Draft Found of Rebbe’s Haggadah

By COLlive staff

Kehot Publication Society has announced the publication of the Rebbe‘s Hagadah Shel Pesach with a commentary by Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin, editor of the new edition of the Alter Rebbe‘s Shulchan Aruch and Director of the library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad in Brooklyn, NY.

Rabbi Levine recently discussed this addition to the prodigious Kehot library of sefarim by the Rebbeim and the various commentaries that have recently been published on them, from the Alter Rebbe’s sefarim to the Rebbe’s, and to discuss his own vast experience in editing numerous Kehot works.

* How did your rich career in editing Kehot’s books begin?
The first work that was entrusted to me by the Rebbe was the editing of a series of periodicals entitled “Yagdil Torah.” The collection, comprising 72 issues, contains a variety of responsa and novellae of Halacha, by our Rebbeim and early Chasidim, compiled from manuscripts in the library, with comments and glosses on the margins. That was in 1976. The pamphlets were later published in 10 books.

At the end of winter 1977, the Rebbe appointed me as the director of his library. My editing work continued. The Rebbe requested that I edit and prepare for print a volume of the Tzemach Tzedek’s Responsa. When the book was published, the Rebbe instructed that a copy be sent to each of the heads of Chabad Yeshivas and Kollels, and at the same time to encourage them to participate in writing comments in the “Yagdil Torah” collection.

Of all the books, nigleh and Chassidus, that you worked on, which book was the most challenging?
The most challenging work was undoubtedly the new edition of the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, in which scores of references and comments were added on the margins. This work took eight years (1999-2007).

The project was overwhelming. When I originally contemplated embarking on this project, I was quickly discouraged due to the magnitude of the venture. I was fearful and could not get started. In the end, I collaborated with two excellent editors, Rabbis Avraham Alashvili and Yitzchak Wilhelm.

Thank G-d, we completed the task, and the new edition was received with great acclaim in all segments of the Jewish community. As a result, the study of the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch received a great boost, and tens of thousands now study it all around the world.

It is said that Central Chabad Library, which is under your direction, contains a large collection of Passover Haggadahs. Can you share with our readers how many Haggadahs are in the library?
The library contains more than one thousand Haggadahs, some of them are very rare editions.

This Haggadah is one of the first books written by the Rebbe. Did the Rebbe ever indicate why he chose to write a commentary on the Haggadah?
We have no idea. Moreover, we do not know definitively when and where the Rebbe worked on it. In my estimate, the Rebbe prepared it during the years before the Second World War, and decided to publish it in 1946. It is interesting to note, that the library’s archives do not contain even a single page of the original manuscript or galleys of this monumental work.

About one year ago, a page of the Rebbe’s notes and glosses on the Haggadah was discovered. Although most of the contents of this page is not part of the Rebbe’s final published work, I annotated it, and it is published in this new edition.

When was the first time, as a child, that you saw the Rebbe’s Haggadah, and what impression did it make on you?
My personal impression is wholly irrelevant. The Rebbe’s commentary on the Haggadah is similar to Rashi’s commentary on the Torah. On the face of it, it seems to be a basic, simple commentary, but, as we begin to study it and delve in deeper, we see that it is, in fact, a profound and multi-level commentary. The same may be said of the Rebbe’s commentary on the Haggadah: it is at once clear and simple, yet upon further study we come to the realization that it is a comprehensive and profound study of the Haggadah, based on Shas and Poskim, Kabbalah and Chasidus, intertwined with expert analysis of nusach and dikduk, in a manner that defies comparison.

What other commentaries where available on the Rebbe’s Haggadah prior to this edition?
In recent years, more and more bochurim and anash have embarked on studying the Rebbe’s Haggadah, and many have published articles in various journals. Notably, Rabbi Ezra Schochet, published a very lengthy, erudite commentary, in Volume 8 of Migdal Ohr, on a complicated halachic issue (lechem mishneh at the Seder), which the Rebbe discusses in several places in the Haggadah.

In this edition, I made much use of Shaarei Shalom on the Rebbe’s Haggadah, by Rabbi Shalom Spalter.

What customs during the Seder are found in the Haggadah which may not be well known?
In his Haggadah, the Rebbe wrote the minhagim in a very concise style. For example, in a few short lines, the Rebbe lays out our custom during the recitation of Kiddush and the manner of holding the cup. Yet, in every word he wrote on this subject lays vast depth.

In my commentary, I attempt to flesh out the subject. Although I attempted, throughout the work, to be as succinct as possible, quoting the sources and adding brief commentary, in this case I was forced to elaborate in analyzing every detail of the Rebbe’s note on the manner of holding the cup during Kiddush, and I could not do this in less than four pages.

In conclusion.
I strongly believe that it behooves each and every one of us to immerse ourselves in an in-depth study of the Rebbe’s Haggadah. The Rebbe’s commentary was written briefly and succinctly, and although it contains sources to every detail of the Seder, they are mostly referenced and not actually cited. I have attempted to quote the full citations of some 1,000 sources referenced in the Rebbe’s commentary.

It is my sincere hope that the new edition of the Rebbe’s Haggadah will make it easier for the general public to study the Rebbe’s Haggadah and gain a greater appreciation of its vast profundity and treasures.

The Haggadah is available at your local Judaica store, or online at kehotonline.com