The Most Boring Part of the Haggadah… Is Actually the Entire Point | Unlocking the Haggadah #11| 10@9 | 2026.03.26

When was the last time you stopped and counted - not your problems - but your blessings, one by one? Why does the Haggadah spend time counting miracles - 60, 240, even 300? It feels like the kind of passage designed to lose the room. But what if this “technical” debate is actually pointing to one of the central goals of the entire Seder? In this episode, we uncover how the rabbis are teaching us not to count miracles - but to notice them. To break redemption into its smallest parts and recognize each one. This is the deeper meaning of Dayanu: not just a song, but a discipline of gratitude - appreciating every step, every layer, every element of every gift. And more than that: the Seder quietly asks us to add our own list. What are the blessings in your life right now? Because this is what transforms the Seder from history into experience. This is how we reach the goal: “to see ourselves as if we are being redeemed tonight.” Miss this - and the Seder is just storytelling. See it - and it becomes yours. In the next episode, we explore a historic dispute in the Haggadah that still shapes how we live today. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.