A project over nine years in creation, this Haggadah is the culmination of more than thirty years of work. It embodies much of my life efforts, using the art to reach others with the values and importance of the Jewish legacy. Besides the art, the Haggadah contains contemporary stories, poems, prayers and meditations that I have written throughout the years. It combines relevant modern issues, along with the understandings of our historical legacy, allowing for unique ways of sharing the Passover story. It is designed to offer a Passover guide that will benefit people on many different levels - to inspire, educate, and entertain those who read it.
Just a few of the distinctive features of "The Jewish Soul Haggadah: Where Heaven and Earth Touch" are:
1) A “Storytelling Seder Plate,” where the depiction of each item on the Seder Plate shares part of the Passover Story (pgs. 4-5).
2) A drash (short story) comparing the Passover Story with the “Wizard of Oz” (pg. 8).
3) “Echoes of our Souls – A Shema Meditation” (pg. 2-3).
4) A unique perspective on the “Four Children” section of the Seder entitled, “Four Children, Four Stages of Growth, Four Parts of Ourselves” (pg. 36).
5) “In Our Heart of Hearts, Whispers of Hope for Our Children,” a special blessing from parents to their children (pgs. 38-39).
6) A” Pesach Freedom Drash” (pg. 41).
7) An original “Ten Plagues” picture created specifically for this Haggadah. In the design, a tornado devastating the land is also a wine cup containing illustrations of each of the Ten Plagues. The composition additionally includes a representation of when we remove the ten drops of wine from the cup during the Seder (pg. 43).
8) “Cheese Blintzes and Prayers…When We Have To Eat Our Words,” a short drash (pg. 52).
9) An “R” rated drash because it contains nudity and roosters. Based on a Rebbe Nachman teaching (pgs. 82-83).
Author’s Note