Contributors

Yekutiel Atkins

Jerusalem , IL

“My Journey through the Haggadah” is my own understanding that the Haggadah has for me. It keeps to the meaning that has been handed down to us from time immemorial. It draws on my own experiences and my own Jewishness The Biblical references quoted, illustrate the text and my commentary. Concepts are drawn from the Torah, the Gemara and other traditional writings and commentaries. It explains in modern language some concepts of Judaism, what is the meaning of some of the Mitzvoth, some of the history of our people, and hopefully clarifies some of the things we do and why. You are welcome to print it out and use it on Passover at the Seder or at any other time. It is traditional to read part of the Haggadah on the Shabbat before Passover. That may be a good to time to look over it. There are three conditions. 1) Please do not read it on the computer either on Shabbat or during any Festival 2) Please do not print it out on Shabbat or a Festival 3) Because Passover and the Seder is incumbent on every Jew, most Synagogues have a fund for supplying the necessaries for Passover and the Seder to people who find it difficult to buy Passover necessities, this fund is usually known as “Kimche D’Pischa or Maot Chittin”, I request that if you decide to print it out, you donate money to this fund or to any other fund that supplies food to Jews in need, the address of which may be obtained from your nearest Jewish organization. The full haggadah can be found at http://www.jewishmag.com/122mag/passover-haggadah/haggadah.pdf.

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Nirtzah

by Yekutiel Atkins

We have now concluded the whole of the Seder celebration according to the regulations and precepts that have been laid down for us by our teachers. We have invited those who are needy to join us in our celebration. The children have asked why is this night different from all other nights. We have reviewed our history beginning with Laban who tried to stifle our faith almost at its inception. We have reviewed the four very different sons and their different...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Nirtzah

by Yekutiel Atkins

We have now concluded the whole of the Seder celebration according to the regulations and precepts that have been laid down for us by our teachers. We have invited those who are needy to join us in our celebration. The children have asked why is this night different from all other nights. We have reviewed our history beginning with Laban who tried to stifle our faith almost at its inception. We have reviewed the four very different sons and their different...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Afikoman

by Yekutiel Atkins

At the end of the meal, we eat the Afikomen. This is the piece of the middle Matzah, which was broken in half and put away until now. Traditionally this has probably been "stolen" by somebody, most likely the youngest child and has to be “ransomed” because without it the Seder is unable to continue. The Master of the house will therefore, have to ‘bribe’ by a promise of a present to the culprit, to return the Afikomen. This adds to...

Shulchan Oreich

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Shulchan Orech

by Yekutiel Atkins

The meal is now served. It is customary to start with hard-boiled eggs in or with salt water, various explanations have been made for this custom such as, the roundness of the egg symbolizes life, The salt water has also been connected to the Reed Sea over which we passed on our way out of Egypt to the Promised Land so indirectly reminding us of the Song of the Sea as mentioned earlier.. It has also been compared to the tears...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Rachtza

by Yekutiel Atkins

Prior to eating any food or drinking any liquid, we are commanded by our Sages to bless the Almighty who provides us with food and drink. Although it is man who plants and reaps, it is the Almighty's design that what we plant grows into fruit, vegetables and vegetation that is the basis of all life. The blessing varies the blessing for fruit grown on trees, ends with "who creates the fruit of the trees", while the blessing for vegetables grown...

Commentary / Readings

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Baruch Hamakom

by Yekutiel Atkins

Blessed is the “Place”. What is meant here is Blessed is God. Jews, except in prayer never say the name of God as printed in the prayer book or Bible, instead a euphemism or circumlocution is used. The word ‘God’ is a word used to denote the Deity and is not the name of the Deity; it is itself just a word. Jews frequently use circumlocutions, so in speech, or in the written word, instead of the name of God we...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- The Answers

by Yekutiel Atkins

So, why do we eat Matzah instead of bread? Why do we eat a bitter vegetable? Why do we dip our food (we have already done it once, the second time will be later on in the Seder)? Why do we eat and drink leaning? 1) The first question is the obvious one. There are two reasons. Firstly we eat Matzah because we are commanded to do so in the Torah (Ex. Ch. 12. V. 15-21), In addition it commemorates that...

-- Four Questions

My Journey Through the Haggadah- 4 Questions

by Yekutiel Atkins

The second cup has now been filled and the children come into their own. There can be very few Jews who are so estranged from things Jewish that they have never heard of the "Ma Nishtane" the famous ‘Four Questions’. "Why" we are asked by our children, is this night different from all the other nights in the year". ”Why” do we eat Matzah, “Why” do we eat bitter vegetable. “Why” do we dip our food, and “Why” do we eat...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Karpas

by Yekutiel Atkins

The purpose of the Karpas is, according to some authorities, to arouse the curiosity of the children, prompting them to ask questions, giving us the opportunity of explaining, by reciting the Haggadah, the meaning of the Festival. During the recitation of the Haggadah, discussion of its meaning and its relevance is encouraged as we shall see when we come to the story of the Rabbis in Bnei Brak.

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Kadesh

by Yekutiel Atkins

All take their place at the table open their Haggadah’s and the wine glasses are filled. As on every other Festival and Shabbat we make Kiddush, that is we sanctify the Holiness of the Day. The Kiddush is over the first of the four cups of wine. In some families this is made by the person who is conducting the Seder, in others, all make their own; while in some families the Kiddush is recited in unison. If the Seder is...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Introduction

by Yekutiel Atkins

Pesach or Passover has another name in the Torah, the Festival of Matzoth. It is also called in the liturgy ‘The Season of Our Freedom’. It celebrates and marks the Jewish people's freedom from 210 years of slavery and domination in Egypt some 3,000 years ago. We will discuss more about “Freedom” later on in the comments on the Four Sons. The Torah, that is the Five Books of Moses, also known as The Pentateuch, is the story of the Jewish...

My Journey Through the Haggadah- Forward

by Yekutiel Atkins

Some 3000 years ago, an event occurred whose reverberations have continued to the present day. This event was the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and their escape from slavery. The slavery the Jews endured, and the subsequent Exodus, is indelibly etched into the psyche of the Jewish people. It permeates the Torah, our liturgy, and not only the Festival of Passover, which is the subject of this commentary, but the Shabbat and every Festival in the Jewish calendar. It has...

Yekutiel Atkins's Haggadah

Yekutiel Atkins's Haggadah

by Yekutiel Atkins

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