Vanessa Ochs: Judaism Unbound Episode 211 - The Passover Haggadah, a Biography
Vanessa Ochs, author of The Passover Haggadah: A Biography, [1] joins Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg for a conversation about the origins, evolutions, and revolutions of the Passover Haggadah — the text that is used as a ritual guide to the Passover Seder. [2]
Image Credit: University of Virginia
(0:01 - 20:37): To begin the episode, Ochs flashes back to the story of Passover as described in the book of Exodus. She emphasizes the fact that the text indicates Passover will be a “ritual for all time,” forever, before they have even marked the holiday for the first time! Moving forward to the earliest rabbinic texts, Ochs dives into two in particular — the Mishnah and the Tosefta — which include the first descriptions of the Passover Seder (there was no Seder at all, for quite a long time after Passover was first marked). Lex mentions some key differences between Passover’s “4 Questions” as described in the Mishnah, [3] and those that tend to be recited at Seders today. Ochs reflects on the ways in which these questions “pedagogically, are a disaster.” She also notes how, no matter what, the Passover Seder represents a “diminished version” of the experiences that people had for Passover while on pilgrimage to the ancient temple. [4]
(20:38 - 31:18): Ochs explores the moods of Passover, which are not only joyous. She differentiates between elements of liveliness it possesses, on the one hand, and a real sense of sadness, on the other. Pivoting slightly, Ochs speaks to the dynamics on display when she holds a Seder with her undergraduate class, during which she asks some students to be loud, and argumentative, in order to simulate real Seders. She also identifies a few imperfections in the Passover Haggadah, including its historic failure to actually tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt (it assumes you already know it well!).
(31:19 - 50:40): Lex asks Ochs what “the traditional Haggadah” might mean today. Ochs answers by speaking both to the importance of “paying homage” to ancient texts of the Haggadah and experimenting with contemporary haggadot, [5] with their own creative approaches to the Seder. [6] She then, in conversation with Dan, considers both the pros and the cons of having a text at the center of this ritual. They think both about the ways in which texts can ossify and the ways in which wrestling with texts can be a particular deep way of marking a holiday. Through an investigation of Reform haggadot over the course of the 20th century, Ochs argues that radically revising the Haggadah text in a short period of time can lead to a great deal of pushback. To close the episode, she speaks to the fluidity of Jewish rituals, which can transform quickly from a sense of brand-new to one of tried-and-true. To close the episode, Ochs adds to her earlier critiques of the Haggadah by invoking some of its greatest strengths.
[1] You can order (or pre-order, if you’re viewing this page before March 17th, 2020) The Passover Haggadah: A Biography at this link.
[2] Learn more about Vanessa Ochs here. Listen in to her first appearance on Judaism Unbound by clicking here: Episode 5: Leviticus - Vanessa Ochs. Purchase her book Inventing Jewish Ritual, which is featured in that episode, here.
[3] Check out Judaism Unbound’s 4 Questions supplements at this link.
[4] For an episode that explores deeply the distinction between the sensory, emotional rituals of the ancient temple and the more intellectual Jewish traditions that came later, see Episode 153: Fiction Between Worlds - Ruby Namdar.
[5] Ochs mentions Noam Zion, author of A Different Night: The Family Participation Haggadah and A Night to Remember. Learn more about his approach to Passover, and haggadot, here.
[6] She alludes to Haggadot.com, a resource that allows Seder-facilitators to create their own Haggadot. Check it out for yourself by clicking here, and hear from its founder — Eileen Levinson — in next week’s episode of Judaism Unbound.