Haggadot Translations and Adaptations by Rabbi Mark Greenspan
1.Ephod Bad, by Rabbi Benjamin David Rabinowitz 2007
Ephod Bad published in 1872. Rabbi Benjamin David Rabinowitz was a well known rabbi in the great city of Warsaw, and is described as “a famous preacher,” and “a basket full of sacred books.” Other than the date of his death in 1885, little is known about him. It is not even clear from his commentary whether he was a proponent of Hasidism or a member of the mitnagdim, the opponents of the Hasidim. In describing the wise child, he says that thehacham is “one of the Hasidim who believe that everything comes from God.” This, however, does not mean that he identified himself as a Hasidic Jew. The word, hasid, may have a more generic meaning here: one who believes in divine providence. In addition to this, the fact that he quotes the Vilna Gaon, a staunch opponent of the Hasidic movement, suggests that he was not a Hasidic Jew. Unlike many Hasidic commentaries, the Ephod Bad does not contain the ideas and sources which are commonly found in other Hasidic works. Rabbi Rabinowitz’s interests appear to be much loftier and philosophical. If there is a single idea around which his commentary focuses, it is the idea of Hashgaha, divine providence. Rabbi Louis Jacobs, of blessed memory, defines this term in the following way:
2.Naftali Seva RatzonBy Rabbi Naftali Hertz Ginzburg 2008
Naftali Seva Ratzon is the learned commentary on the Haggadah by Rabbi Naftali Hertz Ginzburg. The title of this commentary, is taken from a verse (Deuteronomy 33:23) in which Moses blesses the tribe of Naftali: “Oh, Naftali, sated with favor and full of God’s blessings, take possession on the west and south.” Naftali Seva Ratzon was originally the title of Rabbi Ginzburg’s commentary on the Five Books of Moses, the five Megillot, the Haggadah and the Birkat HaMazon. It was published around the year 1708, and republished about twenty years later. Apparently Rabbi Ginzburg wrote other material on the Haggadah that was left out of his commentary. This material was gathered by Rabbi Moshe Lipschitz of Warsaw along with the material already published in the commentary; it was then published as a separate Haggadah under the same name. The work is unified by two things: by the type of learning that it presents and by the structure of his argumentation.
3.Kos Eliyahu by Rabbi Eliyahu ben Harush 2009
Kos Eliyahu, the Cup of Elijah is a commentary on the Haggadah by a nineteenth century Moroccan scholar by the name of Rabbi Eliyahu ben Harush.The author offers a closer of the Haggadah text which produces some surprising results. The author often points out slight variants in the text as well as superfluous expressions from which he draws new meanings. The material in this commentary was collected and edited by his grandson in 1938. The grandson includes a biography of his grandfather in the preface to the Haggadah.
4.Around the Table – A User-Friendly Haggadah by Rabbi Mark Greenspan 2006
This is an original work by Rabbi Mark Greenspan. It is an attempt to make the text of the Haggadah more accessible for families and groups who have a limited knowledge of Hebrew. It is written in the form of a script to encourage the participation of all those who are present at the Seder.
5.The Ha-ha Haggadah, An original commentary by Rabbi Mark Greenspan 2006
One doesn’t have to be overly serious to be serious about the Seder. Some of the past Passover humor often reveals deep meanings in the text of the Passover Seder. This commentary attempts to use some of the familiar and not so familiar Passover humor in commenting on the Haggadah. It also combines both the traditional text and the text of the “Around the Table” Haggadah for those who wish to have both texts in front of them.
Please feel free to download these Haggadot. “Hard” copies of the Haggadot are available for ten dollars each. If you wish to order copies, please contact Rabbi Greenspan at