Book Review - As If We Were There: Readings for a Transformative Passover Experience

As If We Were There: Readings for a Transformative Passover Experience
by Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein
Reviewed by Rabbi Tuvia Berman

“In each and every generation a person should see himself as if he left Egypt.”
Mishna Pesachim 10:5 and Passover Haggada

Jewish religious instruction reaches its zenith on Passover eve with the central educational element consisting of retelling of the Passover story to the next generation. In order fully absorb this teaching, according to the Mishnah and the Passover Haggadah, one must relive the exodus experience. Reliving an event experienced by other ancients three millennia ago seems almost nonsensical. Yet, that, indeed, is the task set before each and every person at the Seder. While it is true that Maimondes and several other commentators imply that one need not “see” him or herself as having experienced the Exodus but rather must “show” oneself as if he or she left Egypt, (see Maimonides Text of Haggadah, Frankel ed. p. 351) none-the-less the goal of the Passover experience would appear the same: to feel or express the feeling of having left Egypt. And, indeed, this is a tall order which really can't be accomplished with out proper preparation. A wonderful new book by Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein helps the reader accomplish this daunting task of properly preparing for the Passover Seder.

Rabbi Rothstein has significant experience in presenting works in varied educational styles. He authored a book on theology (We're Missing the Point: What's Wrong with the Orthodox Jewish Community and How to Fix it), essays, and a historical novel (Murderer in the Mikdash). His latest project, As If We Were There: Readings for a Transformative Passover Experience from Kodesh Press, is really a pedagogic tool. Divided into two major sections he presents three aspects of the Seder. The first section consists of 21 essays dated to be read day by day through the Hebrew month of Nissan. This section is subdivided into two parts. The first part (1a) presents readings in preparation for Seder night while the second part (1b) encompass 7 chapters discussing specific mitzvoth to be read on the Passover holiday. Part two of the book, entitled My Father's Seder: Foundations of My Faith, is a kind of diary of a seder mixed with memoir of a rich religious upbringing.

Rothstein explains the problem section 1a addresses, “The goal [of the Seder] is to relive events, to walk away from our Seder having rejuvenated our sense of Exodus as a personal experience, not a piece of History.” In order to address this goal, he presents a series of daily readings so that by Seder night, “you will feel that we have made good progress…having our Seder turn past in to present, enabling us to say, meaning it almost literally, 'and us, He took from there.'” (pp. 9-10) In this part of the book, Rabbi Rothstein offers the reader tight readings of the Exodus narative based on traditional commentaries such as Torah Temima, Ramban, Sforno and Kli Yakar. This section is a rich offering of traditional exegesis written in a contemporary voice. In this review of Exodus, the author tries to “adapt a technique some museums use to bring their stories alive.” (p.11) As opposed to readings of ritual law or comments on the Haggadah, he has chosen to offer a “gradual immersion back in time” (p.12) to bring the reader to the Seder able experience the Exodus. This section challenges the reader to drink deeply from the well of classic Torah commentary and prods one to think seriously about issues presented in the Exodus narrative. For instance, would the reader have realized God's hand in the plagues? Through a close reading of Exodus 7, Rothstein challenges us to think about this question to help us further understand the story:
<<
When introducing frogs (Exod. 7:27), Hashem speaks of being נוגף, sending a plague. Rashir reads the verb as indicating a damaging but not completely destructive event. Today we might say the plagues were never an existential threat; they caused loss of property, displacement, discomfort, and occasional loss of life, but no realistic possibility of the Egyptians losing a their nation, their society, or their culture. The lower the threat level, the less they were forced to learn the lessons HaShem was teaching. And until they were forced, they found ways to avoid it. (p. 16)
>>

Through these close readings, this section offers more than just background; this analysis brings the story alive and hence evokes a closer feeling of connection to the events themselves.

Section 1b discusses a panoply of mitzvoth emanating from the Exodus experience: Sanctifying God's name, enticing people to alien worship, historical memory, limiting slavery of Jews, treating converts well, weights and measures, interest, gifts to the poor, etc. This section can be viewed a series of short essays covering technical legal details which weave into the philosophical framework spelled out in section 1a. As an example, when discussing the obligation to use proper weights and measures, Rothstein suggests that Rashi links this command to the Exodus,
<<
“All societies have laws about keeping accurate weights and measures. Why connect it to the Exodus?...HaShem took us out. Hashem took us out of Egypt and thus obligated us to observe each commandment. Weights and measures is almost a coincidental example; each time we keep the Torah, regardless of whether the Torah expressly related it to Egypt, we fulfill an agreement we made in Egypt. Weights and measures is one occasion the Torah paused to remind us of that original promise.” (p. 143)
>>
Placing mitzvoth into a larger theological web both connects these commandments to the broader topic of the Exodus and evokes a feeling that the Torah represents a holistic whole.

Section 2 presents a different work entirely. Here Rothstein offers the reader a model of how to conduct a Seder along with topics for discussion through a personal and candid recollection of his father's Seder. Interspersed with touching vignettes, Rothstein guides the reader through a Seder enwrapped in stories. The author offers the reader a picture of how a Seder runs almost minute by minute. To be honest, some of the material here is so personal that I found it a bit jarring. Yet in a way, that really brings the Seder to life. Rothstein's father was a demanding pedagogue whose seriousness lasted with the author. Pointing out that the accurate text for the question of Maror (bitter herbs) should not include the word “all” he writes,
<<
It wasn't foolish consistency that had him correcting whether we said “all maror” or not. It was part of conveying the value of getting it right. Being corrected, being reminded I had not yet done as well as I could, was a consistent part of my childhood and, from the vantage point of adulthood, a positive and constructive one. (p. 184)
>>
Rothstein continues,
<<
My father's ultimate triumph was the extent to which I am able to confront my own failings and try, yet again, to improve (whether or not I succeed), as well as the years I benefited from teachers I might have abandoned, had my father not taught me the value and pleasure of getting it right. I am richer for it.
>>

The Rothsteins's Seder was an intellectual and spiritual journey and the stories and commentaries the author presents highlights one way a Seder can run as well as gives the reader a picture of the experience of post-World War II immigrant Jews and the next generation. The stories here will resonate with many and will give readers a picture of a model Seder.

Rabbi Gidon Rothstein presents a book which can serve a broad audience. The first section is ideal both for lay persons trying to either familiarize themselves with the Exodus story or brush up on it as an important preparation for the seder; this section, however, could also be perfect for upper grade high-school students. There is much to chew on and the commentaries are rich and challenging. The second section will probably resonate more with an adult audience. The author is a pedigreed teacher with rabbinic and academic training from Harvard University. While the book will speak to a wide audience, Rothstein is an Orthodox rabbi and writes as one. The commentaries are traditional and the writing style, such as use of words like “HaShem”, fits with that approach. While the author does inform the reader a bit about the commentaries he quotes, the style may be more comfortable for those used to reading traditional writings. This hurdle is worth overcoming for those not used to the style. For most Modern Orthodox readers, the manner of writing will be familiar.

As If We Were There: Readings for a Transformative Passover Experience by Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein takes readers, who follow along day by day during the weeks preceding Passover, on a journey whose final destination is a complete enhancement of the Passover experience.

As If We Were There: Readings for a Transformative Passover Experience is available at
[kodeshpress.com] or
[www.amazon.com]

For information on bulk purchases for schools or inservice opportunities, contact the author at grothst@gmail.com.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2016 08:08AM by mlb.