Four new Haggadot tell us why in wildly different ways

The four Haggadot reviewed in this column of the Forward are a traditional Haggadah from one of the foremost leaders of the Orthodox movement, an untraditional Haggadah by an organization that many Jews regard as a cult, a “New Jew” Haggadah that epitomizes the DIY ethos of the next generation of Jews and an establishment Haggadah that epitomizes the old guard. Is there really someone who still believes there’s only one way to “do Jewish” these days?

… these four Haggadot map right onto the four children of the Passover Seder. Lamm is wise and learned. The Kabbalah Centre is going its own way, creating a whole new meaning of the ritual, and setting itself apart from the Jewish mainstream (though quite in sync with the Hasidic interest in psychologizing communal narratives) - and making pots of money in the process. “Open-Eyed, Heart-Wide” is tam - not “simple” or “stupid,” as is sometimes translated, but deliberately straightforward, earthy and connected to very basic questions, like “What is this?” and “Why do this?” And the JDC Haggadah focuses less on the questions in the text than on the JDC’s own historic and ongoing efforts around the world.

And yet, throughout this diversity, there is at least one common thread: personal subjectivity…   But all the books reflect the individualism of our contemporary moment. These are four wildly divergent ways to enliven and inspire your Passover Seder. Indeed, if you want to really have fun, buy all four and give each participant a different one so that each can take a different point of view. That diversity can teach the most valuable lesson of all: that there are 70 faces of Torah, each with a contribution to make.

For the entire article:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1158408.html

• שבעים פנים לתורה