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Article: How old is the Haggadah?
- Article from:
- Judaism
- Article date:
- January 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 American Jewish Congress. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE ORIGINS OF THE SEDER AND THE HAGGADAH HAVE long been a subject of interest. According to the Bible, ever since the Israelites made their escape from Egypt in the middle of the night, following their first paschal meal, Passover has been marked by a nighttime ceremony. The question is, when did the seder as we know it today, with its ordered set of rituals and accompanying texts, come into being? No later than 200 C.E., the year of publication of the Mishnah, according to most scholars, because Mishnah Pesahim 10 presents a detailed description of the seder. (1) Y. N. Epstein, the great investigator of the Mishnah, thinks otherwise. He dates the chapter and hence the ...