The St ori es o f I s r T a h e e l H J e a w g i s g h a d E x a o h d u s fr om Et hiopia of Israel ies Ha or gg t a S d e a h h T T h ia e p Je o w hi ish Et Exodus from Copyright © 2021 by Joshua Weisberg. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form, without written permission. Commentary by Joshua Weisberg, border art by Hallel Weisberg and illustrations by Tadeleh Shmuel. Contact [email protected] in order to order a copy of this Haggadah, or to submit questions or comments about the content of the Stories of Israel Haggadah. --- - 1 - took place in ancient Egypt or in modern My task, as the Haggadah suggests, was Stories of Israel Haggadah - day Ethiopia. “In every generation we to open texts and their commentaries must see ourselves as if we left Egypt.” and to encourage my children to take Introduction Ultimately, this is our story and tonight ownership of their Jewish identity - to we and our children have roles to play. ask their excellent questions from the Over the past forty years, no Jewish narrative. “When you arrive in the land,” The Haggadah mentions four children, inside and not from the outside. community has experienced its own predicts the Book of Deuteronomy, the wicked, the wise, the simple, the one The Haggadah’s phrase “set his teeth on Exodus quite as dramatically or as “your child will ask you questions.” It is who does not yet know how to ask. The edge,” in the context to the wicked child, completely as the Beta Israel, the clear from the context that the child is wicked child behaves as if she is on the refers to a verse from Jeremiah and community of Ethiopian Jews. For not just asking for information. Children outside, testing her parents’ narrative, Ezekiel that promises that no longer will three millennia, the Beta Israel lived need more than knowledge; they need unsure what of their story she will “parents eat unripe grapes and set their apart from the rest of the Jewish their parents to tell a story about why adopt. “What do these laws mean to children’s teeth on edge.” Anyone who people and never stopped dreaming we are here, what is important to us, you?” The wise child, too, remains on the has ever eaten an unripe grape knows of a return. Every autumn, according why we are Jewish, and why it is all periphery of her parents’ experience, but exactly what it does to your teeth, and to Ethiopian folk tradition, Jewish worth the sacrifice. Already 1900 years her independence awakens curiosity, not the prophets promise that from now on families would gather outside and call ago, Ben Zoma, one of the rabbis of the rebellion. The simple child wonders what each generation is responsible for its own out to the migrating storks overhead, Mishna, understood that Deuteronomy’s this is all about, and the child who does destiny; when your teeth are set on edge “stork, stork, how is our beloved prediction applies to Jewish children not know what to ask is just taking it all in. it is your job to examine the grapes you Jerusalem?” everywhere. In every generation we ask Most of us, at different times in our lives, have been eating. The age of wisdom, The story of the aliya, or immigration “why.” identify with each of the four children. in my experience, begins only after to Israel, of Ethiopian Jewry, like the The Stories of Israel Haggadah that you I have observed my own children over rebellion, when a child has left home and story of the Exodus 3500 years before, are holding focuses on the experience of the years as they experiment with the returned with a new kind of question. is full of miracles, unexpected heroes, Ethiopian Jewry. Through the story of Haggadah’s roles. When our kids were This Stories of Israel Haggadah is bitterness and redemption. And just as the Beta Israel, we will gain some insight young, our seder was primarily a tactile our attempt to help with the task of the challenges for ancient Israel only into what the journey from captivity to experience; there was matzah to eat, bringing the story of the Exodus to really began once the twelve tribes freedom can be like and what it means to wine to spill and an afikomen to hide. life. The brief and powerful account of entered their Promised Land, so too, dream of freedom and then to deal with When the children grew a little older, we Ethiopian Jewry, the commentary on today, Ethiopian Jewry is engaged in a redemption’s challenges once we reach devised games to stimulate questions. We themes of the text, and the suggested daily struggle for dignity, success and our Promised Land. dressed up as ancient desert travelers, questions are all but tools for you a vibrant cultural identity. The older The Haggadah functions like the script acted out each of the plagues, rewarded to make the story of the Exodus generation of Ethiopian Jews has a of a play. Alongside the text, it preserves questions with chocolate chips and meaningful for all of us: wise, wicked, tremendous story to tell, and their stage instructions that bring the words recited the Haggadah reclining on and simple. Enjoy! children have a lot of questions that to life; “youngest child asks question here,” cushions on the floor. Chag Sameach! need answering. “five wise men enter stage left,” and “eat When our kids reached teenage The Passover Haggadah is based on the horseradish and discuss bitterness.” But, years, they made sure I noticed their Joshua Weisberg and the Stories of assumption that in every generation like any great script, the Haggadah skepticism. “Oh, so you really think Israel team. and in every community, whether in needs a great actor. That actor is you. God split the sea?” “So, if God saves the ערב פסח תשפ”א. ”?Jerusalem, Amsterdam, New York or It is not enough on Passover night to Jews, where was God in the Holocaust LA, children challenge their parents’ be an observer of events -whether they “What does all this mean to you?” Jerusalem, 2021, - 2 - - 3 - The Order of the Seder: Kadesh urchatz 1 . דֵקַ ׁש Kadesh .1 2 . ּו רְ חַ ץ Urchatz .2 3 . ַ כ רְ פַ ס Karpas .3 4 . יחץ Yachatz .4 5 . מגיד Magid .5 6 . רָ חְ ָ צ ה Rachtza .6 7 . מֹוצִ יא, מַ צָ ה Motzi, Matza .7 8 . מָ רֹור Maror .8 9. ּכֹורֵ ְך Korech .9 10. ֻ לְחָ ׁש ןעֹורֵ ְך Shulchan Orech .10 11 .צָ פּון Tzafun .11 12 . רֵבָ ְך Barech .12 13 .הלל Hallel .13 14 .נרצה Nirtza .14 - 4 - - 5 - ַ ּדֵ קׁש Kadesh ְּבַׁשָּבַת מְתִחִילין כאן: ִיְׂשָרֵאְל וַהְּזַמִּנים. Pour the first cup of wine and cover peoples. In Your gracious love, You the matsot. granted us Your [On Friday night ַוְיִהֶי עֶרַבוְיִהֹי בֶקַריֹום הִּׁשִּׁשיַ. וְיֻכּלּו ּבמוצאי שבת מוסיפים: add: holy Sabbath, and] special times ַה ָ ּׁש ַמִיְם וָהָאֶרְץוָכל־ְצָבָאַם. וְיַכֱלאִֹלהים ַָרּוְך באָּתֱה ה', אֵֹלהֶינּו מֶלְָךהָעֹולם, .When Passover falls on a Friday for happiness and joy night, begin here: And there was Blessed are You, O Lord, who sanctifies ַַּיֹום בהְּׁשִביִעְי מַלְאכֲּתֹו אֶׁשָר עָׂשַהוִּי ְׁש ֹבת ב ֵֹורְא מֵאֹורָיהֵאׁש. ָ בַרּוְך אָּתה ה', [,evening and there was morning, the [On Friday night add: the Sabbath sixth day. And the heaven and the Israel, and the appointed times. ַ בַּיֹום הְּׁשִביִע ִי מ ְָל כ מַלְאכֲּתֹו אֶׁשָרעָׂשה. ֱאֵֹלהֶינּו מֶלְָךהָעֹול ַם ה ַ ּמְבִדיל ֵ בֹין קֶדׁש .earth were finished, and all their host ַוְיָבֵרְֱך אִֹלהֶים אַת יֹום הְּׁשִביִעַיוְיַקֵּדׁש ְלֹחלֵ, בְין אֹור לֶחׁשְך, ֵ ב ִין יְׂשָרֵאָללַעִּמים, And on the seventh day God finished When Passover falls on a Saturday His work which He had done; and He night, add the following two אֹותֹו ִ ָיכ בֹו ׁשַב ִת מ ָ כְל־מַלְאכֲּתֹו אֶׁשר ֵַין ב יֹוםהְּׁשִביִעְי לֵׁשֶׁשְת יֵמַי הַּמֲעֶׂשה. ֵ בין rested on the seventh day from all His paragraphs: Blessed are You, Lord ָ בָרֱא אִֹלהַיםלֲעׂשֹות. ְקֻדַּׁש ַתׁש ִָת בלְקֻדַּׁשת יֹום טֹוִב הְבַּדְלָּת, work which He had done. And God our God, King of the universe, who blessed the seventh day, and sanctified creates the light of the fire. Blessed בחול מתחילין כאן: ְוֶאת־ַיֹום הְּׁשִביִעִי מֵּׁשֶׁשְת יֵמַי הַּמֲעֶׂשה it; because He rested on it from all of are You, Lord our God, King of the ַסְבִרָי מָרָנְן וַר ָ בנָן וְ ַרב ַֹותי. ָ בַרּוְך אָּתה ה', ִקַּדְׁשָּתִ. הְבַּדְלָּתְ וִקַּדְׁשָּתֶ את־ַעְּמִָךיְׂשָרֵאל His work which God created in doing universe, who distinguishes between (Genesis 1:31-2:3). the holy and the profane, between ֱאֵֹלהֶינּו מֶלְָךהָעֹולם ב ֵֹורא ְ פִרַי הָגֶפן. דֻ בִקְ ּׁשָ תֶ ָך . light and darkness, between Israel and ַָרּוְך באָּתֱה ה', אֵלהֶינּומֶלְָך הָעֹולֲםאֶׁשר ָ בַרּוְך ה', אָּתַההַּמְבִדיל ֵ ב ֹין קֶדְׁשלֹקֶדׁש. On all other nights, begin here (on the nations, between the seventh day Friday night include the words in and the six working days. You have ָ בַחר ָב ִנּו מ ָ כ ל־ָעְםוְרֹומָמ ִנּו מכָל־לָ ׁשֹון brackets): Blessed are You, Lord our distinguished between the holiness of ְוִקְּדָׁשנּו ְ בִמְצָֹותיוַ. וִּתֶּתָן לֱנּו ה' אֵֹלהינּו ַָרּוְך באָּתֱה ה', אֵֹלהֶינּו מֶלְָךהָעֹולם, God, King of the universe, who creates the Sabbath and the holiness of the the fruit of the vine. Festival, and You have sanctified the ְ באַ הֲ בָ ה )לשבת: ַ ׁש ָ בִתֹות לְמָנּוחה ּו( ֶׁשֶהֱחָיְנּווִקְּיָמְנּו ו ִה ִ גיָעַנּו לְּזַמ ַן ה ֶּזה.