The Passover Haggadah, by Rabbi Yisrael Meyer Lau.Published by Yediot Acharonot

Rabbi Yisrael Meyer Lau, has created a memorable commentary on the Pesach Haggadah. The original publication in Hebrew only, was published in 2008 by Yediyot Achranot as part of the Am HaSefer series in honor of Israel's 60th, anniversary. The newly translated English version, The Passover Haggadah has the look and feel of the original and is true to its spirit. These include the beautiful antique illustrations as well.

Rabbi Yisrael Meyer Lau is a unique figure in the history of Israel. First, he is a childhood Holocaust survivor, who lost nearly all of his family in the Shoah. Rabbi Lau was appointed Chairman of Yad Vashem in 2008. He is the family descendant of a long chain of many rabbis, who enjoys the respect of all facets of Judaism and many non-Jews as well. Wikipedia refers to him as the "consensus" Rabbi for his role as intermediary between the Modern Orthodox and Haredi communities. Rabbi Lau served as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and was awarded the Israel Prize in 2005. His most recent book Out of the Depths depicts his own personal story of survival.

In The Passover Haggadah Rabbi Lau culls a commentary to this traditional text from a variety of his experiences as Chief Rabbi – dealings with the IDF and bereaved families, new immigrants, especially from the former Soviet Union, youth groups, and settlements. The emphasis in this commentary is on Achdut Yisrael and Zionism, how the unity of the Jewish people along with Jewish nationalism can create a sense of continuity between the ancient Israelites of the Passover story and the Jewish people today.

An example is Rav Lau's commentary on the Four Sons. Citing the Blozhover Rebbe, the Rabbi contrasts the words describing the wise versus the wicked son (Etkhem vs. Lakhem) to prove how the wise son includes himself within the Jewish people while the wicked one does not. Similar references to unity and Jewish nationalism resound throughout this Haggadah making it a must read for every Jewish household.

This book is available at:
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www.mayerbooks.com, mayerbooks@gmail.com