For a long time I have been looking for a Haggadah to enrich my family's Seders, and have looked through many candidates. Rabbi Steinsaltz's edition is the one I am going to buy for next year. It explains at a high level all the questions we have had about the Seder but for which we never found answers in the Maxwell House. It provides an expansion of the text which helps markedly, as well as more direct comnentary. There are only two problems. First, the Steinsaltz Haggadah is a deluxe hardback. I wince at the thought of wine staining those beautifully designed pages. Second, as of this writing it costs $25. If you have any more than immediate family at your Seder, start saving up now! This said, I am going to dig deep and get this edition for next Pesach. It's that good.
About the Author
RABBI ADIN STEINSALTZ is a teacher, philosopher, social critic, and spiritual mentor who has been hailed by Time magazine as a once-in-a-millennium scholar. Born in Jerusalem in 1937, Rabbi Steinsaltz studied physics and chemistry at the Hebrew University. At the age of 24, he became Israel s youngest school principal. Rabbi Steinsaltz went on to establish a network of schools in Israel and the former Soviet Union, and in 1988, was awarded the Israel Prize, his country's highest honor, for his work in Jewish education. In 1965, Rabbi Steinsaltz embarked on a lifelong mission to make the Talmud, Judaism s central text of law, ethics, customs, and history, accessible to all. He has since accomplished the monumental tasks of translating and developing commentaries on the Talmud in modern Hebrew, English, Russian, and French. In addition, Rabbi Steinsaltz has authored some sixty books and hundreds of articles on subjects ranging from zoology to theology and social commentary. Rabbi Steinsaltz lives in Jerusalem. He and his wife have three children and many grandchildren.
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