Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew And English Text With New Essays And Commentary (Hebrew Edition) (Hardcover)

by Jonathan Sacks (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"The seder service on Pesach is the oldest surviving ritual in the Western world, dating back some 3,300 years....Through the Haggadah more than a hundred generations of Jews have handed on their story to their children....Few texts have received more attention than the Haggadah. There are thousands of commentaries, and more are published each year. Anyone who contemplates adding to this number must ask not 'Why is this night different?' But 'Why is this edition different?' My answer is that I wrote this commentary because, amongst all the many I have read, I could not find one that explained in their full richness and scope the fundamental themes of the Pesach story: the Jewish concept of a free society, the role of memory in shaping Jewish identity, and the unique connection that exists in Judaism between spirituality and society, giving rise to what I have called elsewhere 'the politics of hope.' Nor could I find a Haggada that told me in detail about the role of Pesach in shaping Jewish identity through the millennia, or its influence on Western thought as a whole."

-Jonathan Sacks This Haggadah is actually two books in one. At what would be the back of an English-language book is the Haggdah in large, beautiful Hebrew typography, with an English translation adapted and with a running commentary by Rabbi Sacks. The Hebrew text and accompanying English translation are carefully arranged so as to be easy to use at the seder table. As such, this book is an ideal companion for use at the Passover meal. At the other end of the book are Rabbi Sacks's Essays on Passover. The 21 short essays demonstrate the qualities that make Rabbi Sacks one of the world's foremost religious leaders: keen intelligence, acute moral sensitivity, and a wide-ranging historical and literary imagination. In passage after passage, Rabbi Sacks celebrates the magnificence and uniqueness of Judaism and shows how the Pesach story is not primarily about a distant past and an equally distant future but about the present and the values by which we should strive to live.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group; Bilingual edition (February 15, 2006)
• Language: Hebrew
• ISBN-10: 0826418287
• ISBN-13: 978-0826418289
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #957,477 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner for the Chief Rabbi, February 20, 2007

By	barrygoodlife (Teaneck , NJ) - See all my reviews

This haggadah--the outline used at the special ceremonial meals marked each of the first two nights of Passover (one night only in Israel)--is relete with explanations of the rituals, historical insights and the uniquely mellifluous and felicitous style that marks all of the Chief Rabbi's written work. Traditionalists are sure to discover innovative perspectives while the newcomer will be drawn to Rabbi Sacks' easy transitions from classical Jewish commentary to modern literature, philosophy and current events. Complete with the traditional Hebrew and Aramaic text and an accesible English translation, Rabbi Sacks' Haggadah is complemented by nearly two dozen compact essays which develop the meaning behind the Seder, and its role in transmitting Jeweish values across the generational divide.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sacks Haggadah, April 12, 2009

By	Gregg A. Bannett "drgbannett" (Cherry Hill, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew and English Text With New Essays and Commentary by Jonathan Sacks (Hebrew Edition) (Paperback)

This is an important and inspirational work. What sets it apart from other commentaries is the emphasis on overarching themes of Passover. Rather than emphasizing the parsing of individual words and phrases, Rabbi Sacks gives you deep analysis of the meaning of Passover that will add to your understanding of and enthusiasm for this wonderous holiday.

5.0 out of 5 stars The great ideas of the Jewish Tradition as exemplified in the 'Haggadah', April 6, 2009

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's Haggadah: Hebrew and English Text With New Essays and Commentary by Jonathan Sacks (Hebrew Edition) (Paperback)

I have been reading this 'Haggadah' in preparation for Seder. I find it to be a tremendously thought-rich and inspiring one. What Rabbi Sachs has done is written a series of Essays on fundamental ideas and concepts of the Jewish tradition and shown how they are exemplifed in the 'Haggadah'.
In other words quite remarkably what the reader of this 'Haggadah' is given is the Jewish way of thinking and looking at the work. Rabbi Sachs shows how the Jewish Tradition has enriched mankind through its bequeathing ideas of Freedom and Responsibility, of Covenant and Communal Meaning and Responsibility, of Redemptive and Purposive time, of the Cooperation and Co- Creation of Divine and Human. He has an illuminating chapter on the role of Women in the 'Haggadah' a wonderful discussion of the Five who spent the Night in Learning at B'nei Brak. I found this work reminding over and over again of how rich and great the Jewish Tradition is and how meaningful and moving to be a part of the ongoing struggle of generations for the overall well- being and Redemption of the Jewish people and Mankind.
I believe each and every Seder should have this 'Haggadah' at the Table. And when we get as we often do into what , please excuse me for this, may seem to some of us , minor quibbling we should go back to this 'Haggadah' and reaffirm those great central ideas which inform it. From the Freedom of Peach from the Am Chofshi of Mitzrayim to the Freedom of Shavuot and the Luchot which are those of Cherut ( Engraved and Incised with Torah ) and positive Freedom we build meaningful Jewish experience and Life.