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 was written by the great Italian scribe, Abraham Farissol (ca. 1451- ca. 1525), in 1515. Farissol performed many responsibilities in the Jewish communities of northern Italy, but he was particularly sought after as a scribe. Farissol’s style is clear and elegant, following forms that are easier to read and write than older scribal writing. This style is clearly influenced by the new “humanistic script,” invented in the early 15th century and used by Christian scribes for the writing of Latin. 

On this page you can see an illustration of a man holding up a fist-full of green leaves, the maror (bitter herb). Through history, Jews have commonly used bitter green leaves for maror; the use of something like horseradish (not bitter but sharp!) was necessitated in Ashkenaz (north-eastern Europe), where green leaves had yet to grow at Passover time. 

 The man is dressed in common but distinguished Italian renaissance clothing, his head uncovered, suggesting again that Jews have typically dressed in the fashion of their neighbors.