The Jewish Publication Society

The Passover haggadah enjoys an unrivaled place in Jewish culture, both religious and secular. Of all the classic Jewish books, the haggadah is the one most “alive” today. Jews continue to rewrite, revise, and add to its text, recasting it so that it remains relevant to their lives. Joseph Tabory, one of the world's leading authorities on the history of the haggadah, traces the development of the seder and the haggadah through the ages. The book features an extended introduction by Tabory, the classic Hebrew haggadah text side by side with its English translation, and Tabory’s clear and insightful critical-historical commentary. “This is a significant and valuable work that, in examining the Haggadah from an historical perspective, offers insight into Jewish history as well.” —Chicago Jewish Star Browse our Passover sale featuring classic JPS holiday titles and recent releases available with an exclusive 40% discount at nebraskapress.unl.edu/passover-sale/. #passover #pesach #seder #haggadah #BibleCommentary #jewishbooks #jewishhistory

NIGHT OF BEGINNINGS is a groundbreaking haggadah for the Passover seder from acclaimed poet, translator, and liturgist Marcia Falk, beautifully designed and illustrated with original color drawings by the author. Unlike both traditional and new haggadahs, which do not contain a full recounting of the biblical story, NIGHT OF BEGINNINGS presents the Exodus narrative in its entirety, providing a direct connection to the ancient origins of the holiday. This retelling highlights the actions of its female characters, including Moshe’s sister, Miriam; Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopts the baby Moshe; and the midwives Shifrah and Pu’ah, who save the Hebrew male infants. Falk’s revolutionary new blessings, in Hebrew and English, replace the traditional, patriarchal seder blessings, and her kavanot—meditative directions for prayer—introduce a genre new to the seder ritual. Poems, psalms, and songs are arranged to give structural coherence to the haggadah. A new commentary raises interpretive questions and invites us to bring personal reflections into the discussion. "A substantial work, worthy of close attention... Falk's poems, interpretations and selections of additional material can enrich your Seder tremendously."—Forward Save 40% on this book and a special selection of JPS haggadot and other holiday titles! Browse our Passover sale at nebraskapress.unl.edu/passover-sale/. #passover #pesach #seder #haggadah #exodus #jewishbooks #jewishholidays

In A PASSOVER HAGGADAH: GO FORTH AND LEARN, Rabbi David Silber has given us two books in one: the Haggadah itself, in English and Hebrew, with his seder commentary and a collection of essays that provide close readings of the classic biblical and rabbinic texts that inform Seder-night ritual and narration. Both parts work beautifully together to illuminate the central themes of Passover: peoplehood, Covenant, our relationship to ritual, God’s presence in history, and other important issues that resonate with us all. Just as midrash attempts to bridge the gap between ancient text and contemporary meaning, Rabbi Silber’s Haggadah provides new sources of insight that deepen the Passover experience for today’s readers. “With remarkable creativity, sensitivity, and ear for nuance, Rabbi David Silber illuminates the Haggadah text, Seder practices, and the larger biblical and rabbinic contexts in which these are rooted. This volume will help create a Seder full of meaning, poignancy, and enthusiasm.”—David Shatz, professor of philosophy, Yeshiva University Save 40% on this book and a special selection of JPS haggadot and other holiday titles! Learn more and browse our Passover sale at nebraskapress.unl.edu/passover-sale/. #passover #pesach #haggadah #exodus #BibleCommentary #seder #jewishbooks

We are delighted to share that KETUBAH RENAISSANCE by Michael Shapiro was recognized as a finalist in the 28th annual @ForewordReview INDIES Book of the Year Awards in two categories: Coffee Table Books, and Art. As part of its mission to discover, review, and share the best books from university and independent publishers, Foreword Magazine, Inc. hosts an annual awards program each year. Finalists represent the best books published in 2025. Mazal tov Michael! The complete list of Finalists can be found at forewordreviews.com/awards/finalis…. Learn more and order this beautiful volume with an exclusive discount at jps.org/books/ketubah-…. #jewishbooks #jewishauthors #jewishart #Ketubah #ketubot #ForewardINDIES

"THE ROAD TO OCTOBER 7: HAMAS, THE HOLOCAUST, AND THE ETERNAL WAR AGAINST THE JEWS...demonstrates the similarities between the heinous pogrom in southern Israel in 2023 and the unspeakable horrors inflicted on the Jewish people throughout the centuries. This scholarly work explains not only the reasons for the virulent hatred of Jews in Palestinian society that led to the atrocities committed on Oct. 7 but also the reaction of the Western world – including Israel – to the warning signs that enabled the worst attack on Israeli soil since its establishment. If one wishes to learn from history, Medoff’s book is essential reading." – Atara Beck for @Jerusalem_Post Magazine. Dr. Rafael Medoff sat down with The Jerusalem Post to discuss his work. Read the full interview at at jpost.com/history/articl…. Learn more and order the book with exclusive discounts at jps.org/books/the-road…. #jewishbooks #jewishauthors #jewishhistory #antisemitism #Israel #holocaust

PASSOVER SALE - Save 40% on a special selection of JPS books! As Jewish communities around the world begin to prepare for Passover, we invite you to save 40% on innovative JPS titles that explore the richness and enduring vibrancy of our holiday texts and traditions. Journey into the Exodus story with Nahum Sarna's acclaimed Torah commentary, and discover creative approaches and contemporary insights into the Seder meal rituals in haggadot by Marcia Falk, Joseph Tabory, and Rabbi David Silber. Enter 6PSP26 in the coupon code field of your shopping cart and click "Apply." This offer expires April 9, 2026. Offer valid on select titles only, may not be combined with any other discount, and applies only to U.S. and Canadian orders. Browse the sale at nebraskapress.unl.edu/passover-sale/.

"Throughout her career, Adele Berlin's scholarship has been marked by a methodological precision that yields a rich reading of the biblical text, one that results in an even deeper appreciation of the same... This is no less true of her latest commentary in the JPS Bible Commentary series... Berlin remains fully engaged with contemporary scholarship yet is fully attentive to and engaged with Jewish medieval exegesis... There are simply too many examples to list here where her keen attention to the literary features of the text yields a rich reading."—Review of Biblical Literature The Jewish Publication Society’s highly acclaimed Bible Commentary series provides the Hebrew text of the Bible, the JPS English translation, and a line-by-line commentary. This volume, by renowned Bible scholar Adele Berlin, presents commentary on Psalms 120–150, based on the most recent research on the language of the Bible, its literary forms, and the historical context that may have given rise to the psalms. The commentary pays special attention to the message of each psalm and to how the poetry shapes the message. At the same time, it draws on traditional Jewish interpretations of the meaning of the psalms. Learn more and order the commentary with an exclusive discount at jps.org/books/jps-bibl….

"Many of the practices of Judaism, such as the observance of certain holidays (Sukkot in the fall and Passover in the spring, for example, originate within the stories of the Torah, in addition to growing out of the months or seasons as experienced in the ancient world. But the meaning and celebration of each winter holiday—Hanukkah, Tu b'Shevat, and Purim—originate somewhere outside of the Five Books of Moses. The story of Hanukkah comes initially from the Books of the Maccabees, which are not simply absent from the Torah-they are not in the Hebrew Bible (TANAKH) at all. They are found in the Apocrypha, a collection of Jewish literature that falls outside the canon. The holiday of Tu b'Shevat, although related to portions of the Torah that concern agriculture, emerges from Rabbinic literature rather than from the Bible. Purim is the only one drawn directly from the Bible. Even so, it is not found in the most sacred Five Books of Moses but rather in Kethuvim, considered to be the most recent part of the Bible. These three holidays are wonderful examples of Judaism's integrative ability to acclimate to new places and times. Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin describes this adaptability when she says: 'We Jews are a union of weavers. Interlacing our traditions and language, our rituals and laws, with fibers gathered from cultures around us...' ...Hanukkah, Tu b'Shevat, and Purim grew out of the historical story of Judaism-the development of Jewish context and pattern within the passage of time. These holidays occur in the dead of winter, but even in the damp darkness they contribute to the flow of life, as they are born once more with each of the earth's revolutions around the sun. They have been witnesses to the disappearance both of cultures and of peoples. All during this time, the Jews have survived, continuing to intertwine new threads of Torah with the old, creating the tapestry of Jewish spirituality as we know it today." – Excerpt from CELEBRATING THE JEWISH YEAR: THE WINTER HOLIDAYS by Paul Steinberg (JPS, 2007). Learn more about this book, part of JPS's acclaimed CELEBRATING THE JEWISH YEAR series, at jps.org/books/celebrat….

Happy Purim from The Jewish Publication Society! May we continue to celebrate great reversals of fortune that ensure the safety and flourishing of the Jewish people and the world beyond. Image credit: Adapted from "Megillat Esther" photo by Chefallen, March 11, 2009, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Our March newsletter is here, featuring classic JPS titles offering contemporary insights into the texts and traditions of the upcoming Purim and Passover holidays, as well as acclaimed new and recent releases! Read the newsletter at tinyurl.com/JPS-March2026. Join the JPS email list to receive our monthly newsletter directly to your inbox, with exclusive sale offers, and special announcements of new JPS releases and literary programs. Click this link to subscribe: tinyurl.com/2jdbu77c

"Megillat Esther, the Book of Esther in the form that we have it in the Hebrew Bible, provides the story of the origin of Purim, the blueprint for its celebration, and the authorization for its observance in perpetuity. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is better viewed as imaginative storytelling, not unlike others that circulated in the Persian and Hellenistic periods among Jews of the Land of Israel and of the Diaspora. This story seems to have been known in several different versions, or to have gone through a number of different stages in its development before it was linked with Purim and incorporated into the Bible. As a Diaspora story –a story about, and presumabIy, for, Jews in the Diaspora during the Persian period–it provides an optimistic picture of Jewish survival and success in a foreign land. In this it resembles other Diaspora stories such as the biblical Book of Daniel (chapters 1‑6) and the apocryphal books of Judith and Tobit. But unlike those books, Esther lacks overtly pious characters and does not model a religious lifestyle. Esther is the most 'secular' of the biblical books, making no reference to God‘s name, to the Temple, to prayer, or to distinctive Jewish practices such as kashrut. Yet Esther, of all the biblical books outside of the Torah, is the only one that addresses the origin of a new festival. For this reason, if for no other, Esther should be considered a 'religious' book. Its main concern, the very reason for its existence, is to establish Purim as a Jewish holiday, for all generations." –Excerpted from THE JPS BIBLE COMMENTARY: ESTHER, by Adele Berlin (JPS, 2001). Explore this acclaimed commentary and learn more about the origins of the Purim holiday at jps.org/books/jps-bibl….

Invite JPS authors to speak to your community or organization! We are proud to present leading JPS scholars and writers participating in the JPS Authors Bureau. Today's spotlight features Yiscah Smith. Yiscah is a thought leader and spiritual activist committed to empowering and ennobling others in the spiritual practice of encountering the Divine spark within and beyond. She teaches Jewish contemplative practice and spiritual texts at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and for the online platform Applied Jewish Spirituality. In her private practice, Yiscah provides spiritual mentoring to individuals, both in person and online, and she is available, both in Israel and abroad, as a scholar in residence, guest lecturer, and workshop facilitator. She is the author of PLANTING SEEDS OF THE DIVINE: TORAH COMMENTARIES TO CULTIVATE YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (JPS, 2025), and founder of Conscious Community Nachlaot, an alternative prayer space in Jerusalem. Her Authentic Jewish Living with Yiscah podcast episodes online and at yiscahsmith.com. Learn more about Yiscah's work and the JPS Authors Bureau at jps.org/jps-authors-bu….

We are delighted to share that Rabbi Wendy Zierler's book, GOING OUT WITH KNOTS: MY TWO KADDISH YEARS WITH HEBREW POETRY, has been selected as a Finalist for the @JewishBook's National Jewish Book Awards in the category of Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice. Mazal tov Rabbi Zierler! Read the full announcement at jewishbookcouncil.org/pb-daily/75th-…. Learn more and order GOING OUT WITH KNOTS with an exclusive discount at jps.org/books/going-ou….

The 2026 JPS catalog is here! Learn more about our exciting new and recent releases, along with many JPS classics, including landmark Bible translations and commentaries, important anthologies, and titles exploring Jewish history, holidays, and traditions. Browse the catalog at tinyurl.com/JPScatalog2026.

Rescheduled - new date and time!

Save on these classic JPS publications for Purim! Learn more about Purim, coming up on Monday evening, March 2nd, and Tuesday, March 3rd, with these rich and informative resources about the holiday and its foundational text, the Book of Esther. Use code 6AS26 for an exclusive 40% discount at online checkout. (Applies only to U.S. and Canadian orders.) Explore these and other JPS holiday titles at jps.org/product-catego….

In case you missed it! Last week, Rabbi Wendy Zierler joined the Jewish Women's Archive for a conversation about her recent release, GOING OUT WITH KNOTS: MY TWO KADDISH YEARS WITH HEBREW POETRY, which weaves memoir with Hebrew poetry to illuminate her literary and personal Jewish mourning journey in the aftermath of unremitting personal loss. Tune in to the program at jwa.org/programs/bookc…. Learn more and order the book with an exclusive discount at jps.org/books/going-ou….

Invite JPS authors to speak to your community or organization! We are proud to present leading JPS scholars and writers participating in the JPS Authors Bureau. Today's spotlight features Michael Shapiro. Michael is the founder and CEO of Ketubah.com, the world’s leading publisher of artistic Jewish wedding contracts, and a worldwide lecturer on historical and contemporary ketubot. For nearly three decades he has helped shape the development of contemporary ketubah art by guiding both influential and emerging contemporary ketubah artists, and by freeing a wider range of artists of the need to master the text themselves. His innovations include archival quality on-demand Ketubah printing and laser cutting and an online tool to submit and verify the Hebrew date, location and names. Learn more about Michael's work and the JPS Authors Bureau at jps.org/jps-authors-bu….

Join Rabbi Vanessa Ochs for a conversation on Inventing New Jewish Rituals Thursday, February 5th at 6:30 - 7:30 PM EST In person at the Capital Jewish Museum 575 3rd Street NW, Washington, DC Explore how Jews have historically innovated rituals and how today’s Jews are inventing new ones with Rabbi Vanessa Ochs, PhD, University of Virginia Professor Emeritus, and author of INVENTING JEWISH RITUAL (JPS, 2007). No Jewish ritual was created complete—consider the Passover Seder, the Jewish wedding ceremony, and more! Responding to current trends and challenges, rituals have developed over the centuries, along a winding path of rabbinical and practitioner debate and conversation. Rabbi Ochs will be in conversation with CJM Director of Curatorial Affairs, Dr. Sarah Leavitt. Co-Sponsored by the University of Virginia’s Jewish Studies Program. Register at capitaljewishmuseum.org/events/inventi…. Learn more about the book at jps.org/books/inventin….

Join the Jewish Women's Archive on Thursday, February 5th at 8 PM ET for a conversation with Rabbi Wendy Zierler about her recent book, GOING OUT WITH KNOTS: MY TWO KADDISH YEARS WITH HEBREW POETRY, which was selected for the 75th National Jewish Book Awards Shortlist in the Autobiography, Memoir, and Biography category. Interweaving memoir with Hebrew poetry, GOING OUT WITH KNOTS illuminates author Wendy I. Zierler’s literary and personal Jewish mourning journey in the aftermath of unremitting personal loss. Learn more and register at jwa.org/events. Order the book with an exclusive discount at jps.org/books/going-ou…. #jewishbooks #jewishauthors #kaddish #hebrewpoetry