The Haggadah famously states, “All who are hungry, let them come and eat.” But what does this really mean? Are all people entitled to basic necessities such as food, and is this statement a proclamation of human rights? Or are human rights first and foremost only political and religious freedoms? And when it says, “Pharoah worked the children of Israel with backbreaking labor,” this brings up the question, “Are workers’ rights absolute, such that everyone doing the same job should be entitled to the same safety standards and pay no matter where they are?”
A new Haggadah called “The Human Rights Haggadah” poses these questions and grapples with other human rights issues that are found in this classic text. Author Shlomo Levin covers topics including access to food, the right to work, religious freedom, refugees, slavery and war crimes, incorporating modern events and commentary from Jewish scholars along with the Haggadah text in Hebrew and English.
“I wrote the Haggadah because I believe human rights values are critical to helping build a better world, and the Passover story is a good way to make them accessible to the Jewish community,” Levin said. “The story of the Exodus includes both oppression and the struggle to be free, so the full gamut of human rights issues appear.”
For instance, in a passage about going from worshipping idols to worshipping God, Levin – who was ordained by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and Yeshivat HaMivtar and received his Master’s in International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations University for Peace – includes information from Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Alongside the verse “We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt” is a quote from Maimonides’ Law of Hiring, which says, “Even if a worker already began to work but changes his mind in the middle of the day he can quit, as it says (Leviticus 25:55) ‘The children of Israel are slaves unto me (God).’ This means they are slaves to God only, but not to other humans.”
The Haggadah includes statistics on modern slavery – as of 2022, there were 27.6 million people around the world doing forced labor – and steps the International Labor Organization on Ending Modern Slavery recommends. Extending basic income security to all workers, stopping fraudulent recruitment and expanding government labor inspections are some of the crucial steps that appear on the list.
When discussing how Jacob went to Egypt to temporarily dwell there and escape the famine in Canaan, Levin talks about refugees. “Was Jacob a migrant or refugee?” he asks, stating how famine, natural disasters, gang violence and warfare are not included in the 1951 Refugee Convention as entitling people to international protection.
“Was Egypt required to accept Jacob’s family?” Levin asks. “What should be done when whole populations flee violence or natural disasters, looking for new places to settle?”
With his Haggadah, Levin said, “We’re able to see the timeless nature of these issues, how they’ve been addressed by both Jewish and secular sources, and in what ways Jewish and secular approaches may be similar or how they may be different.”
With his Haggadah, Levin said, “We’re able to see the timeless nature of these issues, how they’ve been addressed by both Jewish and secular sources, and in what ways Jewish and secular approaches may be similar or how they may be different.”
By stating facts, quotes and wisdom from Jewish texts, Levin is letting the reader come to their own conclusions and sparking conversations at the seder table. “I want us to understand that human rights are a system of values that often conflict, and a commitment to human rights does not necessarily lead to particular political or social action positions,” he said. “In fact, people who are committed to human rights may well disagree about specific issues because they prioritize or weigh things differently. That’s why the Haggadah gives sources and questions, but not answers. I hope the Haggadah will help people formulate their own views in a more sensitive and nuanced way.”
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