Discovering Order in the Seder

Make This Year’s Passover Seder Your Most Meaningful Yet!

Last week I had an urge to prune the garden. I kind of felt it was premature but days of mild weather and sun had already brought the crocuses to bloom and buds to a plumpness.

“Wait!” a part of me said. “You’re going to regret this.”

But buoyed on by the warmth and light, I cleared and snipped, and snipped some more. Then the blizzard came! Oish. I have prayed a lot for the apple and hydrangea trees…

I think they will be okay. Even though there is still ice on the ground, somehow the sun’s rays feel a little stronger, the light a little brighter. I am so glad it is Spring.

And that is what the holiday of Passover represents – light, growth, tenacity and rejuvenation. G-d’s gift of renewal and light comes just in time. It arrives without our doing anything to deserve it, sometimes even in spite of ourselves. What a welcome gift! We have to remember to open our arms and receive it, to let its healing power warm and re-energize our soul.

The story of Passover is our reminder.

Yet often we find the holiday to be the opposite of freedom. Certainly we resist the labor intensive prep. Even more significantly, we often do not relate to the Haggadah or, worse yet, find the Seder to be boring or irrelevant.

Enter the Haggadah Companion to enrich and enliven your Seder experience. The companion is NOT a Haggadah. Rather it is a map and spiritual guide to the Seder and Haggadah itself. Here is and excerpt from the introduction:

We all know someone – be it ourselves, a relative or friend – who has groaned their way through the Seder. Jokes abound about our collective experiences and how long it takes to get through the Haggadah until the “real” part, the “real” food begins.

In an attempt to make the pre-food part more palatable, I asked myself what the challenges were. One aspect is certainly a lack of knowledge. Not knowing the symbolism of the journey drains any religious service of vitality. Another is being seeped in material concerns and not appreciating the benefit of subduing our physical desires even a little. A third aspect is what really intrigued me. The Pesach meal is called “The Seder” and translates as “Order” in English. Yet, at first glance, the structure of the Haggadah (which forms the backbone of the Seder) appears to be random, associative and without any intrinsic order at all.

This clearly is not the case. So I thought I’d put together a booklet that provided a map of the Haggadah. My goal was to provide others with an understanding of the logic and intention that underscores the text. It would be a handbook you could place besides your Haggadah to assist you through the Seder, somewhat like stones in the water that help one cross a stream.

The Haggadah Companion is packed with inspiration and a step by step guide to getting the most out of your Seder.

All for just $18.00!

Get your Haggadah Companion Package here >>

Your companion includes:

• 6 inspirational articles:
  • 3 by Shimona Tzukernik
  • 3 by Rochel Holzkenner
• The Seder Plate:
  • An explanation of the Kabbalistic meaning of the Seder Plate
  • Accompanied by three beautiful and explanatory diagrams
• The 15 Steps:
  • A chart demonstrating the 15 Steps in meaningful groups
  • “Your 15 Step Program to Inner Liberation” by Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson
• The Map of Maggid:
  • A 2-page diagram
  • 8 pages of explanations on the map, outlining the logic and meaning behind the way the Haggadah is constructed

Get your Haggadah Companion Package here >>

It’s spring and thank G-d opportunity is blooming.