Passover is not the easiest of holidays. Where to start? There’s the cleaning and excess tin-foiling. Then comes packing up your regular dishes and unpacking your used-once-a-year Passover goods. For some it’s kashering your pots and pans for Passover use. And of course let’s not forget buying the incredibly expensive kosher for Passover ingredients.
We can become so overwhelmed by the stress, that we forget the enjoyment of the holiday. Really, how often is your home that clean? There’s a freshness to Passover, perfectly coupled with the advent of spring, that can’t be duplicated.
And the seder provides an ideal moment for renewal, both personal and communal. Getting into the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt and becoming a nation is something many of us can apply to situations in our own private lives. One aspect we love about the seder is the commentary. A beautiful aspect of the Torah is its openness to interpretation. It makes for a rich and fulfilling evening of discussion.Below are some website and resources we’ve come across for creating a personalized reading of the Passover story.
If you’re looking to start from scratch, check out this open source Haggadah, where you can select text, commentary, song, and ritual information to create a completely personalized Haggadah.
At Ohr Somayach Yeshiva’s website, the entire Malbim Haggadah is online, along with in house commentary on the four sons, the afikoman, and a children’s oriented commentary.
Chabad’s website includes what they call seder insights, along with commentary to each of the seder’s 14 steps. Ever wonder why we wash our hands twice, or why we eat an appetizer of vegetable dipped in saltwater?
If you’re still old school and want to hold an actual book in your hands, the new Creating Lively Passover Seders by David Arnow uses the Mishnah as both an inspiration and guide to holding diverse, commentary filled seders that will engage both children and adults.
If you’ve come across any online resources for Passover that you’d like to share, let us know in a comment!
