Menachem Waldman

The month of Nisan has started, and in a few weeks we will be sitting down to our sedarim. As you may know, I collect haggadot, and each year I try to add at least one to my collection. This year, Koren Publishers sent me a review copy of their newest haggadah, The Koren Ethiopian Haggada: Journey to Freedom / The Gould Family Edition, edited by Rabbi Menachem Waldman. It is a welcome addition.

The title is somewhat misleading, though. The text of the haggadah is the standard Ashkenazi text; this is not an "Ethiopian Haggada" because a fixed rite of seder narrative did not exist, apparently, in their community. What makes this excellent volume "Ethiopian" is that the additional readings and graphic elements tell the story of the modern-day exodus of the Jews from Ethiopia.

For Jews of my generation, concern for the plight of the Ethiopian Jewish community (which, at the time, we were told were called Falasha) was second only to the fate of Soviet Jewry; we rejoiced at the news of Operation Solomon. And yet, our conern and sympathy turns out to have been mostly superficial. (As it turns out, Falasha was the ethnic slur that others in Ethiopia called them.) It is only now that I have read The Koren Ethiopian Haggada that I have come to a deeper understanding of the history and strength of the community that called themselves Beta Israel. And it is that (somewhat) deeper understanding that makes this volume invaluable.

The Beta Israel saw their own tale as an echo of yitziyat Mitzrayim, the exodus from Egypt. Trapped in northeast Africa, yearning to be redeemed and to reach Jerusalem, they told their story as a recapitulation of the Egyptian slavery, and saw their flying to Israel on eagles' wings --- or in Israeli airplanes --- as a modern-day parting of the Sea of Reeds. It is that resonance that sounds clearly in this haggadah, and that is the reason that telling their story at the seder makes perfect sense.

On to some specifics about this book. I hardly need to tell you that the typography is beautiful: this is a book published by Koren, after all, whose standards are impeccable. The integration of Beta Israel artwork, their woven bowls, and other art in their style is excellently done. The use of Amharic (Ge'ez) script for the section headings is a nice touch, although it underscores the degree to which the story of the Ethiopian Jewish community is coming to an end with their assimilation into rabbinic Judaism.

My one significant complaint is this: I wish that the interpolated readings had been given proper introductions. To read an extended excerpt from a primary source and have it end with only a brief bibliographical citation (for example, "Arde'et 54-64") without any additional context leaves me wondering what to make of the text. How old was it? Was it intended for the instruction of children or was it part of what we would call a midrashic tradition? Or was it something completely different?

Similarly, when a Beta Israel prayer such as "Give Us Sustenance" is presented just before motzi, it makes me wonder whether this was their usual prayer before meals, or if it was used only in more specific contexts, or if it was actually a paraliturgical or non-liturgical meditation. (I think of the American nursery-school kids singing "We give thanks to God for bread" before saying hamotzi.)

In sum, there's not always enough information here to understand what we're reading. Sometimes, that makes this feel like a patronizing exhibit ("See the authentic ancient African prayer!") rather than a representation of a rich cultural heritage. I am certain that Rabbi Waldman's goal is to educate us and preserve the traditions of the Beta Israel, but perhaps he's too close to the sources (both human and written) to realize how much help the unfamiliar reader will need to fully appreciate the material. I repeatedly found myself hungering for more.

Of course, the mark of a successful seder is that you leave with more questions than you came in with. I opened this Haggadah not knowing that there were questions to be asked, and it has brought me up to the level of "What's this?"

If the worst that can be said about The Koren Ethiopian Haggada is that it leaves me with a world of new questions, then it is a very successful Haggadah indeed.… (altro)