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Topic: Pesach (Passover)-Jewish holiday (Read 161 times) |
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wildhaus
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Pesach (Passover)-Jewish holiday
« on: Mar 29th, 2007, 2:54pm » |
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Pesach (Passover) begins on the night of the fifteenth day of the month of Nissan ( Monday, March 5th. 2oo7 ) and lasts for eight days. This holiday commemorates the departure of the nation of Israel from Egypt. Pesach marks the birth of the Jewish people as a nation led by Moshe (Moses) over 3000 years ago. This is a as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as the physical liberation from slavery.
Sarajevo Haggadah
14th century
The Sarajevo Haggadah is a 14th century illuminated manuscript consisting of 34 full-page miniatures, an illuminated Haggadah text, and hymns and Torah readings for the Passover week. The miniatures display a variety of subjects, from the creation of the world, to Moses blessing the Israelites, to illustrations of the Temple, and the interior of a Spanish synagogue.
In the illustrations above, God appears to Moses in the burning bush and below Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh and transform their staff into a snake which then devours the snakes of Pharoah's magicians.
The Haggadah--a compilation of biblical passages, prayers, hymns, and rabbinic literature--was probably assembled sometime during the Second Temple period in Palestine and was meant to be read during the Passover Seder, a ceremony held in Jewish homes to commemorate the Israelite redemption from Egypt in biblical times. The earliest extant version, however, appeared in a 10th century prayerbook in Babylonia. The Haggadah became a beloved and cherished text for Jews all over the world and nowhere is this high regard more evident than in the illustrations lavished on it by generations of Jewish artists from mediaeval times to the present. These illuminations represent Biblical scenes as well as scenes from rabbinic legends. Many illuminated Haggadot, most of which were produced in Europe in the middle ages, depict the preparations for the holiday and the celebration of the Seder itself thus giving us a visual image of Jewish life in earlier times.
The first printed version of the Haggadah--a facsimile of which is on display--was published in Guadalajara in 1482, just ten years before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. A facsimile of the first Haggadah printed with illustrations, produced in Prague in 1526, is also on view. This was the first in a long line of printed illustrated Haggadot, a tradition that continues to this day.
In modern times, the Haggadah has taken on a new significance as Jewish life has changed and evolved. The Haggadah has begun to increasingly reflect not only Israel's ancient history but also contemporary Jewish agendas and events. Some of the most interesting new editions and versions of the Haggadah were produced in Israel. The kibbutz movement Haggadot, for example, include themes relating to labor and socialism while eliminating much or all Jewish religious references. In these versions God is often conspicuously absent. Other Haggadot reflect the importance of the establishment of the State of Israel, or changes in Jewish tradition due to modernity. The various movements in American Jewish life have produced Haggadot which reflect their own vision of Judaism and their understanding of themselves as American Jews.
(Yale Library)
The upper half of illumination depicts a picture of the first plague: the waters of the Nile turn into blood, and below it is a depiction of the plague of frogs.
Seder Plate
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| « Last Edit: Apr 2nd, 2007, 3:03am by wildhaus » |
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