Summary

The Passover Seder meal every spring is probably the most widely observed ritual in the Jewish holiday calendar, and the Haggadah is the traditional text used in the ceremony. A Mystical Haggadah is the first book to provide a spiritual interpretation of the Seder, with an easy-to-read transliterated text and new translation and commentary. In a generation that has seen an explosion in popularity of books about mystical and meditative traditions, there is actually very little published about the rich and fascinating mystical traditions of the Jewish holy days. Passover, the first religious holiday of the Jewish people, particularly deserves to be reviewed from a mystical perspective. A Mystical Haggadah takes the reader through the Passover ritual with Kabbalistic meditations and affirmations in a groundbreaking reader-friendly format. This Haggadah also includes many Hassidic teachings and stories that have never been presented to the English reading audience. A Mystical Haggadah is expecially valuable for its reader-friendly transliterations of all the major prayers and rituals, and is refreshing in its creative and spiritually based adaptations and translations of the primary Haggadah text.

Author Biography

Rabbi Eliahu Klein has taught Kabbalah, Jewish Meditation, and Hassidism for over 30 years throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and Israel. The Jewish Chaplain for San Francisco County Jails and other prisons of the State of California Department of Rehabilitation, he lives in Berkeley.

Introduction: Autobiographical Reflections	p. 1
What Is Contained in This Haggadah?	p. 6
The Ritual of Hunting for Khametz	p. 8
The Search for Khametz	p. 8
Burning the Khametz Ritual	p. 11
The Ritual of Eruv Tavshilin	p. 13
Blessing of the Candles	p. 15
The Passover Seder: Fifteen Steps toward Illumination	p. 17
Prelude to the Seder: A Hassidic Tale of Faith, Devotion, and Courage	p. 17
The Seder Plate
Kadesh: Blessing of the First Cup	p. 25
Urkhatz: First Washing of the Hands	p. 40
Karpas: First Dipping of a Vegetable	p. 42
Yakhatz: Breaking the Middle Matzah-Hiding the Afikomen	p. 45
Magid: Telling the Exodus Story	p. 48
The Four Questions: Mah Nishtanah	p. 53
Rakhtzah: Second Washing of the Hands	p. 99
Motzi-Matzah: Blessing on the Matzah	p. 101
Maror: Eating Bitter Herbs	p. 103
Koraikh: The Ancient Matzah Sandwich	p. 105
Shulkhan Orekh: The Banquet	p. 106
Tzafune: Eating the Afikomen	p. 108
Baraich: After Blessing at Conclusion of Banquet	p. 109
Hallel: Songs of Praise	p. 125
Nirtzah: Concluding Prayers and Songs of Goodwill	p. 146
Bibliography: Annotated List of Sources	p. 173
Glossary	p. 179
About the Author	p. 189
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Excerpts

From the Introduction: What is contained in this Haggadah?

In this Haggadah I have decided to mix both worlds that are precious to me—the passionate heart traditions of Hassidism and the possibility of achieving cosmic consciousness through Kabbalah meditation and visualization. Thus, at the beginning of the Haggadah I share a Hassidic legend of how an impoverished Hassidic master, with the power of his faith and convictions, was able to manifest a miracle. When the Haggadah continues with the initiation of the Seder—Kadesh, the blessing of the wine—I begin to share and present a mystical commentary and meditation used by the Kabbalists to expand one’s mind and heart so that one enters into sacred space. Throughout the Haggadah I alternate between the Hassidic heart commentaries based on traditions from Eastern Europe such as the rebbehs of the Ishbizter-Radzin dynasty, the Tchernobel-Trisk dynasty, the Rizhiner-Husyatin dynasty; and the primary teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, and other masters of the heart.

Preceding most of the rituals, I offer a mystical meditation or a contemplative prayer from the following mystics: Rabbi Yosef Hayim of Baghdad—the Ben Ish Hai; Rabbi Isaac Luria; Rabbi Haim Vital-Calabrese; Rabbi Moses de Leon, the celebrated publisher of the Zohar; Rabbi Sar Shalom Sharabi, the ecstatic Kabbalah mandala master; and reflections from the Zohar and mystical teachings from Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, the author of the acclaimed “SHALAH” (the acronym for Shnei Lukhot Habrit—The Two Tablets of the Covenant).

The purpose of this montage of Haggadah traditions is to transmit a full spectrum of illumination that is embedded within these teachings; to show that it is worthwhile for seekers and practitioners to explore many traditions, and to extract those aspects that resonate with their souls so they may experience the maximum spiritual experience during this sacred holiday of Passover...

Excerpted from A Mystical Haggadah: Passover Meditations, Teachings, and Tales by Eliahu J. Klein
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.