How to Make a Passover Haggadah

The Haggadah (this name comes from the Hebrew word "to tell") is a document that recounts the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah, which is used during the Passover seder, also includes explanations of the holiday's rituals, as well as blessings to be recited during the evening. Numerous Haggadot have been created throughout Jewish history and around the world, but you may still wish to make or modify ones for your use, in order to make the service more meaningful to you. Read on to learn how to make a Passover Haggadah.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Other Haggadot
• Internet access
• Art supplies
• Help and support

1. Decide the scope and purpose of your project. With so many Haggadot on the market, there is little impetus to create one from scratch. Do you simply want to decorate the Haggadot you have to make them your own? Would you like to mix and match readings and texts from different Haggadot to make yours more meaningful? Deciding how much work you want to do and why will help to focus your project.

2. Look at various Haggadot or read about the Haggadah online to get a sense of your options. If you do not have numerous Haggadot in your home, you can find these in Jewish book stores. Many Jewish websites also provide extensive resources about Haggadot. See Resources below for some links.

3. Keep the traditional requirements in mind. Different sources say different things are required at a Passover seder, but that the seder must include a retelling of the Passover story and an explanation of the holiday's symbols is widely agreed upon. You can add whatever you'd like to your seder--from complementary discussion pieces on current events to your own family's story of escaping persecution in Europe--but make sure you don't replace these important aspects of the seder.

4. Elicit the help of your family and friends, especially the children. If you are trying to create a more meaningful ceremony, it makes sense to get some input from those who will participate in it. Including children by allowing them to help create your Haggadah will give them a sense of ownership, which will make them more engaged in the actual event.

5. Be thoughtful in your compilation. Obviously, the aesthetic appearance of your Haggadah is secondary to its content, but you should still make an effort to make your new Haggadah pleasing to look at, and, even more importantly, easy to navigate. This includes making sure you put the pages in the same order and number them (it is hard for guests to follow along when they can't find where you are) and making sure there is an English translation or transliteration if your guests cannot read and understand Hebrew.