NEW YORK — How is this Haggadah different from all other Haggadahs?
Simply because it’s a Reconstructionist Haggadah, the first put out by Judaism’s smallest religious denomination since its founder, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, edited one in 1941 as the debut publication of his nascent movement.
“A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah” emphasizes group participation and gives voice to numerous perspectives. While it is radical in much of what it presents, it may make less of a splash than Kaplan’s Haggadah did nearly 60 years ago.
His heavily patriotic Haggadah included the lyrics to “America the Beautiful” and told the Exodus story in Kaplan’s own voice, adding dimension to the human roles played by Moses and Aaron in the Israelites’ liberation.
The new Haggadah is vastly broader in the number of perspectives it includes than anything Kaplan could have imagined.
The new Reconstructionist Haggadah may be the first published by a movement that incorporates feminist concepts and two new ways of helping people to imagine themselves in the Exodus story — through a simple play and through a method of interpreting text called bibliodrama.
This is “the first post-feminist Haggadah,” said Rabbi Joy Levitt, its co-author. “It doesn’t only have a woman’s perspective, but assumes the equal role of women both at the table and in the tradition.”
Levitt and her co-author, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, give Miriam, Moses’ older sister, a prominent role right from the beginning of the seder, when the Haggadah instructs the leader to set a large goblet filled with spring water at the center of the table to represent the well of Miriam, which miraculously sustained the Israelites during their journey from Egypt to Israel.
Elijah’s Cup, which is also on the table from the start of the seder, stands empty until the end of the ritual meal when participants sing their longing for the messianic era.
“Miriam the Prophet calls us to work for, not wait, for that day of messianic redemption,” Strassfeld said. “She’s hope in the present moment, not just hope for the future.”
The feminist perspective is also integrated into the Haggadah through its presentation of two forms for the blessings — the traditional “Baruch Atah,” or Blessed are You, which addresses a male-gendered God, and “Nevareich Et,” which is gender-neutral and begins with “We bless the…”
The Haggadah includes several songs, also recorded on an accompanying CD that can be purchased separately. The songs range from the black spiritual “Let My People Go” to three songs about Miriam.
The last pages of the volume are devoted to outlining four seders, each tailored to different needs.
The first, “More Is More,” is the longest with a 90-minute running time. It is designed for adults and older children.
The second, “Less Is More,” is geared toward younger children and runs half as long before the meal.
The third, “We Were All Slaves in Egypt,” focuses on the universal themes in the seder and would be best used by people who have many non-Jewish guests at their seder.
The last, “Opening the Door for Miriam,” highlights feminist rituals, centering on Miriam’s Cup, in the new Haggadah.
A five-page simple play, featuring the voices of God, Moses, Pharaoh and some Israelite slaves, offers a way for young people to get involved in the story.
A bibliodrama is suggested and explained as well. Bibliodrama, an interpretive technique pioneered by Peter Pitzele, takes a story from the Bible and, with a facilitator, leads people to imagine themselves in different roles.
One person might take the role of Miriam, for instance. Another might want to be Moses, Aaron, their mother, an Israelite slave, or one of the Egyptians directing their labor.
The bibliodrama offers adults a powerful way to get inside the experience of leaving Egypt for an unknown but more promising land.