A Haggadah is the script for the seder ritual on the first nights of Passover. The word means “telling,” and the seder is a ritual for the telling of the Passover story—the Exodus from Egypt—in a particular rabbinic fashion. 

This Haggadah, written and illustrated by the scribe-artist Joseph ben David Leipnik in the early 18th century, is a magnificent example of the renaissance of Hebrew illuminated manuscripts in Germany and central Europe at this time. Although Haggadahs were widely available in print, wealthy Jews commissioned deluxe manuscript versions, like this one. In addition to its magnificent scribal and artwork, this Haggadah includes comments and directions in Yiddish.

The illustrations in this manuscript are based on the engravings found in the famous Amsterdam Haggadahs, printed in 1695 and 1712. In this image, Pharoah’s daughter, accompanied by her attendants, recovers baby Moses from the “Nile.” Again, the artist imagines the events set in his own day, which informs the depictions of the city, the landscape, and the dress.