Not every Haggadah comes with an endorsement by the environmentalistBill McKibben, but this edition celebrates the natural world and its significancein our lives as we come together to celebrate Passover.It is intendedfor both knowledgeable and unfamiliar participants. The traditionaltext, largely in English, is printed in green; ecological commentary,context, and sidebars, emphasizing nature and the land, are printed inblack and are intended to encourage discussion. An interesting inclusionin this Haggadah are the last two verses of the Magid (Deuteronomy 26:9 – 10),omitted in the traditional text: "Adonai…gave us this land,"a significant message for this ecological retelling. Ina brief discussion the author explores the reasons for the omissionand the importance of their inclusion here. The illustrations by Galia Goodmanenrich the texts. --Maron L. Waxman, The Jewish Book Council In an era when a plethora of haggadot are being published for diverse audiences,Rabbi Ellen Bernstein has given us a marvelous new contribution in anecological vein.The Promise of the Land is a work of creative liturgy . . .ThePromise of the Land is also a work of eco-philosophy. Bernstein’s primary challenge in creating an ecologicallyoriented haggadah was to connect freedom—the central idea of the haggadah—tothe earth. She has done this quite successfully. By reclaiming twoland-centered verses from the original instructions for Passover that had beenabandoned for millennia, and reading them ecologically, Bernstein hassparked a radical way of considering the meaning of the Hebrew "aretz". In theintroduction to her haggadah she discusses how aretz, which can mean both land and earth, must beunderstood as a living organism, not as flat, inert stuff, not as territory orreal estate, nor as the land of Israel solely. To my mind, this is a simple but brilliant move. This boldstep in re-translation and rethinking allows us to look at earth and land fromthe prism of balance, reciprocal relationships, and care. . .The Seder Bernstein envisions does not thrust us headfirst into the climate emergency. It is not a "Climate Emergency" or "ScorchingEarth" Seder. Rather it reminds us to free ourselves from the internal Pharaohof overconsumption and once we have liberated ourselves from enslavementwe can move into guardianship of the land, as imagined in Leopold’s SandCounty Almanac. Throughout the haggadah, Bernstein offerspungent and highly-selective texts that encourage us to care for creation. Shealso offers poignant, deep ecological gems along the way.. . Another virtue of Bernstein’s Promise is that itserves as a beautiful example of "Hiddur Mitzvah"—adorning a commandment. It isgorgeously illustrated by Galia Goodman whose work lifts up the haggadah byoffering a visual midrash. Further enhancing its artistry, the haggadah iscolor-coded and user-friendly, not burdensome, with traditional text and newcommentary that manages to be both brief and stimulating. Bernstein integratesnatural scientific explanations of miracles without subtracting from themythopoetic impact of the story. Her work is midrashic in the bestsense, of seeking to extract or should I say divine the meaning of the Seder forour times. It is a haggadah in the spirit of Abraham Joshua Heschel. The Promise of the Land is a Seder for all Jews andfriends and carries a critical and essential message for our time, echoingour Shmita-conscious ancestors: It is incumbent upon to work tofulfill the promise of the land, in loving cooperation with our Creator. It isperhaps the most potent and timely re-imagining of the Pesach message in thelast few years. Here Rabbi Ellen Bernstein has made her mark. This literarywork of art joins that of scholars and artists who are producing excellent newliturgies and eco-philosophies throughout North America, Europe, andIsrael. In The Promise of the Land, we have the perfect blueprintfor a truly integrated, holistic, and practical Seder. --Rabbi Jonathon Seidel, PhD, spiritual leader of Or haGan, Eugene Oregon
