I thought I would share here the new poem I’ve written that as my primary kavannah for the new haggadah. I offer this as as a gift to you all. I hope it gives you a new way to think about why we each personally engage in the Passover seder each year.
read moreOMG-D! It’s almost time for Passover! With Nisan upon us, preparations for our annual journey out of Mitzrayim begin in earnest. Whether you take a traditional or modern approach, believe in G!d(dess) or not — Passover is a holiday pretty much all Jews can connect to. There are so many things we could explore as the symbol of Nisan, but here at PeelaPom.com we’re going to explore the Haggadah as the ritual object of Nisan. Over at PunkTorah, look for my article on Chametz as a the symbol of Nisan. “More than any other single ceremonial object or document, the Haggadah exemplifies the continuous evolution of the Jewish symbolic tradition.” ~ The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols by Ellen Frankel and Betsy Patkin Teutsch (pg 66) One could argue that the haggadah is a compilation of symbols, but it in itself is a true expression of how one engages with Judaism. For some, it’s the same each year. You use the haggadah your parents used, cook what your parents used, and what you look forward to is the traditions being repeated. But for so many, Passover is a chance to really make a personal and outward facing statement about what Judaism is to you, personally, by your choices in which haggadah you use. There are dozens and dozens of haggadot to choose from, which may be overwhelming for some. What I think is amazing, is now how many people I know who in some way craft their own. For most people it’s a cut and paste experience, where they take a sections from different haggadot to form their perfect (or close as they can) experience. The first person I ever knew who did this was my sister, who is not the religious one in the family (That’s me, in case you were wondering). The first time I saw one of my sister’s photocopied DIY haggadot, it blew me away. It never occurred to me that you could do that in Judaism. Even the parts...
read moreThe theme for my 5771 seder was “Oasis at the Elim.” I had written about this concept a couple of years back, but had gone in a different direction that year. This year, I finally decided to do a menu with the “oasis” theme.
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5th Anniversary Special $5! – Buy Through Etsy The 5th Anniversary Edition of the PeelaPom Haggadah released in 2009 (5769) is a reinvention of the Haggadah. Based on all the feedback I’ve received over the years I took a big red pen to it. What people loved I kept and tried to enhance. What didn’t work, I took out. I also discovered a few key pieces that were missing, and are now there! This haggadah is the result of several years of work to incorporate a Earth-based Magickal Judaism sensibility to a haggadah that will also be enjoyed by friends and family. There are very few images in this haggadah, because the book is not what I wanted people to focus on, but rather the words and the experience. It is concise with many opportunities to add your own flourishes and customization, if you wish. You can download a preview (pdf) of several key pages, free of charge. The haggadah is available as a PDF for $5 through Etsy in an 8 1/2 X 11 full-page format. You can print out as many as you like and add your own flourishes. I appreciate your supporting the work by purchasing your own copy for personal use. $5! – Buy 5th Anniversary Edition Haggadah Through Etsy Praise for the Peeling a Pomegranate Passover Haggadah: From your haggadah I incorporated: The 10 Plagues page, The Second Cup of Wine – The Cup of Freedom, Grace After the Meal, The Third Cup of Wine – The Cup of the Prophets (I love what you wrote in this section), The Fourth Cup – The Eternal Flame (the poem you included on this page was beautiful, each person at the table read one stanza) Thanks for your wonderful haggadah. It’s helpful to read it side-by-side with the Velveteen/Renewal and the Orthodox/Traditional versions. There is so much variety and richness in our traditions, especially the ones we are recreating and innovating! Thank you for such a lovely, thoughtfully crafted Haggadah! We used...
read moreHere’s a handy reference list to all the Pesach resources I’ve written over the years. I figure this will be a good way to organize all of it and I can just update this as I add more! Passover resources on Peelapom.com: Peeling a Pomegranate Haggadah Menus and Seder Planning Food Blessing Tiramatzah! A More Magickal Pesach Afikomen Prizes Miriam, the Prophetess — a Midrash Peeling a Pomegranate Guide to Counting the Omer: Week 1: Week of Chesed Week 2: Week of Gevurah Week 3: Week of Tifereth Week 4: Week of Netzach Week 5: Week of Hod Week 6: Week of Yesod Week 7: Week of Malchut Now for a Trek in the Desert External Pesach Resources: Amazon.com...
read morePassover is almost over and I am swimming in Haggadot. I have 20 from this year and still a stack of back editions from previous years. I want them to go away. Who Wants Them? I propose some kind of a trade. That’s been really fun in the past. You tell me what you want to trade! I have about 20 copies of this years haggadah in shimmery copper covers and and an assortment of back-editions. There are about 5 copies of an unpublished edition (c. 2008), which are in lovely spring green covers. There are also a bunch of 2007s and even a few copies of the 2005 edition. Leave a comment or email me and let me know how many haggadot you’d like to have and what you’d like to trade. No reasonable offer...
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Shavuot: Seder of the Seven Prophetesses
Culture: I am fascinated by culture on most levels. I mostly focus on American culture and what makes us who we are as a country, but I'm also intrigued by sub-cultures in the USA and the growing global cultural trends.
