NEW YORK — Every Jewish family wants to honor the Passover holiday. But could there be something more to Passover, the Seder and in the Haggadah — something that just might hold the secrets to living the life of joy and meaning that you were intended to? 

Mark Gerson, co-founder of African Mission Healthcare, chairman of United Hatzalah and host of “The Rabbi’s Husband” podcast aims to answer that question in his new book “The Telling: How Judaism’s Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life.

“God didn’t design the Seder to put you to sleep!” said Mark Gerson. “Rather, the Seder invites us to discover the gift of the Haggadah — the greatest hits of Jewish thought — which is specifically designed to enable us to live happier, better and more meaningful lives in the year to come.”

For thousands of years, the Haggadah has guided Jews around the world through Pesach (Passover) celebrations. Through examination of Talmudic discussion, evolutionary psychology and other disciplines, Gerson explores some of life’s most pressing questions — and how people of all faiths can find answers in the wisdom of the Haggadah.

With engaging chapters like “God’s Business Card,” “What We Can Learn from an Egg: The Logic of the Seder Plate,” “Imagination: The Most Important Part of Reality” and “Allegiances Build: The Architecture of Relationships, the Constitution of Society” — to name only a few — Gerson teaches readers how to:

• Lead the Seder with wisdom, confidence and fun that guests will remember
• Make the Haggadah come alive with insight for opportunities, questions and challenges 
• Show Gentile friends the richness of the Jewish tradition
• Instill a lasting love of Judaism within their children
• Strengthen their relationships with their family, within their community and with God

Here’s what people are saying about “The Telling”:

“The account of the Passover in the book of Exodus is one of the most defining, transformational portions of scripture in the entire Bible. With the help of our Jewish brother Mark Gerson, Christians everywhere will deepen their understanding of what God accomplished in this history-altering deliverance of His people. After reading the book The Telling, you will never look at the Passover the same way ever again.”

-Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

“In The Telling, Mark Gerson brilliantly illuminates some of the big questions from the Haggadah whose answers can define what constitutes a meaningful life. By showing how the Haggadah enables its readers to deploy ancient Jewish wisdom to help answer the most contemporary questions, this book will help your Pesach to be what it can be: a life-guiding event, every year, for anyone who learns enough to give it the opportunity.”

-Former Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut)

“Mark Gerson’s The Telling is as broadly creative and inclusive as it is rigorous and intellectually deep. This book will reach, engage, and inspire countless people whose families and communities will discover new meaning and purpose through the book’s myriad insights.”

-Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

“The Telling is the perfect introduction for those desiring to explore this aspect of Jewish life. This book is full of knowledge and thought-provoking questions and answers to the many mysteries that surround this sacred Jewish holiday.”

-Gordon Robertson, CEO, the Christian Broadcasting Network

“As believers, there is so much we can gain from the story of the Exodus Passover, when God brought the children of Israel out of bondage by His mighty hand. With the powerful book The Telling by Mark Gerson, you will learn from a Hebrew perspective many hidden aspects of the Passover story that will bless your life. Get ready to encounter the God of the miraculous like you never have before!”

-Judy Shaw, Judy Shaw Ministries

“The Jewish people have a powerful message from God to share about being delivered from a life of slavery and brought into God’s purpose for them as a nation. In his book The Telling, Mark Gerson helps us understand so much about the importance of the Passover and how it impacts our lives today as Christians. When Jews and Christians come together around this sacred biblical text, I believe that historic things will take place.”

-A.R. Bernard, Christian Cultural Center – Brooklyn, New York

“The Telling” is published by St. Martin’s Essentials, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, and will be available Mar. 2 in hardcover and ebook formats wherever books are sold.

Media note: To schedule an interview with Mark Gerson or to request a print copy or digital galley of “The Telling,” please email press@thekcompany.co.