Hallel

Rabbi Melanie Aron

April 13, 2001

Before Psalm 113

Part of the special-ness of the High Holidays comes from the prayers, which are said only on these days. We associate the Unetaneh Tokef, the Avinu Malkenu, the Kol Nidre, with the grandeur and holiness of the Days of Awe and these prayers and their music are part of creating for us the experience of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

In ancient times, it was the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, Shavuot, and Succot, which dominated the imagination of the average Israelite. As throngs of Jews from throughout the world, ascended to Jerusalem-especially on Passover and Succot, they experienced their equivalent to our own High Holidays.

Scholars believe that the Hallel psalms were recited during Second Temple times on these three festivals and then came to be part of the associated synagogue service. Interestingly, these psalms 113-118, sometimes called the Hallel of Mitzrayim, the Hallel of Egypt, were also added to the Hanukah service, but not to Purim, which had instead the reading of the book of Esther.

Though there is no commandment in the Torah to read the Hallel, it is introduced in the morning service with the blessing-"asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu-likro et HaHallel who has sanctified us through commandments, and commanded us, to recite the Hallel," our tradition identifying rabbinic practice with religious obligation.

The Hallel, like the Bircat Hamazon, the Grace after meals, was sufficiently important that the Rabbis felt that every male Jew should be able to read it. They go so far as to curse the man who has not learned to read the Hallel and is dependant on a woman or slave to read it to him.

We begin with Psalm 113 a praise of God, which concludes with the moving image of the formerly barren woman rejoicing in a home full of children. The language is taken from Hannah's prayer in the book of Samuel, but an additional line is added-expanding the reference from the personal to the national. This woman is then understood to be Zion, who rejoices as the Babylonian exiles return to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the ancient Temple.

Before Psalm 114 -- Betzeit Yisrael

Most closely associate with Passover is Psalm 114. In poetic language this psalm retells the story of the Exodus, of the Revelation on Mt. Sinai, and of God's support of the Israelites during their desert wandering, in particular providing them with water. Note that reference is made here both to the well-known splitting of the Sea of Reeds, in Moses' time and also to the crossing of the Jordan, as Joshua and the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

When the people set out from their encampment to cross the Jordan, the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant were at the head of the people. Now the Jordan keeps flowing over its entire bed throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the bearers of the Ark reached the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the Ark dipped into the water at its edge, the waters coming down from upstream piled up in a single heap a great way off, at Adam, the town next to Zarethan; and those flowing away downstream to the Sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) ran out completely. So the people crossed near Jericho. The priests bore the Ark of the Lord's Covenant stood on dry land exactly in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry land, until the entire nation has finished crossing the Jordan.

Before Psalms 115-116 -- Adonai Z'charanu Ma Ashiv

The Talmud records the introduction of Hallel on Rosh Hodesh, as an innovation of the Babylonian Rabbis in the second century. However, because Rosh Hodesh is only a minor holiday half of Psalms 115 and 116 are omitted.

Interestingly, the same is the case on the last six days of Passover but for a different reason. Here the rabbis argued that there could not be full rejoicing because of the suffering of the Egyptians. As the Midrash explains: "The ministering angels were about to chant songs of praise as the Egyptians were drowning. The Almighty rebuked them, "My creatures are perishing in the sea, and ye are ready to sing." (Megillah 10b)

The custom is to leave out the beginnings of each psalm (the first 11 verses) and to pick up with their closing paragraphs. Among the Sephardic Jews this custom is also marked by a change in the opening blessing-Likro et haHallel to read the Hallel when it is shortened, ligmor et hahallel to finish or complete the Hallel when it is full.

In Psalm 115 we note the reference to "yireh adonai" those of whatever nation who revere God and seemed to have been present in the ancient Temple and included in its worship. The psalm also make reference to the blessing of progeny-"may Adonai increase you more and more." From the time of Abraham and Moses, even to our own day, the size of the Jewish people has been an issue of concern. The inclusion of this reference in the psalm has been part of the argument for it's dating, as a post-exilic psalm. In the period when the Jews returned from Babylonian exile, the small size of the Jewish community, as a minority in its own land, as a major issue.

In Psalm 116 we also have explicit reference to pilgrimage celebrations in the Temple. In v. 15 "Precious in the sight of Adonai, is the death of the pious." Is often understood as reference to the period of the Maccabees-a time when martyrdom for the sake of God's commandments was part of the ethos of the era.

Before Psalm 117 -- Hallelu et Adonai kol Goyim

For those who made it through the second half of the Haggadah, the section recited after the meal, you probably noticed the Great Hallel, a long list of causes to praise God, each followed by the refrain-Ki leolam chaso. Here it seems the psalmist took the approach of the Haggadah, "and the more one expands upon the telling, the more one is to be praised." Ve chol hamarbeh lesapar be yetziat mitzrayim harei zeh meshubah.

The opposite approach is taken in Psalm 117, the shortest psalm in the entire one hundred and fifty-psalm collection.

It is identified with the Messianism of the post-exilic period and its hope of universal monotheism, as all the nations of the world came to recognize the existence of one God.

Before Psalm 118 -- Hodu, Baruch Haba ah

The cantor has chosen two sections of Psalm 118 to share with us this evening.

The first Hodu L'adonai ki tov, verses 1-4 of Psalm 118 are particularly ancient. II Chronicles chapter 5 describes the Levites singing these words at the dedication of Solomon's Temple. II Chronicles 20 v. 21 records their recitation antiphonally in the ancient Temple during the days of King Yehoshofat. The first book of Maccabees also mentions reciting this section of psalms after their victory at Emmaus, as a prayer of Thanksgiving.

The second section leading up to Baruch Haba is said to have been recited as the Israelite pilgrims entered the Temple gates.

These Gates of Adonai are associated not only with the concrete stone gates of the Temple, but also with the metaphoric gates of God's domain in heaven.

The Talmud applies this psalm to Alexander the Great. They tell of his travels throughout the world, coming even to the Gates of Heaven. There he knocked and announced- Here I am Alexander, Alexander the Great, Conqueror of the World." To which the Gates replied: This is the Gate of Adonai, Tzadikim yavo'u vo. Only the righteous may enter it.

A further Midrash-has the gates inquiring of each person who approaches, With what did you occupy yourself during your earthly sojourn? If the person replied- "I fed the hungry", the gate would reply "This is the gate of Adonai, enter those who fed the hungry." Similarly to those who clothe the naked, care for the orphan or free the captive.

This theme is also familiar to us from other psalms-who shall ascend the mount of Adonai and who shall stand in God's holy place-those with clean hands....and a pure heart, who have not taken a false oath or sworn deceitfully.

Finally, the words with which the Levites greeted the pilgrims: Baruch HaBa, Blessed are you who come in the name of Adonai. These words are used as greeting at weddings, bris' and other religious ceremonies.