The Passover Haggadah is a text whose primary purpose is to facilitate the retelling the story of the Exodus from Egypt and secondary purpose is to guide participants through the ritual-rich Seder meal, indicating when and how each rite is performed. It’s come a long way (it had centuries to do so) and is now available in funny and oddly-inspired versions. Baseball, Zombies, 3D, Donald Trump and even Hogwarts, here are ten of the most unusual -but real- Passover Haggadot for the Jewish Holiday available through Amazon.
Ten Quirkiest Passover Haggadot
The Baseball Haggadah: A Festival of Freedom and Springtime in 15 Innings
Why is this night different from all other nights of the year; and what does the game of baseball have to do with the Festival of Passover and the seder? Incorporating images and language from another springtime ritual, this baseball themed Passover Haggadah retells the story of the Israelites’ Exodus from slavery in Egypt with faithfulness to the contours of a traditional seder. By holding up the Exodus next to the concept of a beloved national pastime, connections are made that cast light on the Passover story in new and unexpected patterns. This enchanting Haggadah with its vivid illustrations will capture the imagination of seder participants of all ages (from little leaguers to adults). By infusing an old ritual with thought provoking readings and new insights, this Haggadah may stand alone as the sole text at a religious school model seder or can be used as a supplementary Haggadah in traditional or liberal homes. Values taught at the seder, such as love of freedom, kindness to strangers, and concern for others, are celebrated in this user friendly text with particular sensitivity to gender equality and transliteration for non-Hebrew readers. With Moses as the team captain for the Israelites and Pharaoh heading up the Taskmasters, the lineups struggle for dominance. God throws the ultimate “splitter,” making way for the Israelites to cross the Sea of Reeds. Each participant takes a turn up at bat as a reader. There is a 7th Inning Stretch, during which the children can go to the door to search for and welcome the presence of Elijah. Ultimately, there is praise and joy and celebration. Freedom has been won. The Israelites, have made it safely home, and springtime is renewed on a field of green.
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The Zombie Haggadah is a hilarious, yet disturbing, guide to the annual discussions of the zombie exodus from Egypt and the ten curses that befell their mummy captors. The text is based on the traditional Passover guidebook, the Haggadah, and features commentary from zombie sages referencing zombie versions of Talmudic sources and biblical stories. The Zombie Haggadah delves into crevices one would never think a half-eaten zombie brain could reach, but also introduces topics one would never think a family seder could reach. You can’t find a more fun, deranged, and perfect way to bring even the most dead seder tables back to undeath.
The Zombie Haggadah ran a successful Kickstarter for the initial publishing costs and has been written about in the DCist, Washington Jewish Week, Kol HaBirah and many other publications. Now, it’s time for you to take a bite, and rejoice in this book’s flavor!
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The (unofficial) Hogwarts Haggadah
What could a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry possibly have in common with the most published book in Jewish history and the most celebrated holiday of the Jewish calendar? As it turns out, quite a lot. From the concepts of slavery and freedom, to the focus on education, to the number four, Harry Potter and Passover share almost everything. This book is the perfect companion for young and old at the Seder table. Enchant your guests with lessons from the magical realms of Hogwarts and Jewish tradition. Foster conversation with student responses to Seder questions. And learn the ultimate lesson: Holiness can be found everywhere, if you know where to look.
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For generations, Jews have observed the Passover holiday with Haggadahs. The book guides Seder participants through a re-living of the Jewish people’s suffering under the Egyptians and celebrates their freedom from a vain, capricious, thin-skinned, small-handed, megalomaniacal, temperamentally unfit President— er, Pharaoh. If you’re an afflicted liberal Jew, with an unconservative sense of humor, and you find traditional Seders as dry as matzo, try these radically irreverent political parody Haggadahs this Passover. Dave Cowen is a writer who has published humor in The New Yorker and McSweeney’s.
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For This We Left Egypt?: A Passover Haggadah for Jews and Those Who Love Them
With this hilarious parody Haggadah from the comedic minds of Dave Barry, Alan Zweibel, and Adam Mansbach, good Jews everywhere will no longer have to sit (and sleep) through a lengthy and boring Seder. In For This We Left Egypt?, the authors will be take you through every step of the Seder, from getting rid of all the chametz in your home by setting it on fire with a kosher blowtorch to a retelling of the Passover story starring Pharaoh Schmuck and a burning bush that sounds kind of like Morgan Freeman, set against the backdrop of the Promised Land―which turned out not to be a land of milk and honey but rather one of rocks and venomous scorpions the size of Yorkshire terriers. You then eat a celebratory brisket and wrap up the whole evening by taking at least forty-five minutes to say good-bye to everyone.
So gather all the Jews in your life (even the few who don’t appear to be long-suffering) and settle in for a fun way to pass the time while waiting for Elijah to show up.
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Haggadah Good Feeling About This
This Haggadah doesn’t just tell us what to do – it also tells us why. Why, for example, do we need to know that five rabbis once spent all night chatting at B’nei Brak? And why on earth do we have to weigh our parsley?
Other Haggadahs constantly go off on various tangents and they never signpost when they’re doing this and why. This Haggadah keeps you in the loop from start to finish.
Other Haggadahs are either aimed at adults or purely at children. This Haggadah will suit everyone (which means you’ll all be on the same page – literally – throughout the service).
Let’s admit it: other Haggadahs manage to turn an exceptionally exciting story into a rather dreary and uninspiring one. This Haggadah livens things up a bit.
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Haggadah in Another Dimension is an utterly unique book, a celebration of faith unlike any other you ll find on the bookshelf. Beautifully produced and created, it brings the story to life for old and young and includes beautiful and unique 3D images. The book will give the whole family — adults and children alike a fresh and beautiful experience on Passover night. By reading the stories, singing the songs, and enjoying the amazing images that truly seem to come to life and leap from the page in 3D (3D glasses included), Haggadah in Another Dimension will create memories that last a lifetime.
Please note: Images in the book can be properly viewed only by using 3D glasses (included in the book). Images that appear in the ”Look Inside!” feature on Amazon look hazy because they are not viewed with the 3D glasses.
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The Mosaic Haggadah identifies six major themes of the Haggadah and, using an easy-to-follow color code that identifies the relevant text among a mosaic of largely contemporary writings. It guides seder participants through the reading, focusing on one theme throughout. Designed to teach and inspire from year to year, The Mosaic Haggadah is, in a sense, six Haggadahs in one.
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Bring new excitement to your seder. With the four sons represented as puzzle pieces and the plagues jumping from page to page, this Haggadah will make a traditional orthodox seder more lively and enjoyable. All the commentary is in the illustrations so you can get right to the point in a Haggadah that is both innovative and inspiring.
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In this Jewish festival coloring book your kids will color Moses, Pharaoh, The Plagues and more from the story of Passover. With This book you get one coloring page per sheet, so your kids can use their pens or markers, without the colors bleeding into other pages. Perfect for young boys and girls ages 5-9.
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And yes, there’s also A Passover Words Coloring Book for Adults