Mystical Haggadah: Passover Meditations, Teachings, and Tales »

Rabbi Eliahu Klein has taught Kabbalah, Jewish Meditation, and Hassidism for over 30 years throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and Israel. The Jewish Chaplain for San Francisco County Jails and other prisons of the State of California Department of Rehabilitation, he lives in Berkeley.

In a generation that has seen an explosion in popularity of books about mystical and meditative traditions, very little has been published about the rich and fascinating mystical traditions of the Jewish holy days. Passover, the first religious holiday of the Jewish people, particularly rewards a re-viewing from a mystical perspective. A Mystical Haggadah takes readers through the Passover ritual with Kabbalistic meditations and affirmations in a friendly, accessible format. This Haggadah also includes many Hassidic teachings and stories that have never been presented to the English reading audience. The book is especially valuable for its transliterations of all the major prayers and rituals, and is refreshing in its creative and spiritually-based adaptation and translation of the primary Haggadah text.

A Mystical Haggadah is for all spiritual seekers who wish to explore this root tradition of Judaism as a ritual of cosmic importance. The book is also for Jewish seekers of all denominations who wish to explore the mystical, meditative, and empowering aspects of Jewish traditions as seen through the rich and meaningful Passover eve Seder ritual.

Introduction: Autobiographical Reflections     1
What Is Contained in This Haggadah?     6
The Ritual of Hunting for Khametz     8
The Search for Khametz     8
Burning the Khametz Ritual     11
The Ritual of Eruv Tavshilin     13
Blessing of the Candles     15
The Passover Seder: Fifteen Steps toward Illumination     17
Prelude to the Seder: A Hassidic Tale of Faith, Devotion, and Courage     17
The Seder Plate
Kadesh: Blessing of the First Cup     25
Urkhatz: First Washing of the Hands     40
Karpas: First Dipping of a Vegetable     42
Yakhatz: Breaking the Middle Matzah-Hiding the Afikomen     45
Magid: Telling the Exodus Story     48
The Four Questions: Mah Nishtanah     53
Rakhtzah: Second Washing of the Hands     99
Motzi-Matzah: Blessing on the Matzah     101
Maror: Eating Bitter Herbs     103
Koraikh: The Ancient Matzah Sandwich     105
Shulkhan Orekh: The Banquet     106
Tzafune: Eating the Afikomen     108
Baraich: After Blessing at Conclusion of Banquet     109
Hallel: Songs of Praise     125
Nirtzah: Concluding Prayers and Songs of Goodwill     146
Bibliography: Annotated List of Sources     173
Glossary     179
About the Author     189