The Promise of the Land: A Passover Haggadah by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein

This haggadah, by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, explores themes of nature and the land within the Passover seder, to help participants develop an ecological understanding of and connection with Jewish tradition.

On Passover we tell the story of the Jewish people’s journey from slavery to freedom. Yet, for every story about peoplehood, there is a backstory about land and the natural world. All our biblical holidays commemorate the harvest and the land, the very soil out of which Judaism grew. The haggadah, the Jewish people’s origin story, is necessarily embedded in an earthy reality.

Today, we know that our well-being and our freedom depend on the earth’s well-being. If the earth and its systems are compromised, our freedom is compromised; life is compromised. This haggadah seeks to enlarge our focus. It seeks to reveal the seder’s ecological dimensions and awaken its quiescent environmental meaning.

This haggadah is intended for those who are curious and want to dig deep. It understands the Passover story in universal and mythic terms. It is written for people with little or no Jewish background as well as those with strong backgrounds—be they religious, spiritual, or secular. It aspires to reconnect participants to the beauty of the holiday and the world, while exploring essential questions about who we are and where we come from.