The Origins of the Seder Paperback – January 1, 2002

Bokser does a good job of making his case, though he clearly relies to some extent on reading between the lines. In my estimation, he does so in a legitimate way and makes a credible case for his conclusions. For my purposes, the book demonstrates clearly that the Seder is NOT a ritual that was in effect at the time the Last Supper occurred. There is a growing movement afoot that insists that the Passover kept in the gospels was a Seder meal. This error comes from the belief that the Seder and Passover are inseparable, even identical phenomena. While I have long known that to be an anachronism, Bokser's presentation of the evidence is a treasure trove of material showing that the additional elements of the Seder apart from "three elements" mentioned in Exo. 12 and addressed by Gamaliel (lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs) are responses to the destruction of the temple in 70CE. If you want to understand the "genesis" of the Seder including the reason for its current post-temple format, this book is probably to most succinct and compact explanation you can find.

This book is a scholarly work giving the author's well developed hypothesis on the origin of the Seder and how the Seder developed as an important substitute for the temple sacrifice. The book is relatively short and it is well referenced. It is not easy reading, but I found it rewarding reading and provided me a greater appreciation of the Passover rituals. For me the major unanswered question concerns the pre Temple destruction Passover celebration for those who could not go to the Temple. How was Passover celebrated in Rome for example or even earlier during the Babylonian exile? Perhaps, elements of those diaspora ceremonies had a greater impact on the post 70 C.E. ceremony than acknowledged by the author.

The paperback edition packs facts, analysis and insight into its relatively short 141 pages of text and footnotes. The hypothesis and argument are clearly spelled and and then supported by detailed references to various Talmud and Mishnah sections which are reproduced as necessary. Although the hardback was published in 1984 and the paperback reprinted in 2002, it is current and consistent with more recent works. I read the book in the weeks leading up to 2009 Passover holidays and found much in Dr.Bokser's work to work into the actual Seder and ignite the interest of those present. In essence, Dr. Bokser makes a very persuasive case that the Passover Seder, as molded in the HaGaddah, was one of the key pillars for the survival of Judaism after the catastrophic destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. Certainly, he establishes that the basics of the Seder as we know it today with its emphasis on freedom, community and symbolic ritual owes its genesis to the Tanna and the Amora of the centuries following the destruction.

I may not agree with all the points made by the author, but it made for interesting reading. It will lead to an interesting exchange of ideas at this year's Seder.

Good read

Have you ever sat through a Seder, and wondered "where did the Haggadah come from, anyhow?" This little book answers that question.The Haggadah's rituals come from Ch. 10 of Pesachim, one chapter in the Mishnah (an 1800-year-old rabbinic work, containing lots of Jewish law and some other stuff as well). In turn, the discussion in Pesachim is loosely based on the Torah's description of an appropriate Pesach sacrifice; the Mishnah adds some details not present in the Torah, such as references to wine and to charoset. Before 70 (when the Second Temple was destroyed) Passover celebrations were centered on the sacrifice and consumption of lambs at the Temple in Jerusalem. After 70, animal sacrifices (which were the centerpiece of earlier Passover celebrations) didn't make much sense, because there was no Temple to hold them in. So Pesachim adjusts to the new reality by setting forth a variety of rules for a sacrifice-less meal on the first night of Pesach. The Talmud, written a couple of hundred years later, added additional details, and the modern Haggadah is based on the rules proposed by the Mishnah and Talmud.Some commentators have suggested that the seder is based on the Greco-Roman symposium (a kind of festive meal containing revelry and serious discussion in varying degrees). The author responds by pointing out that the seder differs from the symposium in that it is (1) far more structured and serious-minded, (2) more egalitarian (insofar as all Jews, not just the affluent, participate), and(3) is expected to involve some, but not so much, wine (insofar as wine is diluted to prevent drunkenness).Why has the seder been successful over time? Bokser suggests two causes. First, its structure enables all Jews, not just the most learned or affluent (or men, or adults), to participate. Second, the seder tells Jews they have been redeemed in the past and will be redeemed again.

Non mi sono pentito di averlo comprato. E' utile, interessante, e permette di aprire gli orizzonti riguardo la discussa questione del rapporto fra l'ultima cena e il seder pasquale ebraico. Però il libro non eccelle in sistematicità. E' ripetitivo fino allo sfinimento; le note sono a volte un po' confuse e la bibliografia lascia un po' a desiderare lasciando intravedere che forse l'autore non è molto attento ad un pubblico non di cultura ebraica