Thus, a wandering aramean was my father will read, an aramean tried to destroy my father. The name aram has been found in one of the oldest examples of writing, the mari. The new haggadah relies mostly on the traditional goldberg haggadah and an interesting version given to me by my uncle, authored by dr. My father was a wandering aramean a reference to abraham, who was called by god to leave his ancestral home and to wander in strange lands. But why is the story told as ones own story in the first person singular. A novel translation of my father was a wandering aramean helps. The torah boldly pronounces that it is laban, the aramean. The passover haggadah is modeled after the classic seudat hodayah. My sermon 28th august my father was a wandering aramean. And then say, out loud, a passage which many of us may recognize from the pesach haggadah, one which begins my father was a wandering aramean. The passover haggadah is a set form of benedictions, prayers, midrashic comments and psalms recited at the seder ritual on the eve of passover introduction. He went down to egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there.
The haggadah understands the word oved wandering as ibed destroyed, changing the vocalization of the word. The maxwell house haggadah, general foods corporation, 1982, pp. My father was a wandering aramean who went down to egypt and dwelled there. It goes back to at least the 12th century bc, and probably a lot further. One was my repeated attendance at an annual seder hosted by my friends edgar and susan taylor in ann arbor. A pharaoh made his decree only about the males, whereas laban sought to destroy everything.
A wandering aramean was my parent, and they went down into egypt. Haggadah, maggid the painful reminder of our status as strangers in the land of egypt and our subsequent 40 years of wandering in the wilderness without a home raises awareness of immigration and refugee concerns. The kiddush is traditionally said by the father of the house, but all seder participants. Reading the haggadah at the seder table is a fulfillment of the mitzvah to each jew to tell your son of the jewish liberation from slavery in egypt as described in the book of exodus in the torah and thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying. When the egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the lord, the god of our ancestors. Genesis 31 draws this distinction between israel and aram because its author is aware of texts or traditions that emphasize how the israelites are themselves descendants of arameans, as now reflected in the verse in deuteronomy my father was a wandering aramean or in the genesis stories of isaac and jacob marrying aramean women. Ki tavo my mothers and father were wandering arameans. An aramean destroyed my father passover haggadah by. This portion of israelite worship began in earnest with an unnerving confession of genealogical lore. These words from the first reading recount the words spoken as a sacrifice is given at the temple. The hebrew root for haggadah suggests the kind of speech that lends itself to storytelling.
The passover haggadah for the modern family, but with a traditional feel link doesnt work the page is not available. The reference is to jacob, the stem father of the twelve tribes, he is here called a syrian, or aramaean, because of his long residence in mesopotamia genesis 2931. The haggadah is a jewish text that sets forth the order of the passover seder. The one im most familiar with is, my ancestor was a fugitive aramean. This verse, is at the center of the haggadah and its rabbinic interpretation differs dramatically from the torah text. The mishnah specifies the text to be used for the seder, parashat arami oved avi my father was a wandering aramean devarim 26. Sometimes he stayed for a short time and sometimes he remained for weeks, months or even. Then it is with you in mind that we put together a free downloadable passover haggadah. This haggadah passover guide is designed to be a simple and easytoprint reference for nonhebrew speakers. Go forth and learn what laban, the aramean, sought to do to jacob, our father. The midrash tells us that if you change the vowels from oved to ibed, the meaning is changed from wandering to destroyed.
Go out and learn what laban attempted to do to our father, yaakov. He was the father of the people of goda nation by ethnicity and a covenant people by faith gal 3. Ki tavo my father was a wandering aramean deuteronomy 26. There is a verb here which usually means destroy, but which, due to context, is generally taken to have an uncommon meaning, wander. The traditional ashkenazic text of the haggadah now includes about 5,500 hebrew words, and thats not including any commentary. The other was the advent of personal computers and my use of them. The passover haggadah developed over more than a thousand years. A wandering aramean was our father, and we too cried out to god when the egyptians and the slavetraders, and the racists, and every other oppressor through the ages afflicted us. Is it a wandering aramean was my father or an aramean destroyed my father. Louis, the doomed ship carrying over 900 german jewish refugees fleeing nazi germany in may of 1939. My father was a wandering aramean, in eastern europe some time around 1810, my greatgreatgreatgreat grandfather jacob metzenberg moved from szeged, hungary, to lissa, prussia. I suggest that the ultimate meaning of the seder night and the telling are unlocked only when we understand this choice.
Arami oved avi my father was a wandering aramean our origin. The haggadah includes the rabbinic interpretation of the verse, reading it as an aramean tried to destroy my father. Jacob is so styled, with intentional disparagement, on account. The phrase therefore means something like, my father was a wandering aramean. A wandering aramean was my father, like a great work of art, has an ineffable beauty. Introduction this haggadah passover guide is designed to be a simple and easytoprint reference for nonhebrew speakers. The translation ready to perish fairly represents the. Jacob in genesis 2932 what is the significance of a central biblical story line beginning, a wandering aramean was my ancestor. Instead, they were called always to remember, a wandering aramean was my father and we suffered as slaves and god rescued us deuteronomy 26.
Pharaoh had issued a decree against the male children only, but laban wanted to uproot everyone as it is said. I dont want your name, your email address or your credit card number. A family haggadah i, 2nd edition silberman, rosalind, kahn, katherine janus on. Haggadah similarly says, an aramean attempted to destroy my father. Commentaries on the haggadah contrast the evil of laban with pharaoh and see laban as a symbol for political, sociological, and psychological evil. The pesach haggadah centers on the exposition of the biblical passage of arami oved avi my father was a wandering aramean devarim 26. This formula, my father was a wandering aramean and he went down into egypt and sojourned there, few in number.
New haggadah stresses land, freedom bond atlanta jewish. Somewhere between the two translations lies the essence. When you enter into the land, torah tells us, be conscious of where you are and what youre doing. Expound the whole section of my father was a wandering aramean deut. Why is this passover different from past passovers. I have begun to retell the story as my mothers and father were wandering arameans, for surely i am the product of my mother and my father may their memories be for blessing, my grandmothers and my grandfathers, of jacob the wandering aramean and of leah and rachel, bilhah and zilpah. Then you shall declare before the lord your god this is where the speech each farmer must make begins, and it is from here that the haggadah begins quoting and discussing this text. More importantly, it the hebrew scriptures way of saving in the bible the answer to a very important question posed every passover by the youngest child to the father.
So valuable was the passage that our ancestors placed it at the heart of the haggadah, making sure that wed retell it and relive it each passover. A wandering aramean was my father elkin presbyterian church. He descended to egypt and resided there in small numbers. Pharaoh decreed only against the males, but laban attempted to uproot everything, as it is written. The father referred to is either jacob ibn ezra, sforno, or abraham rashbam, or all the patriarchs. The observance of the precepts at the seder the eating of the.
One of the most difficult texts in the haggadah is arami oved avi. A family haggadah ii silberman, rosalind, kahn, katherine janus on. A syrian had nearly caused my father to perish, while the artscroll haggadah similarly says, an aramean attempted to destroy my father. But the egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. What lesson, or carol, would you like to hear at christmas. And who is the wandering aramean, identified as my father or ancestor. A haggadah for justice passover haggadah by haggadot. It is not intended to be a full haggadah, which would contain a complete text of the traditional seder, and would usually have interesting artwork, commentaries, and additional information and history.
When the egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to adonai, the god of our ancestors. May 23, 2018 and, when things went well for them in the place they settled, they were to resist the temptation to assume a privileged, selfcentered view of themselves deuteronomy 8. The telling jewish theological seminary of america. Jacob lived in aram, in mesopotamia, while courting rachel and leah and working for their father laban, an aramean. Somewhere between the two translations lies the essence of the jewish. He would remember his father as creator, giver of rest, and great redeemer. My father was a wandering aramean and other times as. What does, a wandering aramean was my father mean in dt. This passage is taken from the ceremony in which an israelite farmer would present the first fruits of the harvest to the temple. A novel translation of my father was a wandering aramean helps explain why laban really was worse than pharoah. Both interpretive improvisations on the text, carried out in accordance with the third rule established by the mishna, have been incorporated in the passover haggadah that we use today, and both are presented there as an introduction to the midrash on the passage in deuteronomy about the wandering aramean, which is the very heart of the haggadah s narrative.
This passage from the haggadah on pesach evidently based on this weeks parsha. A wandering aramean was my father which, according to the mishnah pes. Consequently, laban is usually seen as the aramean who would have sought to destroy jacob, reminding us of the treachery of laban, who. This website and the free haggadah are strictly a labor of love. The 2 minute sedar made me and my mom laugh so well be using that for a giggle. Vayetse 5772 the birth of the worlds oldest hate rabbi sacks. We hope this family haggadah supplement will offer everyone gathered around your seder table the opportunity to consider how you may pursue justice and liberation for lgbtq people.
We are often lost and wandering, and it is through this wandering that we are. This verse in this weeks torah portion, is a reference not just to one person, but to our ancestors. Download hias 2017 haggadah supplement to lift up the experiences of the worlds. For example, this haggadah includes different questions and lacks the midrashic elaboration on my father was a wandering aramean. Saint mary coptic orthodox church of east brunswick live stream saint mary coptic orthodox church of east brunswick 205 watching live now. And you will answer and say before adonai your god, my father was a wandering aramean.
This passage from the haggadah on passover evidently based on this weeks torah portionis extraordinarily difficult to understand first, it is a commentary on the phrase in deuteronomy, arami oved avi. Short seder list free printable passover haggadah online. The haggadah, based on the midrash, however interprets this verse differently. Yaacov lived in aram, while courting rachel and working for her father laban, an aramean viz, which we would call a modern day syrian. The very message of the seder depends on the moment when we read this. My grandmothers father louis had a story he used to tell. Download the free haggadah for passover barry louis polisar. Arami oved avi oved does not mean wandering, but destroying an aramean tried to destroy my father. How strange, and how wonderful, that our tradition bids us to recall our humble roots when acknowledging our many gifts. Rashbam twelfth century, france tells us that abraham was the aramean in question. The egyptians abused and battered us, in a cruel and savage slavery. Download our mobile app for onthego access to the jewish virtual library.
He descended to egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people. When your dad is a wandering aramean ligonier ministries. Articles by the time we get to deuteronomy 26, moses has covered significant literary ground and is now giving instructions for corporate worship and specifically how. Download it as a pdf document and i hope you enjoy it as much as my family, my friends and i have. The haggadah includes the classic interpretation of the verse, reading it as an aramean destroyed my father. This might guide you in creating your own haggadah. Abraham was a wandering aramean, and jacob went down to egypt. My father was a wandering armenian passover haggadah by. Sep 16, 2011 when you enter into the land, torah tells us, be conscious of where you are and what youre doing. Nevertheless, i would like to share a different understanding of the traditional haggadah s misreading of the verse. My father was a wandering aramean passover haggadah by.
While pharaoh decreed death only for the male children, laban sought to uproot all. Pharaoh the evil only decreed against the males, but lavan sought to uproot everything, as it is written a wandering aramean was my father while this makes little sense in english, the free word order of hebrew and ambiguity of the verb oved can be stretched somewhat to mean that an aramean lavan tried to cause the loss of jacob and he. The parnes haggadah owes its existence to the confluence of two major happenings for the author in the early 1980s. The jps translation of the verse, like most modern translations other than artscroll, which follows the haggadah understands the aramean to be jacob so that the phrase means my father was a. Include refugee stories in your passover seder hias. He listened to our voice, he saw our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight. He drove sheep and wandered from place to place, setting up camp where he found good pasture.
Sadly, none of the commentators in mpph explain to us how the wandering. He would praise yahweh for the fruit of the vine that makes glad the heart of man and for bread that strengthens mans heart. And the eternal had said to abram, get out from your country, and from your family, and from your. In the context of firstfruits, the literal translation, my father was a wandering aramean, makes eminent sense. When your dad is a wandering aramean from joe holland sep 05, 2012 category. This famous narrative recounts the story of a wandering people, exploited in egypt, who finally came home to their own land in israel. The jewish community must be on the side of the refugees because it is our moral, legal, and historical mitzvah to fulfill. It has never offered an offthepeg solution to lifes problems, be they personal, communal, national or global. The haggadah understands the verse asan aramean sought to destroy my father.
And he went down into egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. The text is contrasting the past when the patriarchs were nomads, forced to wander from place to place, with the present when, thanks to god, the israelites have a land of their own. This narrative, made famous by its central place in the passover haggadah, begins thus. Jacob freedman called the polychrome historical haggadah for passover, published in 1974 the source of most of the illustrations. Download it feel free to download the haggadah for your own personal use. Aug 30, 2010 my father was a wandering aramean, he went down to egypt with meagre numbers, and settled there, and there he became a great and very populous nation. Haggadot is a jewish text that sets forth the order of the passover seder. Discipleship ministries first sunday in lent 2019, year. The haggadah is based on the seder service prescribed by the mishnah pes. The haggadah includes the rabbinic interpretation of the verse, reading it as an aramean tried to. The first printed haggadah appeared in spain in 1482. Hias 2017 haggadah supplement includes the stories of some of todays refugees, who like our ancestors, have fled violence and persecution, and are searching for safety.
I was wondering if you know where i could find a nice colour in haggadah for my little angels. And the egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. A wandering aramean was my father, he went down to egypt and sojourned there, he and just a handful of his brothers at first, but soon they became a great nation, mighty and many. Posted by elkin presbyterian church on monday, february 25, 20 under. Go and learn what laban the aramean sought to do to our father jacob. Millard, school of archaeology and oriental studies, the univer8ity of liverpool the unique expression a wandering aramean was my father in deut. Who are you to tell me my father s a wandering aramean. After all, abraham was the beneficiary of the covenant promise.
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