Hallel
Encyclopedia
Hallel is a Jewish prayer—a verbatim recitation from Psalms
113–118, which is used for praise and thanksgiving that is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays.
(the morning prayer service) following the Shacharit's Shemoneh Esreh
("The Eighteen", the main prayer). It is also recited during the evening prayers the first night of Passover
, except by Lithuanian
and German Jews, and by all communities after the Grace after Meals
in the Passover Seder
service.
The first 2 psalms 113 and 114 are sung before the meal and the remaining 4 are sung after the meal.
Psalm 136
which in Jewish liturgy is called "the Great Hallel" recited at the Passover meal after the "Lesser Hallel". It is punctuated by the refrain that emphasizes God's lovingkindness is everlasting. There is mention in some references that this Psalm may also be used antiphonally in Temple worship.
These occasions include the following: The three pilgrim festivals Passover, Shavuot
, and Sukkot
(the "bigger" Jewish holy days), mentioned in the Torah
) and Hanukkah
and Rosh Chodesh
(beginnings of the new month). Many Jewish communities, especially those that identify with religious Zionism
, recite Hallel on Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israeli Independence Day). Some also recite it on Yom Yerushalayim (commemorating the re-unification of Jerusalem in 1967).
On Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur
, Hallel is not said at all, because as the Talmud states (Arachin 10b): "Is it seemly for the king to be sitting on His Throne of Judgment, with the Books of Life and Death open before Him, and for the people to sing joyful praises to Him?"
Pesach, like Sukkot, has the structure of "main holiday", followed by "Intermediate Days" (Chol ha-Moed), followed by "main holiday". Since Passover involved only a partial redemption of the Jews and the destruction of Egypt
, and as the same sacrifice was offered in the Temple on every day of the holiday (as opposed to Sukkot), only "Half" (or Partial) Hallel is recited on all of the last six days of Pesach. Full Hallel is recited for the entirety of Sukkot.
Partial Hallel is recited on Rosh Chodesh because it was introduced at a much later time than the major holidays.
No Hallel, neither "Full" nor "Partial", is recited on Purim
, despite the fact that there was a miraculous salvation, for several reasons:
Complete Hallel) consists of all six Psalms of the Hallel, in their entirety. It is a Jewish prayer recited on all seven days of Sukkot
, on Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
), on Shavuot
, on the first two days of Pesach (only the first day in Israel), and on the eight days of Hanukkah
.
Full Hallel consists of Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 115:1–11,12–18, Psalm 116:1–11,12–19, Psalm 117, Psalm 118.
A blessing is recited at the beginning and end of Full Hallel.
) does not include parts of the "Full Hallel": verses 1–11 of Psalm 115, nor those verses from Psalm 116. It is recited on the last six days of Pesach and on Rosh Chodesh
.
While Ashkenazi Jews recite a blessing at the beginning and end of Partial Hallel, some Sephardi Jews do not, particularly if the blessing they recite at the beginning of Full Hallel is ligmor et hahallel (to complete the Hallel) instead of likro et hahallel (to read the Hallel) as recited by Ashkenazi Jews.
Psalm 113
Psalm 117
Psalm 118
American composer and conductor Michael Isaacson
has composed A full Hallel for SATB Chorus entitled An American Hallel with interpolations of expressions of praise and gratitude by past and present Americans. It is to be premiered by the Carolina Master Chorale under the directorship of Tim Koch in the Fall of 2009
Composer/performer Sam Glaser
has also set the Psalms on his new CD Hallel
Psalm 136, also known as "The Great Hallel" was most probably used antiphonally in Temple worship. In Jewish liturgy, the Great Hallel is recited at the Passover meal after the Lesser Hallel. All through the refrain is a repeated reference to the Lord's steadfast love. See Hosea 2:19. This psalm is a hymn that opens with a call to praise God because of God's great deeds in nature and his gracious historical actions in the history of Israel. It continues expressing God's mercy toward all and ends with another call to praise God. Another Hallel sequence, forming part of the pesukei de-zimrah in the morning prayers, consists of Psalms 145 to 150.
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
113–118, which is used for praise and thanksgiving that is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays.
Holy days
Hallel consists of six Psalms (113–118), which are said as a unit, on joyous occasions. On those occasions, Hallel is usually chanted aloud as part of ShacharitJewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
(the morning prayer service) following the Shacharit's Shemoneh Esreh
Amidah
The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
("The Eighteen", the main prayer). It is also recited during the evening prayers the first night of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, except by Lithuanian
Lithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
and German Jews, and by all communities after the Grace after Meals
Birkat Hamazon
Birkat Hamazon or Birkath Hammazon, , known in English as the Grace After Meals, , is a set of Hebrew blessings that Jewish Law prescribes following a meal that includes bread or matzoh made from one or all of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt...
in the Passover Seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
service.
The first 2 psalms 113 and 114 are sung before the meal and the remaining 4 are sung after the meal.
Psalm 136
Psalm 136
Psalm 136 is the 136th psalm from the Book of Psalms. It is sometimes referred to as "The Great Hallel."-Judaism:*Is recited in its entirety during the Pesukei Dezimra on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Hoshana Rabbah....
which in Jewish liturgy is called "the Great Hallel" recited at the Passover meal after the "Lesser Hallel". It is punctuated by the refrain that emphasizes God's lovingkindness is everlasting. There is mention in some references that this Psalm may also be used antiphonally in Temple worship.
These occasions include the following: The three pilgrim festivals Passover, Shavuot
Shavuot
The festival of is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan ....
, and Sukkot
Sukkot
Sukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
(the "bigger" Jewish holy days), mentioned in the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
) and Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
and Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh or Rosh ḥodesh is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the appearance of the new moon. The new moon is marked by the day and hour that the new crescent is observed...
(beginnings of the new month). Many Jewish communities, especially those that identify with religious Zionism
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
, recite Hallel on Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israeli Independence Day). Some also recite it on Yom Yerushalayim (commemorating the re-unification of Jerusalem in 1967).
On Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
and Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
, Hallel is not said at all, because as the Talmud states (Arachin 10b): "Is it seemly for the king to be sitting on His Throne of Judgment, with the Books of Life and Death open before Him, and for the people to sing joyful praises to Him?"
Pesach, like Sukkot, has the structure of "main holiday", followed by "Intermediate Days" (Chol ha-Moed), followed by "main holiday". Since Passover involved only a partial redemption of the Jews and the destruction of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and as the same sacrifice was offered in the Temple on every day of the holiday (as opposed to Sukkot), only "Half" (or Partial) Hallel is recited on all of the last six days of Pesach. Full Hallel is recited for the entirety of Sukkot.
Partial Hallel is recited on Rosh Chodesh because it was introduced at a much later time than the major holidays.
No Hallel, neither "Full" nor "Partial", is recited on Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
, despite the fact that there was a miraculous salvation, for several reasons:
- The miracle did not occur in the Land of IsraelLand of IsraelThe Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
and, for "lesser" holidays, only those occurring in Israel merit the recitation of Hallel. - Even after the Miracle of Purim, the Jews remained subjects of the Persian Empire, whereas on Hanukkah, as a result of the victory of the MaccabeesJudas MaccabeusJudah Maccabee was a Kohen and a son of the Jewish priest Mattathias...
, the Jews gained their independence from the Seleucid kings. - Reading the Megilla (Book of Esther)Book of EstherThe Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
is a substitute for Hallel.
Full Hallel
Full Hallel (or הלל שלם Hallel Shalem in HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
Complete Hallel) consists of all six Psalms of the Hallel, in their entirety. It is a Jewish prayer recited on all seven days of Sukkot
Sukkot
Sukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
, on Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle...
), on Shavuot
Shavuot
The festival of is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan ....
, on the first two days of Pesach (only the first day in Israel), and on the eight days of Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
.
Full Hallel consists of Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 115:1–11,12–18, Psalm 116:1–11,12–19, Psalm 117, Psalm 118.
A blessing is recited at the beginning and end of Full Hallel.
Partial Hallel
Chatzi Hallel (חצי הלל Half Hallel or Partial Hallel) ("chatzi is "half" in HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
) does not include parts of the "Full Hallel": verses 1–11 of Psalm 115, nor those verses from Psalm 116. It is recited on the last six days of Pesach and on Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh or Rosh ḥodesh is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the appearance of the new moon. The new moon is marked by the day and hour that the new crescent is observed...
.
While Ashkenazi Jews recite a blessing at the beginning and end of Partial Hallel, some Sephardi Jews do not, particularly if the blessing they recite at the beginning of Full Hallel is ligmor et hahallel (to complete the Hallel) instead of likro et hahallel (to read the Hallel) as recited by Ashkenazi Jews.
Musical Settings
Psalms from the Hallel have been set to music many times, notably:Psalm 113
- Josquin des PrezJosquin Des PrezJosquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
Psalm 117
- Antonio VivaldiAntonio VivaldiAntonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
Psalm 118
- LeoninLéoninLéonin is the first known significant composer of polyphonic organum. He was probably French, probably lived and worked in Paris at the Notre Dame Cathedral and was the earliest member of the Notre Dame school of polyphony and the ars antiqua style who is known by name...
- PerotinPérotinPérotin , also called Perotin the Great, was a European composer, believed to be French, who lived around the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century. He was the most famous member of the Notre Dame school of polyphony and the ars antiqua style...
American composer and conductor Michael Isaacson
Michael Isaacson
Michael Isaacson is an influential composer of Jewish synagogue music, as well as one of the originators of the Jewish Camp Song movement...
has composed A full Hallel for SATB Chorus entitled An American Hallel with interpolations of expressions of praise and gratitude by past and present Americans. It is to be premiered by the Carolina Master Chorale under the directorship of Tim Koch in the Fall of 2009
Composer/performer Sam Glaser
Sam Glaser
Sam Glaser is a popular composer, performer and interpreter of Jewish music. Referred to as one of the top ten Jewish artists in the United States by Moment Magazine, he holds a global fifty-city music tour culminating in Israel every year....
has also set the Psalms on his new CD Hallel
Other Hallel sequences
The name "Hallel" is normally applied to Psalms 113–118. For greater specificity this is sometimes called the "Egyptian Hallel".Psalm 136, also known as "The Great Hallel" was most probably used antiphonally in Temple worship. In Jewish liturgy, the Great Hallel is recited at the Passover meal after the Lesser Hallel. All through the refrain is a repeated reference to the Lord's steadfast love. See Hosea 2:19. This psalm is a hymn that opens with a call to praise God because of God's great deeds in nature and his gracious historical actions in the history of Israel. It continues expressing God's mercy toward all and ends with another call to praise God. Another Hallel sequence, forming part of the pesukei de-zimrah in the morning prayers, consists of Psalms 145 to 150.
See also
- Biblical poetryBiblical poetryThe ancient Hebrews perceived that there were poetical portions in their sacred texts, as shown by their entitling as songs or chants such passages as Exodus 15:1-19 and Numbers 21:17-20; and a song or chant is, according to the primary meaning of the term, poetry.- Rhyme :It is often stated that...
- TakbirTakbirThe Takbīr or Tekbir is the Arabic term for the phrase ' . It is usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great". It is a common Islamic Arabic expression...
- List of Jewish Prayers and Blessings
- HallelujahHallelujahHallelujah, Halleluyah, and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah". The last syllable is from the first two letters of the name of God, YHWH, written JHVH in Latin). Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms...