What Makes this Haggadah Different from all the Others?

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Distinguishes Between Myth and Legend

Focuses on the Natural instead of the Supernatural

NEW YORK, NY, March 13, 2006 - “What makes this haggadah different from all the others?” writes Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer in The Liberated Haggadah. Rabbi Schweitzer, who amassed one of the largest collections of Jewish Americana, may be uniquely qualified to separate fact from myth in both the Jewish past and the Exodus tale, something he does effectively in his newly reissued haggadah.

Most haggadot - used in the annual Jewish celebration of Passover, which this year begins on April 12th - cling to the story of the rushed flight from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the lack of time for bread to rise. In the face of modern scholarship, The Liberated Haggadah acknowledges - early and prominently in the text - that the Exodus story is wholly mythical, and not part of the historical legacy of the Jewish people.

“At most, perhaps a small band of our ancestors - the Levite Tribe - experienced and escaped Egyptian slavery,” writes Rabbi Schweitzer. “But nearly all of the early Hebrews never stepped foot in Egypt and had no memory of this event. And yet, this story has enthralled the Jewish people for centuries and was embraced by Jewish culture collectively as our foundational event.”

The Liberated Haggadah: A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular, and Humanistic Jews, published by the Center for Cultural Judaism, presents the old story, recast as a humanist parable. In the process, it offers a secular perspective on the ancient tale of deliverance.

It also offers a version of the Seder based on historical, rather than mythical, events and practices. For instance, the meanings often attached to the haroset, the bitter herb, and matzoh have little to do with the historical Hebrews. In The Liberated Haggadah, they are parts of the ancient springtime celebration, a festival of rebirth and renewal that pre-dates the Exodus legend, according to Rabbi Schweitzer.

The familiar arc of the Exodus story - from slavery to emancipation to a more complex existence in the dessert - is intact in The Liberated Haggadah. But the similarities end there. Traditional haggadot credit God with saving the Israelites. In The Liberated Haggadah, the Israelites act on their own behalf - in effect, liberating themselves.

By framing the story differently, Rabbi Schweitzer hopes to illuminate a different message. “We tell the story because it is the first in recorded history to celebrate the idea that slaves could become free people,” he writes. “It has inspired us - in our darkest moments - to hope for freedom renewed.”

Moreover, Rabbi Schweitzer sees the Exodus as “a humanist drama that recognizes how our ancestors survived suffering and oppression by virtue of the fortitude and resilience of their human endowment.”

The larger point - that the problems of the world are remediable through human agency - is in line with the concept of tikkun olam, a Hebrew phrase for “repairing the world.”

The Liberated Haggadah means to reinforce the point. To that end, the more serious elements of the Exodus fable have been adapted to modern times. They also reflect progressive ideals. For instance, the ancient mythical plagues are alluded to (blood, boils, etc) but the emphasis is on the latter day scourges of AIDS, homelessness, and racism. Moreover, there is an attempt to place the story in a broader context of trials suffered by the Jews, from the Holocaust to modern antisemitism.

The point, he said, was to make The Liberated Haggadah more relevant to contemporary Jews, not only with the content, but also with the options it offers. Rabbi Schweitzer knows that many people do not return to the Seder service after the meal. For those continuing on, The Liberated Haggadah offers provocative topics intended to spark discussion. Those issues include the hostilities that have roiled Israel; the question of reparations to descendants of African American slaves; and what Rabbi Schweitzer calls “modern day slavery,” including sex slavery and forced labor. For some, these discussions may take the place of the haggadah itself on the subsequent night.

Not all of the changes were solemn, however. Rabbi Schweitzer has sprinkled the service with humor and updated many traditional songs with modern lyrics. The Seder Plate has been expanded to include an untraditional fruit - an orange! - and the treasure hunt for the afikomen (the hidden matzoh) has been changed so that it is not a contest. Everyone wins.

Rabbi Schweitzer is the rabbi of The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in New York City and the president of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis. This past November, he donated his vast collection of Jewish Americana to the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. The Liberated Haggadah is published by the Center for Cultural Judaism, which was established in 2003 in response to emerging new insights into American Jewish demography that confirm that the majority of Jews are secular. The Center for Cultural Judaism supports educational programs on behalf of this large, underserved population. The Liberated Haggadah is available through the Center at 212-564-6711 x303, online at www.culturaljudaism.org, and from selected booksellers.

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The Liberated Haggadah: A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular and Humanistic Jews
Published: March 2006
ISBN: 0-9742420-4-7, $13
The Center for Cultural Judaism
80 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
212-564-6711

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