Customer Reviews

A Different Night, The Family Participation Haggadah

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This haggadah is revelutionary in its approach, and at the same time, completely traditional. The seder is meant to be alive, for all involved. It is meant to be enjoyable -- even the part before the meal. It is meant to stimulate the children and the adults. This is the haggadah to achieve that. With provoking ideas on every other page, facing the traditional text, using many different techniques, there will be something to excite everyone. From the series of a dozen or so charicatures of the four sons spanning several centuries, to a newspaper from the time of the Exodus; from thought provoking chasidic stories to modern approaches to the concept of freedom, noone will be bored any longer. And the leader's guide (a companion volume) will make this the most memorable seder to are likely to have ever experienced.

It would be too easy to state what Noam Zion and David Dishon have done, or potentially done, the content and variety available for one Seder. This particular Haggadah is crammed with all sorts of information and stimulus. That is both a compliment and a criticism. Unfortunately, while it is jam-packed with lots of good things, the amount of information can be distracting or, worse, a turn off. Additionally, while everything is organized along the lines of the traditional Seder, it's not always easy to find some of the extraneous information. Additionally, the large number of inserts can frustrate or just plain annoy a reader. Nevertheless, there are many positive things to say about this Haggadah. First, the variety of information probably means you will never have to buy another Haggadah again, or at least not another leader's assistant. There are enough activities to be fresh every year. Second, the text and Hebrew transliterations are fluid and easy to read. The two authors have gone all out to produce this Haggadah, and it shows in the quality of the work and the price of the volume. That in mind, you may want to buy one copy to serve as an idea catalyst and a less expensive Haggadah for general use. It is well worth the price to buy one and those with larger budgets will benefit from additional copies.

You cannot go wrong with A Different Night from the Hartman Institute as your official seder haggadah. This haggadah claims to put forth a lively dialogue between parent and child, and it does just that. The explanations, commentary, and ease-of-use make this one of the best haggadot on the market. The personal reflection sections will help you turn your seder into a family renewal ceremony and will keep even the most apathetic guest from boredom.

My favorite part of this haggadah is its collection of the many artistic representations of the Four Children, giving you a beautiful art-filled haggadah that can be used at the seder table. You could easily spend half your seder discussing the artists' interpretations.

In typical Hartman Institute fashion, this haggadah is well assembled, pedagogically effective, and extremely leader-friendly. It will be well worth the investment to 86 your standard edition Maxwell House free haggadot and make this your haggadah-of-choice.

full of interesting material, old & new; well set-out; accessible across a wide range of backgrounds, from orthodox to secular; a great section of artistic renderings of the four sons;

overall, i think this is the best contemporary haggadah.

I think of this book as a great seder-planning resource but not one to pass out and use at the seder. The book's size and format are awkward.
Some of the fonts and drawings (all black and white) are small and/or pale.
If used in its entirety, this would creat a long seder. The good points are that the language is gender-neutral, the readings and activity suggestions are engaging for a variety of ages and family configurations, and there is plenty of traditional Hebrew with transliteration to make it seem like a "real" seder.
I would not recommend the Leader's guide. The additional expense isn't worth the price, and there are plenty of free online resources if you feel that the Different Night Haggadah isn't helpful enough. It's pretty self-explanatory though.

Reads Right to Left. As the authors write, it is a Haggadah to grow with, year after year. Each seder can be different from the prior years', by selecting new readings. The Haggadah is tagged with shortcuts for those who want to conduct a quick seder, but not to miss the educational spirit of the process. The Bare Bones Basic Seder readings are tagged with a BBB diamond symbol (think of the symbol of hot and spicy entrees on a Chinese restaurant menu). The haggadah opens with Erev Pesach and the Search for Chametz, followed by the burning of the Chametz. The haggadah also explains Chametz as a symbol of personal arrogance in its commentaries. The right facing pages are the Hebrew and English seder. The left facing pages are commentaries and tidbits to share at the table. The seder is presented in Hebrew with English translations. The blessings and major paragraphs (such as Ha lachma Anya) have English transliterations also. The Four sons are rendered as Four CHILDREN, and includes a commentary on whether labeling children is dynamic or static, and whether Abram would have been labeled a rebellious child since he founded monotheism against his father's wishes. It is followed by six pages of the Four Children in Art, 1920-1988. This haggadah also includes sections for Shifra and Puah, the heroic women who saved Moses and other babies. The MAGGID or Symposium section contains selections for the assembled on a variety of topics, such as Sexual liberation, Resistance, Rabbinics, Assimilation, Antisemitism, Oppression, or the Wandering Jews. Choose one and discuss, or make up your own Symposium one year. The Ten plagues includes a commentary on a Pacifist's view of the plagues. Dayenu is in English, Hebrew, and transliteration. It is followed by a Dayenu of contemporary stanzas in English. The Haggadah includes the Grace After Meals, Hallel, and Sfirat Ha Omer. It closes with Kee Lo Naeh, Adeer Hu, Echad Mee Yodaia, Chad gadya, Hatikva, Jerusalem of Gold (Shemer), selections from Song of Songs, and three songs for Peace.

I purchased "A Different Night" because my set of "Children's Haggadah"s were ruined and my children had grown enough to appreciate a more advanced seder. I skimmed through the Haggadah in the week before Pesach to get a feel for this seder (which I definitely suggest). It is crammed full of lots of interesting readings, side bars, pictures and discussions. It has a symbol next to the "must do" sections. On the opposite page (and sometimes the next few pages) are readings, digressions, stories, further prayers, and pictures or cartoons. You can just do the "must do" sections for a 1 hour seder, or throw in a reading or two between these to add more interest. In this way, you could have a different seder every year and never get bored! One thing we discussed a lot were the pictures, especially the 20 or so fine art depictions of the Four Sons. It has transliteration and translation for most of the Hebrew. Only 2 criticisms - (1) There was not a "reading" of the story of the Exodus. The Haggadah expects you to tell it from memory? or use the 60 second "play" for the kids to tell the story like an interview. (2) There were many pages between the Four questions and the answers to the questions. And the answers were hardly the traditional answers. I think they missed the boat on that one. Overall very enjoyable modernized Haggadah with lots of options.

This Haggadah is a valuable contribution. It aims to help promote the inter-generational dialogue which is an essential element of the Seder. It provides clear and alternative answers to the principal questions ordinarily discussed in the 'Magid' section of the Seder. It also provides colorful ilustrations some of which are in cartoon form . It also provides historical knowledge and background which make studying the work a true learning experience. And though it is directed at an English speaking American readership it has a world- view centered on the redemption in the land of Israel. It too includes much Midrashic material.
I am hoping that this Haggadah will help enrich our Seder this year as I expect it will enrich the Seder of many others.

This book has many good ideas to use, but must be reviewed well before the sedar night and gleaned down. It was difficult to use it with another more standard haggadah, but it was not meant to be used in that manner.

A terrific book to read over during the year or during the weeks leading up to Passover so that you can add depth, relevance and understanding to your Seder. Some excellent selections, interesting controversies and a wonderful opportunity to learn.