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, produced in ca. 1300 in the Catalan region of Spain by an unknown scribe and artist, is an exceptional sample of a decorated Haggadah manuscript in the local tradition; it may be compared with the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, with which it shares a liturgical and artistic tradition. Its fine decorations and illustrations are a testament to the wealth of its patron and his concern for beautifying the tradition. Notably, the manuscript is unfinished (for unknown reasons), allowing us to view the process by which such manuscripts were created. 

The page before you is the beginning of the actual “telling” (as opposed to preparatory rituals). The words are the beginning of the Aramaic (Jewish languages) invitation to those who are in need to join your seder; notably, almost all Haggadah manuscripts emphasize the importance of this moment, in this case with beautiful gold leaf and other decoration. 

In the corners at the bottom of the decoration on this page you will see a hound (dog) on one side and a stag other the other. This is the beginning of a hunting game that runs through many pages of the Haggadah. These images have been associated by some scholars with a Hebrew acrostic, but, as they appear in Christian manuscripts as well, it is more likely that they represent a common decorative tradition. The game element is meant to interest the children at the seder, assuring they will remain awake and engaged in the education being offered them at their home table.