With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Russian war in Ukraine and rising inflation as Passover approaches, faculty and graduate students of Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education have produced an interactive Haggadah companion that focuses on gratitude. Its aim is to engage seder participants of all ages and help bring the Passover story to life, learn from its messages and explore the mysteries behind those written words.
“There is so much to be learned from these ancient Jewish texts that can benefit everyone,” said Rona Novick, Dean of YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and creator of the companion series. “We wanted to spark people’s imagination, and considering current global events, what better theme to focus on than gratitude?”
Called On This Night We Are All Teachers, the companion provides teaching activities, games and discussion prompts that can be implemented during the festive meal, specifically developed for four age groups: preschoolers, elementary-school students, teens/tweens and adults.
Activities for younger children include songs and building-block exercises reflecting the wondrous miracles the Israelites experienced. Teens are prompted to thank a fellow seder participant for something that person did that was meaningful, and adults are encouraged to debate concepts of unity and the importance of Torah in their lives.
The new guide is a companion to other two other Haggadah works the Azrieli School has launched in the past few years, each addressing a different component of the seder. The goal is for the entire series to be published as a book.
The new Haggadah companion can be downloaded here.
