Spotlight: Richard Codor’s Joyous Haggadah

Passover starts this week! That means I’ve been cooking and stressing these past few weeks, trying to make sure that everyone in the family will have what they need to eat throughout the holiday. Passover is both my favorite and least favorite holiday. It’s the one when I do the most, feel the most strongly about the traditions, and it is also the time I can feel the most cranky from lack of delicious carbohydrates.

It all starts with the seder, the hybrid service-story-meal. There’s a dramatic tale starring Moses, there’s an important message about freedom, and there’s a built-in scavenger hunt before dessert when the kids hunt for the afikomen (a special piece of matzo that is to be the last thing eaten in the evening).

Seder means order (which is why in Hebrew the answer to “how are you?” is often “b’seder,” meaning “everything is in order”), and the order of events is spelled out in the Haggadah. There are tons of different Haggadot. Feminist ones, funny ones, graphic novel versions, and on and on. When I was growing up we had one with a purple cover that did a good job disguising wine stains. These days we use Richard Codor’s Joyous Haggadah: The Illuminated Story of Passover as told by Richard and Liora Codor. My parents bought a single copy for the youngest member of their seder, but they liked it so much they later bought enough for everyone at the table.

There’s a lot to like in the Joyous Haggadah. First, it’s short. One can find much discuss and debate within its pages and have a long, festive evening if that’s your style. But if one has antsy children and hungry guests, you can also get to the meal pretty quickly.

Then there are the illustrations. They are colorful and comic, with lots of little hidden gems to discover. The four children are depicted as the Marx Brothers. The story of the Exodus from Egypt is told in comic book form. The picture of the parting of the Red Sea includes a person cooking matzo and a sign claiming that “The Afi-Komen is Not Here.” It’s a delight from cover to cover.

If you are looking for a serious Haggadah with all the prayers, all the blessing, everything in Hebrew, etc., then this probably isn’t the right match for you. But if you’re looking for something that will keep the kids and you entertained year after year and will allow you to finish before the second seder begins, this is a great addition to your holiday.

Happy Pesach. Next year in Jerusalem!