Highlighting: “The Haggadah of the Gerrer Dynasty”by Yisroel Besser. ArtScroll Mesorah Publications. 2022. Hardcover. 264 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1422631188.

(Courtesy of Artscroll) We are a nation of beginners, reaching for new beginnings. On the yom tov of Pesach, the exalted Seder speaks of that perpetual drive for his’chadshus, rejuvenation, the aspiration to start again.

The Chiddushei HaRim once turned to a respected chasid, Reb Baruch Stuchiner, and asked a question. “Do you remember how, when we were in Kotzk, they taught us to immerse ourselves in the parshiyos of Yetzias Mitzrayim, to analyze them like a Tosafos?”

This story, our story, for the geulah endures, every individual in every generation experiencing it on his own, giving us the tools to rise higher, to find redemption.

Yetzias Mitzrayim taught us that we were worthy of being Hashem’s, and Matan Torah provided us with the means to serve Him.

In Peshis’cha, the two experiences came together — Torah itself the means of attaining the clarity and faith we had tasted on that glorious night, transmitted from there to Kotzk, where it took root and spawned the glorious Gerrer dynasty. It is an ancient path, but under each stone there is a spark of his’chadshus, of Yidden finding the strength to start anew, to reach both higher and deeper.

The Haggadah of the Gerrer Dynasty looks at the story of the creation of our nation through the wise and humble eyes of the tzaddikim of the Gerrer dynasty, starting from Peshis’cha and Kotzk.

Most of the Torah thoughts in this unique commentary are brief, designed to be shared with everyone at the Seder. Many are not well-known, and all of them have the stamp of emes, of truth and authenticity. And, of course, there are stories! Stories of rebbes and simple Jews. Stories from Egypt and from our modern world. Stories that strengthen our faith and renew our hopes for the future. Stories we can tell at the Seder, or tell and retell ourselves, when we need to give ourselves a powerful boost of emunah.

The author, Yisroel Besser, has written many bestselling biographies and Torah works, including Nishmas: Song of the Soul and Just Love Them: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Dovid Trenk. In The Haggadah of the Gerrer Dynasty, he has given us a wonderful gift for Pesach — a commentary that will enliven our Seder, as it enriches our lives.

This Haggadah speaks directly to our neshamos, our souls. Read, enjoy, and be uplifted!