shut- down, and members of the Jewish community more likely to attend Seders hosted by friends and fam- ily, the Haggadah - reportedly the most-published book in Jewish history - returns to its prominent role on Passover. This follows a downturn in Hag- gadah publication in 2021.“Fewer new [ones] came out last year, as the pandemic raged—many stores were closed and publishers cut back,” says Daniel Levine, president of J. Levine Judaica in NewYork City. But 2022 has been different, says Levine. “I see more new Haggadot coming out this year, with the bulk of them being self-published, lim- ited runs.” Many of the new ones will likely contain “a spiritual, hopeful theme to go with our ever-darkening cur- rent environment,” Levine says. Here are three exceptional and fascinating Haggadot readers should examine closely for use at the Seder by their families and their guests. A bout the title … Not that other available Haggadot are irrational, but the contents and message of most ap- pear impenetrable and illogical to most non-Orthodox people who attend traditional Seders. Now comes Dennis Prager to make sense of it all and show that the rabbis who compiled the Hag- gadah from a myriad of sources were nothing if not logical. He be- gins with the definition of the hol- terpiece of Pesach — the birthday of the Jewish nation —more acces- sible to both Jews who need a little help understanding it and non-Jews as well. “Either the Torah has something to say to everyone, or it has nothing to say to Jews,” he says. “The idea that the Torah - or the Haggadah - is only for Jews strikes me as the same thing as saying that Beethoven has something to say only to Germans or Shakespeare has something to say only to the English.” His intended readership? “Reli- gious Jews who, completely under- standably, pretty much say the same thing at the Seder every year. Sec- ular Jews who don’t take the whole God thing seriously. Christians who want to understand the Jewish roots of Christianity and perhaps even celebrate a Seder. And people of no faith at all.” A prolific author, journalist and radio talk-show host with unabashed conservative leanings, Prager ex- plains the readings and rituals that in a clear fashion, and employs the Haggadah as a tableau on which to present the factual, logic-guided, reason-centered perspective of his “God-based moral system.” Though his point-of-view is obvious, Prager does not, as many contemporary authors do, twist the words of the Haggadah to endorse a favored cause. His book is theological, not political; his goal is to make ancient text and traditions relevant to a con- temporary audience. A fter turning out recent tongue-in-cheek Haggadot iday night’s central activity. “Few people know what [Seder] means: It is the Hebrew word for ‘order,’” he writes. “The name … was given to the Passover ritual because it is conducted in a set order. “The Seder consists of fifteen steps written down in a book called the Haggadah, Hebrew for the ‘the telling,’ because it tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt.” Prag- er writes. “Understand these steps and you will understand what the … ancient rabbis who compiled the Talmud … wanted to accom- plish at the Passover Seder.” Are other Haggadot irrational? No, Prager says in an email in- terview. “It has that title because I use reason alone to explain the Haggadah. My route to God, faith, and Judaism is through reason.” In the spirit of the book, Prager introduces some information in his Haggadah with a question: “Why does the Haggadah exist?” His answer: “Because the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, commands Jews to tell the story of the Exodus during the holiday of Pass- over …but it does not specify how to do so. Post-biblical Jewish law did.” An observant Jew and veteran teacher of Chumash at the univer- sity level in Los Angeles, Prag- er previously wrote the Rational Bible , a commentary on the Torah that ex- plains the relevance of Jewish beliefs to the non-Jewish world with a logical, con- temporary approach. “For too long, Juda- ism has been hidden from the world,” he writes. “This has not done the Jews or the world any good.” Prager’s Hagga- dah takes a similar approach in that it explains the book in a manner anyone can understand. “This Haggadah is not confined to Passover use, not is it only for people who attend a Seder,” Prager writes in the intro- duction. “It is intended for year- round use and for those who may never attend a Seder … the essay topics and discussions are relevant to any time and to any individual. This Haggadah is intended to serve as a guide to life, to God, and to Judaism. God matters. Specifical- ly, the God of the Torah.” Prager sets out to make the cen- based on such subjects as emojis, COVID-19, and the politics of Donald Trump, what was next for Martin Bodek? He turned toWilliam Shakespeare. Actually, he turned into Shakespeare. Last year, Bodek, an IT special- ist and prolific author and humor- ist from Teaneck, N.J., had hip surgery and spent 53 days of his recovery writing The Shakespeare Haggadah , which features the tra- ditional Hebrew text and a decid- edly non-traditional translation of the Hebrew into Elizabethan En- glish — the language employed by the Bard in his plays. The Orthodox Bodek says the audience he had in mind were people who find standard English translations of the Seder boring. A sampling from the beginning of his Shakespeare Haggadah: “This is the bitter bread of ban- ishment that our ancestors cons- umethd in the land of Egypt. Any- one who is filthy famished should cometh and consumeth, anyone who is in needeth should cometh and by and by thy bosom shall par- take of the Pesach sacrifice. Now we art hither, next year we wilt be’est in the land of Israel; this year we art slaves, next year we wilt be’est free people.” Though the project has its comi- cal aspect — as in “Drinketh while reclining to the left and doth not recite a blessing after drinking,” — Fresh-Told Tales Off-the-beaten path The Rational Passover Haggadah By Dennis Prager (Regnery Faith, 2022) 180p., $29.99 The Shakespeare Haggadah By Martin Bodek (Wicked Son, 2022) 200p., $13.99 BOOK REVIEW continued on page 24 *With 36-month monitoring contract. Early termination and installation fees apply. Reward card issued by MetaBank®, N.A., Member FDIC. Card terms and expiration apply. For full terms, see below. * $100 ADT Visa Reward Card: Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $28.99/mo. 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