e-TiM: From the Mishnah to Maggid: Case Studies in the Development of the Haggadah

Every year we read the Haggadah at the Seder, and every year we ask the same
questions about it. We wonder about the same odd turns of phrase and are puzzled by
the same aspects of how it tells the story of the Exodus. This year, however, let’s try to
find different answers. By exploring the roots of the Haggadah in the Mishnah in
Pesachim and tracing its expansion to the present day, we can gain some perspective
on how the Haggadah came to be the way it is. The story of the Haggadah’s
development, full of twists and turns, mirrors the story of the Jewish people itself.