Spring is in the air and Nisan is here. Nisan is called Chodesh HaAviv, or the “month of spring.” As we enter this season, many families look forward to meaningful Passover reading and reflection. Though today we celebrate the new year in the fall, Nisan was actually the first month of the Torah’s calendar (Exodus 12:1-2): “This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.”
The spring season brings with it a feeling of renewed energy, hope, possibility, and redemption. These emotions align with the holiday we celebrate this month. Passover (Pesach) is when we celebrate the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, known as the Exodus. It even states in Exodus 13:4 “This day you came out, in the month of Aviv.”
Alongside themes of liberation, Pesach also evokes a time of miracles—and a time of “narrow straits.” This is one way to translate the Hebrew name for Egypt, “Mitzrayim,” or “the tzar (narrow) places.” We all have our “stuck places” from which we need liberation—somewhere that we can get stuck or trapped. Each year, then, we examine our own Mitzrayim during Pesach and see how we can free ourselves and move forward.
The Siege of Masada ended on or around Passover. Roman soldiers eventually breached the walls of the fortress and found nearly everyone inside dead by suicide. According to the ancient historian Flavius Josephus, two women and five children survived Masada by hiding in a cistern. But we don’t know anything else about these individuals.
This is a perfect time for a Passover reading list. It’s a chance to explore Jewish stories of liberation, “stuck places,” and miracles.
With longer spring days ahead and a month of miracles to celebrate, what better time than to read something new? Here are a few of my picks for Nisan.
If you are looking for feminist midrash about Passover, read this:
The Song of the Blue Bird by Esther Goldenberg
This is the third book in the Desert Songs Trilogy, telling the story of Serrah bat Asher. Those who know her well call her “Blue.” Though the Bible mentions her only minimally, many midrashimThis word is used in two ways, as both a concept and a literature. As a concept, midrash is the expansive interpretation of biblical texts. The term is used to describe the practice of rabbinic interpretation. As a text, it refers to specific collections of interpretations, particularly from the third to ninth centuries in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. Plural: Midrashim
Read more mention her. She lived an exceedingly long time, since she is both in the list of those who went to Egypt and those who entered Eretz Yisrael hundreds of years later. Later midrashic traditions suggested that she never actually died. They say that Jacob was the one who blessed her with long life, saying “My daughter, because you revived my spirit, death shall never rule you” (Sefer Ha-Yashar, Vayigash, chapter 14). Goldenberg follows Serrah’s long and winding journey. She brings Biblical characters to life and providing a distinctly feminist lens into the Exodus story. This book gives us Serrah’s story, introducing a lesser-known figure and giving her the attention that has been long overdue.
If you’re looking to tie your Passover seder to current events:
The Promise of Liberty: A Passover Haggada edited by Stuart Halpern and Jacob Kupietzky
In 2026, the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. That milestone makes this book a timely choice for your Passover reading list—to start discussions at your seder, or simply to read on your own. Printed in full color with plenty of beautiful pictures, the book includes the traditional haggadah text alongside essays from various writers, including Jonathan Sarna, Rabbi David Wolpe, and Erica Brown. They explore the Passover story, themes of freedom, the seder, and much more. Even after the holiday, the essays provide plenty to think about from a variety of perspectives.
If you want a fun family Passover read:
Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel by Jordan B. Garfinkel and Erez Zadok
Graphic novels are a great way to draw in reluctant readers, and this book does just that. This vibrantly illustrated graphic novel tells the Exodus story with the traditional seder text (in Hebrew and English transliteration). It also includes fun “how to” graphics for the seder and its rituals. Based on historical and linguistic research, this modern translation of the Passover story brings the holiday to life for the entire family in a format that’s easy to follow and hard to put down.
If you’re fascinated by Masada, read this:
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
The story of the Roman siege of the Jewish stronghold at Masada has always fascinated me, and this has become a favorite book of mine. Hoffman braids together the stories of four strong women, each very different from one another. Yael’s father blames her for her mother’s death in childbirth. Revka sees her daughter murdered in front of her and comes to Masada with her traumatized grandsons. Aziza grows up as a boy and becomes a sharp marksman, a warrior in her own right. Shirah serves as a medicine woman. They’re all dovekeepers at Masada, and as the Roman attack begins, near the time of Passover, their lives and stories intersect and overlap in unexpected ways.
If you want a novel about getting unstuck:
Eternal Life: A Novel by Dara Horn
Rachel is a fairly recent widow, navigating life with her middle-aged son. She’s also lived for over 2,000 years, after having made a spiritual deal to save her son back when she lived in Roman-occupied Jerusalem. An old love is stalking her through the centuries—and she’s tired. Now, in the 21st century, technology is advancing in ways that might finally give her a way out of her spiritual deal. ? While Dara Horn has become widely known as an insightful commentator on antisemitism and current events, her fiction writing also shines. Eternal Life wrestles with family, the choices we make, and what makes life worth living. It offers a haunting and hopeful exploration of what it means to feel stuck and what it takes to be liberated.
What sparks your interest for some spring reading?
