Wands up, Potterheads! There’s a new book in town. The Unofficial Hogwarts Haggadah will be on sale just in time for Passover 2017.
Just in time for Passover 2017, Jewish Muggles and their friends can celebrate in their element with the new Unofficial Hogwarts Haggadah. Accio, matzah!
Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg, author of the Unofficial Hogwarts Haggadah, wanted to bring out the similarities between the Harry Potter books and Jewish law and tradition. He also wrote Morality for Muggles, in which he (with the help of some Muggle kids) explores the same topic at length.
My Father Was A Wandering Wizard
It’s not even a stretch to compare the world of Harry Potter with Torah and the Talmud. They share many parallels: doing the right thing even when it’s hard, standing up to authority when it goes bad, struggling against the evils of slavery, and more. I could go on, but I don’t have to, because Rabbi Rosenberg already wrote that. Via Forward, Rosenberg said:
"The entire Harry Potter series, and each book, contains many of the key elements and lessons of the Exodus story. Uplifting the downtrodden, sharing our current wealth and prosperity with others, education… The enthusiasm for ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ really assured me that there’s still an enormous appetite out there for Harry Potter."
This is a totally fun way to engage squirmy kids in what can seem like an interminable Passover seder. It takes a long time to journey from slavery to freedom, after all. At least a couple hours. The way my best friend’s dad used to run them, we didn’t even eat dinner until about 1 a.m. And that’s not even the end of the seder.
Even if you don’t plan to have a totally Hogwarts Passover, this Haggadah is definitely one to add to the collection and pass around the seder table. After all, no Jewish household is complete without multiple, non-matching versions of the Haggadah. And for our non-semitic Muggle pals, it’s a cool way to learn about Passover and Jewish traditions.
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You’ll be able to purchase the Unofficial Hogwarts Haggadah on Amazon and from some independent booksellers. Sign up for the official Google docs alert page for updates about the book.