“The Haggadah is a book with no single author, a text shaped by centuries of anonymous accretions and insertions. Perhaps its non-linear development is part of the reason why, as I’ve written, it tells a disorganized account of the Exodus. And yet, the Haggadah that has come down to us still hangs together, possessed by a remarkable literary structure.” — Yosef Lindell
LISTEN: Podcast: Dara Horn on Her New Graphic Novel: Dada Horn, Mosaic, Apr. 10, 2025 — Later this week Jewish families all over the world will sit down at the seder table and, guided by the text of the Haggadah, recapitulate in a highly ornate and ritualized form the Israelite redemption from oppression in Egypt.
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Dissecting the Origins of Dayenu: Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, Jewish Journal, Mar. 26, 2025
I Wanted Absolute Faith in God, I Got Something Else Instead: Robert Warren, 18Forty, Apr. 3, 2025
Lost in Translation: Song of Songs and Passover: Shiela Tulier Keiter, Jewish Review of Books, Apr. 2, 2025
Passover’s Rupture and Reconstruction: Yosef Lindell, Lehrhaus, Apr. 3, 2025
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FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:
How the Haggadah Came to Be: Rabbi Leo Dee, Israel National News, Apr. 7, 2025 — The year is 70 CE, the Temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed, and Pesach can no longer be celebrated with a sacrificial lamb as the Torah requires. The Jewish people have been exiled across the Roman Empire. What could we do?
LISTEN: A Passover Conversation with Rabbi Wolpe: Wondering Jews with Mijal and Noam, Apr. 9, 2025 — What makes the Passover seder the most observed Jewish ritual? Can a story be meaningful even if it’s not 100% historical?
59 Empty Seats, An Incomplete Passover: Sasha Machta, Times of Israel, Apr. 11, 2025 — “First Laila Seder as a free man will be amazing. Each word of the Haggadah will be with meaning.”
Passover: Long Division and a Short Memory: Ruthie Blum, JNS, Apr. 10, 2025 — It’s become fashionable—almost ritualistic—to lament the “unprecedented” disunity among Israelis today. Members of the public wring their hands over the loss of social cohesion that they insist used to characterize the country.