THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (I)
 – My Seder Rundown

Despite one overriding idea, the Haggadah is somewhat confusing when it comes to its thematic mix, repetitions, myriads of concepts, sudden changes, and theatrical directions. I have found it helpful to approach the lively text by matter-of-factly internalizing its apparent layout, mapping its concealed structures, and listing the many themes.

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (II)
– Kindling

The blessing commanding us to light the Festival candles is chanted to a special melody, signaling that today is a special day. We are gathered again like we were last year; there is a rhythm to our lives that makes us rooted, expressed in this brief ceremony while surrounded by family and friends.         


- 1 tapestry  (series completed).
- Click on the image for more information.

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (III)
 – Four Upbeats and a Hunted Hare

The ritual-based first four steps introduce symbols of the seder which place Passover in a context of history and multi-faceted meaning. With our contemporary demand for seder inclusiveness and relevance, interpretations are revised and reimagined – thus, the off-centered look of these four tapestries. 

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (IV)
 – Short Prelude: Anticipation Now the drama begins. Placed between Yachatz and the Maggid, this Aramaic fanfare bewitchingly connects the ritual beginning of the seder with the Passover story.  


- 1 tapestry (series completed).
- Click on the image for more information.

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (V)
– Mega Interlude: The Telling, as in Questions and Declarations 

The whimsy of the Haggadah is most present in the Maggid, the largest and most important of the fifteen steps – and the seder’s raison d'etre. But in addition to telling the story of the Exodus, the Maggid renders interspersed questions and statements. Thus, one can easily lose the thread of the narrative itself. Freckle-like dots are woven into all the tapestries (in this Maggid subseries), hinting that most things are more complex than they appear to be and inviting us to reflect and discuss.     
   

- Rather than showing the Maggid (The Telling) in the order of the Haggadah, I have woven and organized it according to its various types of texts.

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (VI)
– Mega Interlude: The Telling, as in "The Four Children"

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (VII)
– Mega Interlude: The Telling, as in the Narrative

We fulfill the Biblical commandment of telling our children why and how we left Egypt. But in the process, we redefine and reflect on the events as recorded and retold. The story is interrupted in the Haggadah by other text elements, but in this (sub)series I have depicted it as a flowing narrative. Colors of the soil and sand are present in all the tapestries – except in the one of the Israelites celebrating by the sea. 
 
 
- (Rather than showing the Maggid (The Telling) tapestries in the order of the Haggadah, I have woven and organized them in five [sub]series according to the various types of text that they represent.)

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (VIII)
– The Telling, as in "The Ten Plagues"

“The Ten Plagues” is part of the narrative, but the list is so famous that it can stand alone. I made the first nine in the horizontal landscape format, but I decided to weave the last and consequential plague – the one that changed the course of history – as a portrait.

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (IX)
– Mega Interlude: The Telling, as in Praises  

Praising God is central to the way we retell the story. The insertion of praises throughout the Maggid help structure the narrative. The praise tapestries all have one centered and contained shape on a neutral background: for once in the book there are words that we don’t have to dwell and reflect upon. We just say or sing them loudly and in unison.
 

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (X)
– Foodlude

We continue with more blessings, and we reenact Rabbi Hillel’s eating of a symbolic sandwich in Temple times. Finally, we eat the meal – which we end with a kids’ treasure hunt resulting in the strangest dessert – followed by Grace After Meals. The tapestries are as different in expressions as the fiest-related steps are in execution and content.  

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (XI)
– Postlude: Redemption
 
Building on Birkat haMazon’s promise of redemption, we recite or sing with heartfelt reflections: anger, aspirations, gratitude, and hope.  

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (XII)
– A Tiny Pause
 

THE WHIMSICAL HAGGADAH (XIII)
– My Seder Windup

After announcing in unison that we have concluded the seder, we finish by singing loudly never-ending cumulative songs.