It wasn’t that long ago that one’s wine choice for Pesach was pretty much limited to Manischewitz Malaga. With an 11% alcohol content, many people tasted freedom quite early in their Seder.
In 2025, kosher wines will compete with some of the finest wines in the world. If you enter a kosher wine store today, you will find the choices overwhelming, with fine wines available in every price range, type, and alcohol content.
Similarly, it was also not that long ago that the Maxwell House Haggadah was one of the few choices available. Today, however, if you enter a Judaica bookstore, you will find scores of different Haggadahs.
With each passing year, more and more Haggadahs are being printed – and that trend continues in 2025. Here are a few that can enhance your Seder.
A Night of Teaching
The goal of Seder night is to instill emunah, a strong connection to Hashem, in the hearts of our children. Rabbi Isaac Rice is the rabbi of Congregation Anshei Chesed in Hewlett, N.Y. In A Night of Teaching: An Elucidation and Guide to the Text of the Haggadah for the Seder Leader (Mosaica Press), he advocates for nothing less than a revolution in the day school and yeshiva education system when it comes to preparing for the Seder.
He suggests that teachers and rabbis should stop preparing their students for the Seder. Of course, they should teach them the laws of Passover and the meaning behind the holiday. But by sending students home with packets and Haggadahs, teachers inadvertently set up the family Seder to miss the mark. On Pesach night, the parent’s role is to take the lead as a teacher.
He suggests using the structure of the Haggadah itself as it contains everything a person needs to teach their children about the story of leaving Egypt, inspire emunah, and teach them how to have a relationship with Hashem.
For those looking to take their Seder up to the next level, A Night of Teaching is their guide.
Vehigadt Pesach Haggada: Inspirational Reflections for the Seder Night
It says, “A thousand enter to study Torah, and one emerges to rule in halacha.” With some license, a thousand enter the field of kiruv rechokim (Jewish outreach), and but one emerges to be legendary.
Regarding legendary kiruv figures, Rabanit Yemima Mizrachi is in a league of her own in the Israeli kiruv world. She has put her myriad talents into the written word with a Haggadah written for women. But that does not mean that men can’t find insights here as well.
In Vehigadt Pesah Haggada (Maggid Books), as the title indicates, with Vehigadt being feminine, this is a Haggadah written for women.
Too many women, and men also, lose sight of the forest from the trees when preparing for Pesach. While there may not be a trace of chometz in their house, the focus on cleaning and preparation precludes them from the insights of the holiday.
Mizrachi attempts to rectify that here with countless inspirational stories about Pesach and the deeper meaning of the many elements of the Seder. She includes insights, stories, and quotes heavily from Rav Elimelech Biderman and Rav Nachman of Breslov.
Mizrachi has the unique ability to share profound ideas in an accessible manner. She has done this in thousands of lectures and she does it for Pesach in this unique Haggadah.
The Healing Haggadah: Passing Over Trauma
There are good Haggadahs and Haggadahs that should not have been written. Rabbi Michael Friedman’s The Healing Haggadah: Passing Over Trauma (Mosaica Press) is a good Haggadah that should not have needed to be written.
Friedman wrote this in part to be a way to deal with the terror and trauma of the October 7 massacre. Here, he uses the Haggadah as a way to deal with our pains, struggles, and our own inner Mitzrayim.
Friedman is the director of Nafshi, an Israeli organization that promotes holistic wellness within the Jewish community. His background, as well as this Haggadah, does a fine job of helping the reader with their emotional and spiritual needs.
Rav Schachter On The Haggadah
R. Yehuda Halevi famously said, “My heart is in the East, and I am at the edge of the West.” Dr. Allan Weissman, MD, is a student of Rav Herschel Schacter, and one gets the feeling that his heart is still deep in Rav Schacter’s beis medrash.
Weissman here brings the brilliance of Rav Schachter’s insights into the Haggadah to the reader. This Haggadah with depth and breadth analyzes every aspect of Seder and Passover. For those who want to understand the school of Brisk and Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, this is an unparalleled Haggadah for the English-speaking reader.
The Dad Jokes Haggadah
In The Dad Jokes Haggadah, author Martin Bodek asks, “Have you ever found yourself bored at the seder table on Passover night?” According to above-mentioned Rabbi Isaac Rice (and no, that is not a dad joke that a rabbi named Rice wrote a Haggadah), the leader of the Seder should ensure that is not the case.
But for those who may need some assistance in keeping their Seder an engaging experience, this Haggadah has hundreds of dad jokes that can be used as filler during every part of the Seder, to engage those hard-to-reach people.
