Hallel and the Jewish holy days

Hallel consists of six Psalms (113-118), which are said as a unit, on joyous occasions.^[1] Hallel is usually chanted aloud as part of Shacharit (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. Jewish services (Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah ; plural תפלות, tefillot ; Yinglish: davening) are the prayer recitations which form part of the observance of Judaism. ... For other uses, see Amidah (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Jewish holiday. ...

These occasions include the following: The three pilgrim festivals: Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot (the "major" 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). Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah (פסח pesaḥ), is a Jewish holiday (lasting seven days in Israel and among some liberal Diaspora Jews, and eight days among other Diaspora Jews) that commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt; it is also observed by some Christians to... Shavuot, also spelled Shavuos (Hebrew: שבועות (Israeli Heb. ... Sukkot (Hebrew:  ; booths. ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ... Grand Rabbi Israel Abraham Portugal of Skulen Hasidism lighting Hanukkah lights Hanukkah (‎, alt. ... Rosh Chodesh (Hebrew: Head/Beginning [of the Hebrew] Month) is the name for the first day of every month in the [[Hebrew calendar]]. Although Rosh Chodesh is not considered a religious holiday, it is observed with additional [[Jewish prayer]]s, including the Psalms of Hallel (praise) in all Orthodox and... Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement, a branch of which is also called Mizrachi, is an ideology that claims to combine Zionism and Judaism, to base Zionism on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ... Yom Haatzmaut (Hebrew: yom hā-‘aá¹£mā’ūṯ), Israeli Independence Day, commemorates the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. ... Yom Yerushalayim - Jerusalem Day - Yom Yerushalayim - Iyar 28 יום ירושלים - כח באייר Yom Yerushalayim 2004 at the Western_Wall Jerusalem was divided during the War of Independence and nineteen years later was reunited as a result of the 6-Day War. ...

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?" Look up Rosh Hashanah in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Yom Kippur (Hebrew:יוֹם כִּפּוּר , IPA: ), also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn of the Jewish holidays. ...

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, 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. Chol HaMoed, (חול המועד) a Hebrew phrase which means weekdays [of] the festival, refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. ...

Partial Hallel is recited on Rosh Chodesh, because it was introduced at a much later time than the major holidays and because we have Rosh Chodesh every month and the other holidays are only once a year.

No Hallel, neither "Full" nor "Partial", is recited on Purim, despite the fact that there was a miraculous salvation, for several reasons: Purim (Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm lots, related to Akkadian pūru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Hamans plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Esther). ...

• The miracle did not occur in the Land of Israel and, for "minor" 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 Maccabees, the Jews gained their independence from the Seleucid kings.
• Reading the Megilla (Book of Esther) is a substitute for Hallel.

Satellite image of the Land of Israel in January 2003. ... Persia redirects here. ... Judas Maccabeus (or Judah the Maccabee from the Hebrew יהודה המכבי transliteration: Yehudah HaMakabi) translation: Judah the Hammer was the third son of the Jewish priest Mattathias. ... The Seleucid Empire was one of several political states founded after the death of Alexander the Great, whose generals squabbled over the division of Alexanders empire. ... The Book of Esther is a book of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and of the Old Testament. ...

Forms

Hallel is said in one of two forms: Full Hallel and Partial Hallel.

Full Hallel

Full Hallel (or הלל שלם Hallel Shalem in Hebrew 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. Hebrew redirects here. ... Listed below are some Hebrew prayers and blessings that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. ... Sukkot (Hebrew:  ; booths. ... Sukkot (סוכות or סֻכּוֹת sukkōt, booths) or Succoth is an 8-day Biblical pilgrimage festival, also known as the Feast of Booths, the Feast of Tabernacles, or Tabernacles. ... Simchat Torah (שמחת תורה) is a Hebrew term which means rejoicing with/of the Torah. The annual cycle of reading the Torah is completed and begun anew, with the last section of Deuteronomy and the first section of Genesis read in succession after a festival parade of the Torah scrolls amidst singing... Shavuot, also spelled Shavuos (Hebrew: שבועות (Israeli Heb. ... Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah (פסח pesaḥ), is a Jewish holiday (lasting seven days in Israel and among some liberal Diaspora Jews, and eight days among other Diaspora Jews) that commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt; it is also observed by some Christians to... Grand Rabbi Israel Abraham Portugal of Skulen Hasidism lighting Hanukkah lights Hanukkah (‎, alt. ...

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 Hebrew) is a Jewish prayer that 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. Hebrew redirects here. ... Listed below are some Hebrew prayers and blessings that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah (פסח pesaḥ), is a Jewish holiday (lasting seven days in Israel and among some liberal Diaspora Jews, and eight days among other Diaspora Jews) that commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt; it is also observed by some Christians to... Rosh Chodesh (Hebrew: Head/Beginning [of the Hebrew] Month) is the name for the first day of every month in the [[Hebrew calendar]]. Although Rosh Chodesh is not considered a religious holiday, it is observed with additional [[Jewish prayer]]s, including the Psalms of Hallel (praise) in all Orthodox and...

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. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, Aškanazi,Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAškănāzî, ʾAškănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... Sephardim (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Sfaradim, Tiberian Hebrew ) are a subgroup of Jews, generally defined in contrast to Ashkenazim and/or . ...

Etymology

Hallel, as mentioned above, is a Hebrew word meaning "praise". The Proto-Sinaitic and Proto-Canaanite letters h are reconstructed to have been called hillul "jubilation", and were based on the hieroglyph It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with History of alphabets. ... The Proto-Canaanite alphabet is the linear (, non-Cuneiform) abjad of twenty-plus acrophonic glyphs. ... A section of the Papyrus of Ani showing cursive hieroglyphs. ...

It was replaced by a predecessor of the Hebrew letter He ה. He is the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician , Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic . Its sound value is a voiceless glottal fricative (). The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Epsilon, Etruscan , Latin E and Cyrillic Ye. ...

In Arabic: هلل (Hallel)‎ means praise[1], and usually is mentioned with the intention of saying: "La Elah illa Allah" that is no God except Allah. Arabic redirects here. ...

Musical Settings

Psalms from the Hallel have been set to music many times, notably:
Psalm 113

• Josquin des Pres

Psalm 117 1611 woodcut of Josquin des Prez, copied from a now-lost oil painting done during his lifetime. ...

• Antonio Vivaldi

Psalm 118 Vivaldi redirects here. ...

• Leonin
• Perotin

Leonin (fl. ... Pérotin was a European composer, believed to be French, who lived around the end of the twelfth and beginning of the thirteenth century. ...

See also

• Biblical poetry
• halal
• Takbir
• List of Jewish Prayers and Blessings
• Hallelujah