Hallel: the Reckoning

    Hallel, literally “praise,” is the fourteenth of fifteen phases of the Passover seder. Jews recite Hallel for extra thanksgiving on Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Chanukkah, and Rosh Chodesh.

Throughout the seder, Jews discuss the oppression in Egypt and Hashem’s role in bringing freedom. We sing and recline in celebration of our liberty. At the end of the seder, we feel the need to rejoice and give thanks, which is why Hallel comes in phase fourteen.

The goal of reciting Hallel in the seder is not to give thanks to Hashem; he does not need to hear from us. Instead, it is for ourselves; the recitation of the Hallel is to bring it to focus what we do have so that we can appreciate and find contentment rather than always searching for and desiring more. Too often, according to Judaism, we overlook what we have, but attaining more is not the purpose of life. In a famous Talmudic anecdote, after a man conquers a city, a Sage tells him, “You've conquered a city, but that was nothing. Now you have to conquer yourself.”

The Passover Hallel also transitions the seder from sorrow to joy and from mourning to festivity. After a draining night of reviewing one of the most difficult and oppressive times of Jewish history, we rejoice in singing and thanks rather than concluding on sadness.

The Hallel is split into two parts during the seder. The first two paragraphs are read during Maggid, and the remainder is read during the Hallel section, placed specifically after the meal. According to the Metziv, the Hallel in Maggid refers specifically to the Jews’ exodus from Egypt. In his view, the meal itself is part of Hallel, and Hallel only finally concludes at the end with a focus on final redemption.

Ultimately, the Hallel is intended to be recited with pure and full kavanah. When this is properly done, there are no motives of selfishness or desire attached to the prayer. Passover Hallel is intended to be a time for meditation and self-reflection, a time when Jews can focus on appreciating what they have and relieve stress through intense focus and thanksgiving.

Passover’s Hallel, unlike many other prayer sessions, is specifically not for getting something we want or need or alleviating a situation we’re placed in.

Sources:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hallel-at-the-seder/

http://www.aish.com/h/pes/h/Hallel.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/4/17/967783/-

The Hagaddah with Answers by Rabbi Yaavok Wehl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallel

Go Forth and Learn: A Passover Haggadah by David SIlber and Rachel Furst


haggadah Section: Hallel