David Jay Derovan

You Shall Tell Your Son:
Essays on Pesach and the Haggadah

Over 30 years ago David Derovan published The Passover Haggadah that was an immediate bestseller. Over 30,000 copies were sold. Now David has written a companion volume. With the realization that families and individuals are always seeking sources and new insight that help explain the details of the Haggadah and spirit of Pesach, David Derovan fills his book with fresh ideas, understanding and significance of the Haggadah and of Seder night.

Written for sophisticated, educated adults, You Shall Tell Your Son. . . focuses on the major themes and issues of the Haggadah. The approach is anthological, presenting a variety of answers that all together create a fresh perspective on the Haggadah and Pesach.

This is an exceptional source for adding depth and meaning to your Seder and a wonderful, lasting gift for your relatives and friends this Pesach.

Read the sample chapter online or download to read offline: Four Sons.

US: Price: $14.95 USD (price includes shipping and handling)

Order difficulties? Contact us at French Creek Press services@frenchcreekpress.com.

Table of Contents

Seder, Order
Telling the Tale
This Poor Bread!
A Different Night
Haggadah Tale
Four Sons (sample chapter)
The Wicked Son
VeHi She’amdah
Merit of Righteous Women
Rabban Gamliel Used to Say
Experiencing the Exodus
Chad Gadyah
Hard Working Mouth
Sefat Emet, the Haggadah
Sacrifice and Circumcision
Changing

Writing Selections (click to download):

Imminence and Transcendence

Tehilim 19 & Shemonah Esray

About the author

For over 40 years, David has taught Jewish studies and administered in Jewish schools. As a master teacher he excels in teaching Jewish texts and the necessary skills for studying those texts independently. David brings to his writings his expertise as a writer, teacher, curriculum designer, educator, and administrator.

For the past 27 years, David and his family (and grandchildren) have lived in Israel. Aside from teaching in numerous schools in Israel, he was instrumental in founding the She’arim College in Har Nof, Jerusalem, and served as the director of the Jewish Values Education Institute at the OU Israel Center, and the director of Oraitah, an adult education Torah studies program in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

David currently writes and distributes a weekly essay on the Shabbat Torah reading and the festivals. French Creek Press will soon publish David’s exciting new work that features authentic Chassidic Torah in a fictional framework. Each episode offers words of Torah taught by Reb Aharon, the fictional Rebbe, which relate to the adventures of the Rebbe and his Chassidim.

Bibliography

Yeshiva University Torah Leadership Seminar (New York: 1972-1976) source books, Author

The Passover Haggadah, Third edition (New York: 1976), Authored with Moshe Berliner.

Shabbat and Festival Shiron, Three edition set, Authored with Robert Ives (Los Angeles 1982, 1985, 1991).

Spirituality Today [Jerusalem, 2002], Editor

The OU Israel Center Anthology [Jerusalem, 2003], Editor

Judaism for the Rite Reasons [Petach Tikva, 2003], Author and Editor

Encyclopedia Judaica, Second, revised edition, Contributing Editor

David Derovan lectures in the following areas:

• Kabbalah & Jewish Spirituality (“The Tikkun of the Sin of Dina: A Kabbalistic Approach to Chumash:” “The Spirituality of Learning Torah”)
• Prayer (“Mystic Tools for Improving the Experience of Prayer;” “The Interface between Tehilim and the Siddur”)
• Midrash and Aggadah (“The Resurrection Motif in the Midrash on the Akedah;” “Women of the Talmud: A Case Study”)
• The purpose of a life of Torah & Mitzvot
• Shabbat and the Chagim (“Shabbat, Time & Again;” “Into the Depths of the Pesach Haggadah;” “The Secrets of the Shofar”)
• Guided, skills-based text study (“Acquiring an Independent Chumash Study Method;” “Peeling Away the Layers to Reveal What’s Underneath: A Gemara Sugya;” “Jazz Variations in the Last Chapters of Tehilim;” “Chassidic Insights into Parashat HaShavu’a”)

David Derovan’s Shi’urim combine a sophisticated approach to Torah study aimed at an educated audience. His Shi’urim are eye-opening experiences that expand the participant’s understanding of the depth of Torah.