THE HAGGADAH
I have often mentioned Ein Harod’s Pesach
Seder, however lately due to lockdowns during the pandemic our kibbutz Seder
was postponed to an indefinite date. Finally. this year the team that organises
the Seder decided that while Covid restrictions were being eased we could hold
the Seder after all. Not surprisingly the dining room was filled to maximum
capacity.
In the past, the Seder was held in the
multi-purpose hall I mentioned earlier in a post about our “white elephants.”
The hall with a foyer-like extension could accommodate 1,100 people (members
their families and various guests). The stage had room enough for choral groups,
a musical ensemble and dancers. However, there were logistical disadvantages that
caused the organisers to relocate back to the kibbutz dining room
If you are unfamiliar with the kibbutz Seder,
I should point out that its format differs from the traditional Seder.
For the purpose of illustrating some of the
differences I have added here a link to a few short video clips recorded at our
Seder:
I should add that the text of the the traditional Haggadah was never fixed in one final form. Mainly because there was no authoritative rabbinic body that could determine whether changes needed to be made in the text. Instead, each local community developed its own text. A variety of traditional texts took on a standardised form by the end of the mediaeval era in Ashkenazi (Eastern European) and Sephardi (Spanish, North African, and Middle Eastern) communities.
T
he Karaites and the Samaritans developed
their own Haggadot which they use to the present day.
I have collated comments
from various sources in order to clarify the changes that took place in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, “During the era of the Enlightenment and later on when the European Jewish community evolved forming groups that reacted in different ways to
modifications to the
Haggadah.
Orthodox Judaism accepted certain
fixed texts as authoritative and normative, and prohibited any changes to the
text.
Modern Orthodox
Judaism and Conservative Judaism allowed for minor additions and
deletions to the text, in accord with the same historical-halakhic parameters
as occurred in previous generations. Rabbis within the Conservative Judaism,
studying the liturgical history of the Haggadah and Siddur, conclude that there
is a traditional dynamic of innovation, within a framework conserving the
tradition. While innovations became less common in the last few centuries due
to the introduction of the printing press and various social factors,
Conservative Jews take pride in their community's resumption of the traditional
trend toward liturgical
creativity within a halakhic framework.
Reform Judaism holds that there are
no normative texts, and allowed individuals to create their own Haggadot. Reform Jews take pride in their
community's resumption of liturgical creativity outside a halakhic framework, although the significant differences
they introduced make their texts unacceptable to Jews who want to experience a
Seder according to Jewish tradition”.
Although the Jewish printing community was quick to adopt the printing press as a means of producing texts, the general adoption rate of printed Haggadot was slow. By the end of the sixteenth century, only twenty-five editions had been printed. This number increased to thirty-seven during the seventeenth century, and 234 during the eighteenth century.
A page from the Birds Head Haggadah circa 1300
It was not until the nineteenth century, when 1,269 separate editions were produced, that a significant shift toward printed Haggadot as opposed to manuscripts occurred. From 1900 to 1960 alone, over 1,100 Haggadot were printed. It is not uncommon, particularly in America, for Haggadot to be produced by corporate entities, such as coffee maker Maxwell House. The English-Hebrew Passover Haggadah introduced by the Maxwell House company as a marketing promotion in 1932 and printed continuously since that time is the best known and most popular commercial Haggadah among American Jews,
Currently considered a cultural icon it is used
at Passover Seders in homes, schools, senior centres, prisons, and
the United States Army. It was the edition used by President Obama and his
guests at the White House Passover Seder conducted yearly from 2009
to 2016. In 2011 a new English translation replaced archaic phrases in the
original and also incorporated gender-neutral language.
Other commercial enterprises were quick to offer their services from
complete catering at home, or the option of going with your family to a hotel that
provides everything, Glatt Kosher. All you do is pay the bill.
Alana Newhouse author of “The Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern
Times. Promotes her publications both the paperback and kindle version in the following convincing words: “Each generation is called to perform a
Passover Seder, a ritual designed to help us imagine personally experiencing
the exodus from Egypt. But how can we do this together, when today our tables
include people of different backgrounds, knowledge, and beliefs? Let this
Passover Haggadah be your guide.
Both proudly traditional and blazingly modern, it is a perfect blueprint for
remembering the past, living in our present, and imagining the future. Here
you’ll find the entirety of the Seder text for those who don’t want to miss a
thing—including Hebrew, English, and a newly developed transliteration that
makes the Hebrew surprisingly accessible. And, alongside, contemporary
questions, illustrations, and meditations on freedom, community, destiny, and
other topics that will engage the whole group in a lively and memorable
discussion, especially once you’ve started in on those obligatory four cups of
wine.”
For the people
who prefer brevity “The 30minute-Seder... Passover
Redefined” is one of
several brief and to the point options available.
“Whether
you purchase it as a book or an instant PDF download,
30minute-Seder® puts an end to the jumbled, chaos that occurs when skipping
around a traditional Haggadah. No more, “What page are we on?” or “When do we
eat already?”
Refreshingly brief and fun, yet reverent.
Rabbinically approved.
Written in modern gender-neutral English.
Hebrew prayers provided with transliteration.
Keeps the entire family engaged.
So, wake up that sleepy Seder and put the 30minute-Seder® Haggadah
on your table this Passover.
You are probably wondering how my kibbutz chose to adopt a
made-to-measure
Seder with its unique Haggadah.
We trace the origins of our Haggadah to Yehuda Sharrett, brother of
Israel’s second prime minister Moshe Sharrett who composed the music and
collated the texts of the earliest version of the Yagur Haggadah. In 1922 he
joined Kibbutz Ein Harod and was active in many musical projects.
In 1926 he left the kibbutz with his wife and joined kibbutz Yagur.Three years later he went to Germany to study with
the noted music educator Fritz Joede. When
he returned to Yagur he began composing for the specific needs of the kibbutz,
from simple children's songs to his crowning achievement – the Yagur
Passover Seder finalised in 1951. Its basic text is the "Spring" and
"Exodus" passages from the Song of Songs and the Book of
Exodus, together with a considerable part of the traditional Haggadah.
Today many kibbutz Haggadot are based on the Yagur Haggadah.
Chag Sameach
Beni 21st
of April, 2022
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