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New from David Hartman for Pesach 2010:
Someone who knows all the laws of Pesach is still required to ask questions, and scholars on their own at the Seder are required to ask themselves questions. But why?
At a certain level, the questions serve as an external pretext to refresh the memory in order to raise the level of consciousness concerning the Exodus even for those who have passive knowledge of the information. At another level, someone who asks himself or herself questions and then answers them, can delve deeper and discover new aspects of knowledge and self-knowledge.
It is in that spirit that we at Shalom Hartman Institute present, "Pesach's Many Questions," the second in our series of special holiday explorations. At Purim, we delved far beneath the superficiality, went beneath the mask, as it were. Now, at Pesach, we are asking far more than the traditional Four Questions. We are listening questions to girls, as well as boys. We are asking ourselves questions, and we are asking you questions – questions about Jewish identity, freedom and the meaning of Pesach itself.
The Rabbis turn the commandment of “ve-heegadta” (you shall tell) into a mitzvah of dialogue – with give and take on both sides. Successful dialogue means that each side, and especially the side anxious to “pass on the message,” must be keenly attentive to what the other is saying and feeling, and to be attuned to the particular personality and his or her needs.
The freedom of Pesach has multiple dimensions. It is our responsibility to ensure it is understood and employed as a catalyst for progress, as a basis for assimilating the broadest notions of negative liberty within our religious language and values.
Along with the articles, which you will find nowhere else online, we are offering downloads of full-length materials adapted from the innovative haggadot published by Hartman Institute fellows Noam Zion and David Dishon, as well as Meshael Zion.
And we hope you enjoy and learn from powerful video talks by Hartman Institute President Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman and Rabbi Prof. David Hartman recorded exclusively for special presentation on our website.
You can find the video above, on our homepage or you can click here to view it directly.
The articles in this special section are illustrated by the work of Arthur Szyk. We are grateful to the Arthur Szyk Society of California for permitting us to use these remarkable illustrations, some of which are adapted from Szyk's famous Haggadah, which has just been republished by in a new edition by Historicana. (Please note that the image of the four sons by Szyk used as the main illustrative art in this special package has been adapted for our use. You can see the artwork in its original format in the body of this article in our special package.)
Freedom and Identity
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