Passover bits and bytes

Judging by the displays in bookstores it’s the haggadah, and not the Bible, that is the Jewish bestseller. There are thousands of editions of the Passover Seder text, and new ones come out every year. Each one contains the same text, more or less, and are distinguished by their commentary, artwork, provenance, or other specificity. But they all have one thing in common — like every other book in the world, they’re linear page-turners, guiding the reader from point A to point B.

But a digital book, thanks to hyperlinks, lets you move from point A to point Z to anything in between, while allowing you to enjoy outside content like videos, audio, links to websites, and other digital goodies. With iPad and Android tablets so popular, and haggadahs so much in demand, it was inevitable that app writers would produce digital-age Passover guides, both for the run-up to Passover and for the Seder itself.

A tour of Apple’s iTunes app store and the Google Play store for Android devices shows that app writers have indeed been busy producing content for the holiday. Passover starts with product shopping, and one popular guide — the OU Kosher Guide, which lists what’s kosher and what’s not (for Passover and all year round)  –is now digital (for iPhone and iPad). Besides product information, the Guide has FAQs about how to keep kosher, along with educational videos (if you’ve ever wondered how to check the insides of a chicken for kashrut, you’ll love this app).

During the weeks before Passover, observant Jews do a lot of calculating, trying to whittle down their supply of non-Passover food products to ensure that there’s as little left by the holiday as possible. Whatever hametz is left over either gets thrown out or sold to a non-Jew, via the good offices of a local rabbi. Although some consider the temporary selling of hametz for reclaiming the day after the holiday a rabbinic dodge to help people avoid throwing away expensive items (like bottles of scotch) the practice has solid roots in Jewish tradition and contract law.

In the age of the Internet, you don’t even have to seek out a rabbi to do your selling for you; just download the free No Chametz! app from Rustybrick (iOS and Android), which connects you to an online hametz sale site and provides the blessings and prayers that accompany the search for and burning of banned leaven, and a little flashlight component you can use to check the dark corners where such hametz may be hiding.

Of haggadahs themselves, there are many available for tablets, but two stand out for their marshaling of the capabilities of iOS and Android. The Ribui haggadah app was developed with advertising agency M&C Saatchi (an agency known for its digital orientation) and is perhaps the first “modular” haggadah. Among its features, the Ribui app lets you create a customized Seder, displaying only the parts you’re interested in (the Four Sons, Dayenu, etc.), and gives you an estimated finish time based on the components you’ve selected. Lots of the content is hyperlinked for explanations of terms, and there is audio (songs) video (explanations), and English and Hebrew text throughout.

According to Ribui, it’s the first haggadah “catering to adults and children from any Jewish background,” but it’s a safe bet that Orthodox Jews won’t be using this app on Seder night, since using an iPad (the only platform the app is available for) is forbidden on Jewish holy days like Passover.

Ditto for The Haggadah, developed by ebook pros Melcher Media. The commentary for this version is provided by Rabbi Irwin Kula, considered one of the most in influential rabbis in American non-Orthodox circles. This haggadah, too, is full of music and video, with commentary not only on the Seder text but on the artwork accompanying the words (with pictures culled from historical haggadahs), recipes, kids’ activities, and an interactive function that lets you upload photos and stories that could be included in next year’s edition.

If you do go for a digital haggadah, just be aware of the risks: Those wine stains and Matza crumbs that you see in your printed haggadah may find their way to your tablet, where they’re not as easily ignored.