Passover Haggadah: The Original Tradition of the Jews of Yemen [Hardcover]

Ben-Tsur Chaim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Yemenite Jews have contributed their full share to the development of the Jewish religion and culture preserving ancient religious ideas and practices. Many Yemenite Jews are great scholars, individuals who know by heart the Torah, the prayers, and large portions of Jewish literature.The Yemenite community is the most literate of all Jewish communities when it comes to the Bible and the prayers. Famous scholars assert that to understand the laws of the Mishna and Talmud, one has to live with Yemenite Jews.Yemenite Hebrew has been acknowledged by some researchers to contain the most ancient phonetic and grammatical features dating back to the early days of the first Temple. Ancient Hebrew manuscripts were often copied and preserved in Yemen. The Jewish Yemenite prayer book (the "Tiklal") is completely different from the Ashkenazic and Sephardic prayer books. Rambam (Maimonides) always referred to the text in the Yemenite prayer book. Yemenite culture is a way of life affecting every activity at home, school, or in the synagogue. Its tradition is richly represented in art, crafts, music and literature. Yemenite garments, jewelry, embroidery, woven fabrics, carpets, and prayer shawls are famous for their high quality. Yemenite melodies and singers are today the most prominent elements in Jewish and Israeli music and the "Yemenite step" is danced in many Israeli folk dances. Our wedding customs, including the "henna" ceremony, are nowadays accepted and combined with Sephardic and Ashkenazic rituals.

This book, "Passover Haggadah The Original Tradition of the Jews of Yemen" ,is the only Yemenite Haggadah with English translation and has special features:
- Hebrew and English text, side by side - printed in two colors
- Marvelous color cover with two original paintings
- Clear and easy to read font
- Hard cover
- 120 pages of quality gloss paper

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the chapter:How Were Matzot Baked In Yemen?

Jewish Yemenite women prepared for the Passover holiday painstakingly, due to their thorough knowledge in the practical applications of Halacha. Yemenite Jews had the custom to bake Matzot before each and every meal. They took four precautions in the baking process: 1) They inspected the oven thoroughly to insure that it was Kosher for Passover, 2) They made sure the wood for the fire could be easily ignited, 3) They divided the dough into smaller portions, and 4) three women, at least two that were involved in the baking process itself. Why three? The first to knead the dough, the second to pour the water, and the third to bake.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• ISBN-10: 096641280X
• ISBN-13: 978-0966412802
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,635,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The original Haggadah of the Jews of Yemen, 100% "Baladi", October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Passover Haggadah: The Original Tradition of the Jews of Yemen (Hardcover)

This Passover Haggadah, edited by Chaim Ben-Tsur, is the original Haggadah of the Jews of Yemen since the early day of the Yemenite Jewry - more than 2,000 years ago. This is not a personal version of anybody - it is rather the original version which is identical (100%) to MaHaritz's Haggadah - the mighty Ga'on, the honorable and holy Rav Yosef , the son of the honorable and holy Rav Tzalach, whose abbreviated name is the MaHaritz. He was the Chief Religious Judge of Sanaa and all Yemen cities, Chief Rabbi of Yemen and the greatest scholar in Yemenite customs and Jewish laws, for the last 400 years till today. The main text of this Haggadah is 100% identical to the text that was printed in Maharitz's "TIKLAL - ETS CHAIM HA'SHALEM", 1978 edition. Also, this Haggadah is 100% identical to the Passover Haggadah, which was published by Rabbi Shlomo Korach, the Chief Rabbi of Bnei-Brak, Israel. Rabbi Korach published two versions of the Yemenite Haggadah - the "Baladi" version

and the "Shami" version. Rabbi Korach's Baladi version is identical (100%) to this Haggadah which was published by the Association of Jewish Yemenites in the United States. I have seen many manuscripts of Haggadot that were written during different times by the Jews in Yemen. One of them in the hand writing of my father - Rabbi Salem , son of Salem Jacoby, from about 80 years ago. All of them are exactly alike this Haggadah which was published by Chaim Ben-Tsur and the Association of Jewish Yemenites in the United States. The only difference in this Haggadah is the translation to English, which brings a unique and an important service for Yemenites families who live in the United States. I have heard numerous comments from people who purchased this Haggadah - all of them were positive.

Rabbi Chaim Jacoby

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and informative a first of its kind!, March 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Passover Haggadah: The Original Tradition of the Jews of Yemen (Hardcover)

Unique, a first of its kind, this Haggadah is rare enough in its original form so to have it translated into English is rarer indeed. This book helps to service a small English speaking Yemenite Jewish community as well as a collector's edition for the interested.

The book opens with a thorough treatment of the most prevalent, original (Balaadi) Yemenite laws and customs of Passover. Done in bullet point form they cover all aspects of both the holiday and the Seder itself. A rare account of the way Matzoth was prepared in Yemen during the Holiday accompanies this portion of the book. This practice has dwindled to almost non-existent in the past 40 years and has finally been documented for the English-speaking crowd.

The translation of the Haggadah itself is a traditional one with instructions accompanying all rituals throughout the Seder. This Haggadah has been endorsed by two of the great, leading rabbis of the Yemenite community, Rabbi Yosef Kafih and Rabbi Shlomo Korach.

H. Zabari

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars this is not "the original haggadah of the jews of yemen", August 1, 1999

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passover Haggadah: The Original Tradition of the Jews of Yemen (Hardcover)

Mr. Ben Tsur's haggadah is just that: his. Aimed at an audience that is unfamiliar with both Yemenite Jewish culture and language, and with the Hebrews and Aramaics found in every haggadah, he seems to have incorporated information with which he is personally familiar. It is, to say the least, both limited and so, inaccurate in many ways. This haggadah is clearly a compilation based on his family's haggadoth, their familial customs, and some of the modifications they and later he, made to it. Ben Tsur's family are from San'aa, Yemen's capitol, where less than 10% of Yemen's population lived. Most Yemenites lived in the blad, the 1,000 plus villages scattered throughout Yemen. The majority used regional and personal versions of the indigenous baladi haggadah, which, like the baladi prayer tradition, is briefer than the shami. And this is why Ben Tsur's haggadah is not "original Yemenite": it is shami, the Sephardic-style import that some Yemenite Jews, in San'aa and in a few other locales, purchased from itinerant peddlars who brought them from Damascus. Since the printing press did not arrive in Yemen until the late 19th, early 20th century, all books were either imported or hand-written. The main advantage of Ben Tsur's haggadah is its English translations which are, for the most part, accurate. The pictures and large print are helpful for readers with limited vision. It is hoped that, in the 3rd edition, Mr. Ben Tsur will eliminate the misleading "original" from his title and identify it accurately: as his adaptation from his family's (and perhaps others?) shami text(s).