The Evolution of the Haggadah
The Haggadah has long been in development the since initial concept originated in the Bible. The purpose of the Haggadah is based on the biblical requirement that, "Thou shall tell thy son on that day, saying: It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth from Egypt." (Ex. 13:8, in Goodman, 71)). It is derived from this that one must therefore recount the exodus from Egypt every year on its anniversary. The oldest part of the Haggadah is Psalms 113 and 114, believed to have been sung by the Leviim in the Passover rites observed before the Ptolemaic period, while under Persian rule. Most of the Haggadah that is used today was formed around 200 C.E., and is detailed in the Mishna, though substantial additions were made in the following centuries (Goodman, 70-72). The text of the Haggadah was compiled based on attitudes of the times. New items were added to reflect the Jews attitudes towards their current situation and their relationships with themselves and others at various times. As a result, while the entire Haggadah tells one story, the process by which it came together tells another.Originally, the Haggadah was a thanksgiving to G-d for redemption from Egypt. In Tem
The Haggadah continued to be embellished for several centuries following the Mishnaic era. The Amorim in the third century added several passages referring to Israel's bondage in Egypt, so as to make the ultimate exodus that much more powerful (Ibid, 75). The Gaonim in the 6th -11th centuries added their own interpretations, specifically the four sons and their questions, which are actually based on biblical passages, and were added to aid in the transmission of the story to all different types of people (Dishon and Zion, 56). It was the bloody crusades during the Middle Ages that saw the addition of Biblical verses of anger in the Haggadah. When the Jews were subject to pogroms, often on Passover, cruel persecutions, and false accusations, the passage of "Pour out thy wrath..." was added (Ibid, 143). The Haggadah that is used today is a compilation of centuries of Jewish experience, both good and bad, all that are remembered on Passover. It serves as a reminder of the persecutions, the assimilations, and the redemptions throughout Jewish history. The Passover Haggadah is an appropriate place for this history lesson because it is on the anniversary of the greatest redemption of all. Had the Jews never left Egypt, th
Some common words found in the essay are:
Found Mishna, Leviim Passover, Haggadah Jews, Haggadah Haggadah, Egypt Ibid, Priest Jason, Passover Haggadah, BCE Palestine, Egypt Temple, King Ptolemies, third century, based biblical, response questions,
Approximate Word count = 830
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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