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I've been leading Passover Seders (Sederim)
for almost 40 years. With few exceptions, I've used the traditional
haggadah. The traditional haggadah is somewhat obtuse. It benefits
greatly with a brief but pointed running commentary, explaining
the nuances of the rabbinic free-association style in which it
is written. It also benefits from a bit of judicious editing;
some pieces of it make very little sense on the surface and an
adequate explanation stretches the length of the event beyond
what normal mortals will consent to.
So over the years, I developed my own style
of explaining the text as we use it. My daughters roll their
eyes because (without realizing it) I had been giving almost
the same word-for-word commentary every year.
So I have created my own edition. My commentary
is laconic: brief, to the point, cutting unnecessary ornamentation.
You read it through and the haggadah makes sense in a way that
it may not have before. And you can do the whole thing in about
an hour before the meal and about 45 minutes after. (How long
you linger over dinner and afikomon is personal preference.)
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