By Rabbi Ari Z. Zivotofsky<\/p>\n
Misconception<\/strong>:\u00a0 The sole reason that we do not recite the complete Hallel<\/em>1<\/sup> on the last six days of Pesach is because the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea on the seventh day of Pesach, and this human tragedy mutes our joy.<\/p>\n Fact<\/strong>:\u00a0 This reason for \u201chalf\u201d Hallel<\/em> is cited in later sources, but it is not the original one offered in the Talmud.\u00a0 Talmudic reason relates to the Mussaf<\/em> [additional] sacrifices offered in the Temple.<\/p>\n Background<\/strong>:\u00a0 The Talmud (Arachin<\/em> 10a-b) lists those days on which Hallel<\/em> is recited, and then asks why Passover is different from Sukkot:\u00a0 on the last six days of Passover only \u201chalf\u201d Hallel<\/em> is recited while for the entire Sukkot a full Hallel<\/em> is recited.\u00a0 The answer given in the Talmud is that after the first day of Passover, the Mussaf<\/em> sacrifices are identical each day, while on Sukkot a unique Mussaf<\/em> sacrifice is offered each day. The Mussaf<\/em> sacrifices are indicative of the character of the Yom Tov.\u00a0 By mandating the same sacrifice for each day of Pesach, the Torah is teaching us that the character of each day remains the same throughout the Yom Tov.\u00a0 However, the varied sacrifices of\u00a0 Sukkot reveal to us that each day of the holiday is different from the others. Therefore, in honor of the special meaning of each day of Sukkot, represented by each specific sacrifice, a complete Hallel<\/em> is recited.<\/p>\n In an altogether unrelated discussion, the Talmud (Megillah<\/em> 10b, Sanhedrin<\/em> 39b) records that on the night the Egyptians2<\/sup> drowned in the Red Sea (the seventh night of Passover), God prevented the angels from singing songs of praise since \u201cHis handiwork was drowning in the sea.\u201d\u00a0 It would seem that this Talmudic account is unrelated to Jews reciting Hallel<\/em> in subsequent years.\u00a0 The restriction on song was limited to the angels and applied only in that historic year.\u00a0 The Jewish people sang Az Yashir<\/em> (Exodus 15:1-19) that night immediately upon emerging from the Red Sea,3<\/sup> and in all subsequent years the angels sing on the seventh night of Passover.4<\/sup><\/p>\n Despite the clear reason offered in the Talmud for a \u201chalf\u201d Hallel<\/em> on Passover, there is a source for this misconception.\u00a0 The Shibolei Haleket<\/em> (13th century; cited in Beit Yosef Orach Chaim<\/em> 490, starting verse kol<\/em>) quotes the otherwise unknown Midrash Harninu<\/em> as suggesting that the reason for \u201chalf\u201d Hallel<\/em> on Passover is because God prevented the angels from singing while the Egyptians drowned.\u00a0 The Taz<\/em> (17th<\/sup> century; Orach Chaim<\/em> 490:3) and Chavos Yair <\/em>(17th<\/sup> century; 225) explain that because of this midrash<\/em>, full Hallel<\/em> cannot be said on the seventh day of Passover, and it would be inappropriate to say it on the intermediate days if it is not said on the seventh day.\u00a0 Many other commentators have challenged the validity of this recently added reason, and have questioned the need for a second reason in addition to the one offered in the Talmud.5<\/sup><\/p>\n The Torah Shleima<\/em> (Bo<\/em>, 12:287) cites another, possibly related, reason for the reduced Hallel<\/em> on the last days of Passover.\u00a0 The complete Hallel<\/em> is only recited on a day called a \u201cchag<\/em>\u201d and the final days of Passover are never called chag<\/em>; whereas all the days of Sukkot are so designated.\u00a0 The Yerushalmi<\/em> (Sukkah<\/em>, Chapter 5, Halachah 1, statement of Rav Yossi be Rav Bun) offers yet another reason for Hallel<\/em> on Sukkot.\u00a0 The complete Hallel<\/em> on the remaining days of Sukkot celebrates an additional aspect of the holiday, the arba<\/em> minim<\/em> (\u201cfour species\u201d — lulav, etrog, hadasim <\/em>and aravot<\/em>) that are taken anew each day of Sukkot and that independently require the recitation of Hallel<\/em>.6<\/sup><\/p>\n Notes <\/strong><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0Hallel<\/em> is the joyous recitation of Psalms 113-118. In \u201chalf Hallel<\/em>\u201d the beginnings of Psalms 115 and 116 are omitted.<\/p>\n 2. In the Talmud, God refers to the Egyptians as ma\u2019asei yadai<\/em> — the work of My Hands. In a contrasting phrase (in Sota<\/em> 37a), as the Jews were about to drown in the Red Sea, God refers to them as yedidi<\/em> — My beloved one.<\/p>\n 3. According to Rabbi Elazar ben Rav Yossi (Pesachim<\/em> 117a), upon emerging from the Red Sea, Moshe and the Jews not only sang Az Yashir<\/em>, but Hallel<\/em> as well. The Chavos Yair<\/em> (225) even notes that, according to the midrash<\/em>, the angels joined in singing Az Yashir<\/em> with the Jews.<\/p>\n 4. The statement that God prevented the angels from singing because the Egyptians were drowning is cited by the Kaf HaChaim<\/em> (Orach Chaim<\/em> 685:29) in the name of the Yafeh Lalev<\/em> (3:3) as a proof that when there is destruction, even of evil beings, there is no blessing, and that is why there is no brachah<\/em> on the mitzvah<\/em> of Parshat<\/em> Zachor<\/em>. Rav Menashe Klein (Mishneh Halachot<\/em> 7:81) has trouble with this assertion for, indeed, the Jews sang both Hallel<\/em> and Az Yashir<\/em> at the Red Sea, and only the angels were barred from singing.\u00a0 He therefore proposes several other reasons why there is no brachah<\/em> on Parshat Zachor<\/em>.<\/p>\n 5. For a full discussion of this, see the weekly parshah<\/em> sheets Torah Lodaat<\/em> by Rabbi Matis Blum on Tzav<\/em> and Pesach, 1994. See Torah Temimah<\/em> to Exodus 14:20, note 9, who observes that merely omitting two half paragraphs from the Hallel<\/em> leaves a significant song of praise in place that would not meet the objective of curtailing joy, as seemingly required by the non-Talmudic reason for \u201chalf\u201d Hallel<\/em>.<\/p>\n See, however, Rav Aharon Kotler, Mishnat Rebbi Aharon<\/em> (1996; vol. 3, page 3) who offers an alternative understanding of this second reason as applicable only for the seventh day of Passover, while the Talmudic reason relates to the days of Chol Hamoed (the intermediate days) of Pesach:\u00a0 therefore both reasons are needed, and neither is superfluous.\u00a0 It seems the Taz disagrees and holds the midrashic reason sufficient. cf. \u00a0Mishnah Berurah<\/em> 490:7.<\/p>\n 6. Accordingly, the Mishnat Yaavetz<\/em> (by Rabbi Betzalel Zolti, Orach Chaim<\/em> 20:4) rules that if one did not have a lulav<\/em> in the morning when he recited Hallel<\/em>, he should repeat Hallel<\/em> later in the day when he performs the mitzvah<\/em> of lulav<\/em>. He argues that the mitzvah<\/em> of lulav<\/em> warrants its own independent Hallel<\/em>, even if Hallel<\/em> was already recited in honor of the festival.<\/p>\n Rabbi Dr. Zivitofsky does research in neurophysiology at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.<\/em><\/p>\n This material is for study purposes only and should not be relied upon for practical halachah<\/em>.\u00a0 One should consult his own competent halachic authority for specific questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Rabbi Ari Z. Zivotofsky Misconception:\u00a0 The sole reason that we do not recite the complete Hallel1 on the last six days of Pesach is because the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea on the seventh day of Pesach, and this human tragedy mutes our joy. Fact:\u00a0 This reason for \u201chalf\u201d Hallel is cited in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":718,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jewish-law","category-passover","issues-spring-2000"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n