By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
Freedom from oppression
“In every generation, we must see ourselves as if we personally went out from Egypt.”
— From page one of
The Liberation Haggadah for
Passover by Stephen Schuster.
You can imagine the discussions that took place in what were probably boisterous and educational seders at the home of the Schuster family in Bellevue. In a family that now includes two rabbis (mom Arlene and her son Neil) it should come as no surprise that at least one member would venture to write a Haggadah. That family member is Stephen, a lay leader for a Jewish community in Boston whose The Liberation Haggadah just last month came off the presses.
As far as Haggadot go, this full-color telling of the Passover story falls on the short but sweet side. It is intended for a seder that might include non-Jews or those unfamiliar with the traditions, meaning it includes transliterations of blessings, pronunciations of certain words, and more of a focus on explanation than commentary.
While this Haggadah doesn’t break any new ground, its story of the exodus focuses on oppression and what it means to be oppressed. “Liberation is not possible until we become aware of our oppression. It is said that the Israelites had become content to stay in Egypt. Until they realized that they were slaves, they could not free themselves,” notes the description of the second cup of wine.
And while giving brief mention throughout of oppression among peoples today and throughout history, this is, ultimately, a modern approach to the traditional Haggadah. If seder participants want to delve more deeply into the meaning of Passover as a holiday of liberation, they would want to augment it with further sources for discussion purposes.
But if you’re looking for a seder that talks about freedom but won’t keep you at the table all night, this could be the book for you.
Visit www.liberationhaggadah.com to order copies.
The egg and the orange
For many people whose Judaism comes out but once a year — at the seder table — and have difficulty making the connection between Jewish traditions and God, this new Haggadah takes a more secular, humanistic approach and examines the symbols on the seder plate.
Rabbi Peter Schweitzer of The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of New York wrote The Liberated Haggadah: A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular and Humanistic Jews, which in particular focuses on two of those symbols— one new, the other ancient — that may often get overlooked in the telling of the Passover story.
First is the roasted egg, which is often eaten without much discussion, between the Hillel sandwich and the chicken soup. Second is the orange, a recent addition to the plate at many seders as a symbol of equality between men and women.
The idea of the orange came about when Susannah Heschel, the daughter of the late civil rights leader Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, suggested it replace the crust of bread that many women and gay and lesbian Jews had placed on the seder plate to protest their exclusion from many aspects of Jewish life.
Rabbi Schweitzer said these symbols can have many meanings, however.
“There are many answers to the meanings of the seder plate symbols,” Rabbi Schweitzer says. “Some are preserved as part of our tradition and are explained by the legend we have told. Others are provided by biblical scholars who remind us of the origins of the spring festival. And finally there are the modern interpretations — that we write ourselves — which give voice to our own imagination and creativity in keeping with the idea that the Haggadah is forever new.”
Schweitzer’s Haggadah asks these questions:
Betzah (the egg) — “Why do we eat betzah tonight?”
To remind us of the special Festival Offering by which the priests, in Temple days, expressed their gratitude for the well-being of the people.
And to remind us that eggs are the symbol of life, of birth and rebirth. As all around us nature dances with new life, so may this season stir within us new strength, new hope, and new joy.
And to teach us, too, that the egg, which becomes harder and tougher when heat is applied, symbolizes the toughness of the Jewish people to endure and persevere despite our suffering.
Orange — “Why is there an orange on the seder plate?”
To remind us that the seder is always evolving and that new symbols can be included in our celebration with evolving messages of their own.
And to remind us that all people have a legitimate place in Jewish life, no less than an orange on the seder plate, regardless of gender or sexual identity.
And to teach us, too, how absurd it is to exclude anyone who wants to sit at our table, partake of our meal, and celebrate with us the gift of life and the gift of freedom.
To order, visit: www.culturaljudaism.org/pdf/liberatedhaggadahform.pdf.