Beyond the Exodus: The Haggadah’s Lessons for Life
Thursday, March 4
6:30 PM EST
Free, with option to purchase book (released 3/2/21)
It’s almost time to pull out the Haggadot that have been gathering dust and revisit the story of our Exodus. But that familiar tale offers more than a guide to the world’s longest dinner. Beneath the Four Questions and Ten Plagues lie gems of overlooked wisdom about navigating life — about freedom and blessings, but also about parenthood, forgiveness, memory, goodness, false humility and the meaning of history.
In preparation for Passover — and for finding the path to a more meaningful existence — Mark Gerson, author of The Telling: How Judaism's Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life, will plumb the text with Senator Cory Booker.
Cofounder of Gerson Lehrman Group, Mark Gerson is chair of United Hatzalah and of African Mission Healthcare Foundation, which supports the work of Christian medical missionaries. He is also an author and host of the podcast The Rabbi’s Husband.
Senator Cory Booker has dedicated his life to fighting for those who have been left out, left behind, or left without a voice. Booker grew up in northern New Jersey and received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and went on to study at the University of Oxford, and then Yale Law School, where he graduated in 1997. Booker moved to Newark after law school and started a nonprofit organization to provide legal services for low-income families, helping tenants take on slumlords. At 29, Booker was elected to the Newark City Council, where he challenged the city’s entrenched political machine and fought to improve living conditions for city residents, increase public safety, and reduce crime. Starting in 2006, Booker served as Newark’s mayor for more than seven years. During his tenure, the city entered its largest period of economic growth since the 1960s. In addition, overall crime declined and the quality of life for residents improved due to initiatives such as more affordable housing, new green spaces and parks, increased educational opportunities, and more efficient city services. In October 2013, Booker won a special election to represent New Jersey in the United States Senate. As New Jersey’s junior Senator, Cory Booker has brought an innovative and consensus-building approach to tackling some of the most difficult problems facing New Jersey and our country.