{"id":47146,"date":"2019-04-03T13:16:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T13:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/?p=47146"},"modified":"2020-09-08T15:49:59","modified_gmt":"2020-09-08T15:49:59","slug":"seder-splitting-of-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/seder-splitting-of-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"Seder: Splitting of Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Naaleh_logo\"<\/a>\u00a0Shiur provided courtesy of\u00a0Naaleh.com<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein<\/p>\n

The words signifying the order of the Seder are well known. We begin withKadesh<\/i>\/Sanctifying the Seder night over wine, continuing with another eleven or thirteen (depending on whether some segments are combined or separated) and ending withNirtzah<\/i>\/Acceptance (of our Seder). In the entire order, there is only one segment that is split, that seems to begin before its designated and announced time, being interrupted by the meal and Birkat\u00a0Hamazon<\/i>\/Grace After Meals, and then resuming. This is\u00a0Hallel<\/i>, the recitation of praises for Hashem. This anomaly is very strange, as\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0is not supposed to be divided. Further, if it is divided, why not proclaim its order where it begins, prior to the festive meal, instead of afterward? Our final question for today is, we generally precede the\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0with a blessing; why do we not do so during the Seder?<\/p>\n

If we examine the formal contents of the Haggadah, we would realize that the Haggadah itself seems to be divided into two sections, notes the\u00a0Levush<\/i>.\u00a0 The first half of the Seder, the part referred to as\u00a0Maggid<\/i>\/Telling of the story, deals explicitly with our redemption from Egypt. The first two paragraphs of\u00a0Hallel<\/i>, those recited before our meal, speak directly to the exodus and praise Hashem for redeeming us from the servitude of Egypt to become His servants, a time when all nature witnessed Hashem\u2019s presence, from the Sea that fled to the mountains that danced like lambs. In this context, writes Rabbi Mendelowitz, those passages of\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0are a continuation of\u00a0Maggid\u00a0<\/i>itself, rather than a new segment of the Seder. In contrast, immediately after our meal and\u00a0Birkat Hamazon<\/i>, we no longer focus on the past, but rather on the present and on the future. We begin by asking Hashem to pour out His wrath upon the nations who do not know Him. From there we segue into\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0that connects us to God today and prays for our future salvation.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Haggadah Rosh Hayeshivah<\/i>\u00a0points out that we are supposed to view ourselves as if we personally were redeemed from Egypt. When we can integrate that experience into our own psyches, then it is only natural that we would want to sing praises to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Frand emphasizes this point by explaining the seeming contradiction in the verse introducing the Song of the Sea. The verse states,\u201dThen Moshe and Bnei Yisroel will sing this song…\u201d While they will sing in the future, \u201cthis song\u201d refers to a song of the past. Rabbi Frand explains that Moshe, witnessing the miracles at the splitting of the Sea, was so emotionally moved that his heart rose up in song. Song is an emotional response, a reaction of the heart. While every mitzvah that requires action, such as eating matzoh, is preceded by a blessing, mitzvoth that are sourced in emotion are not. [Do we recite a blessing when we feel an outpouring of love for Hashem, fulfilling the mitzvah of \u201cVe’ahavta et Hashem Elokecha<\/i>? We may bless Hashem for the event that triggered this love, but we do not bless Hashem for fulfilling this mitzvah. CKS] Similarly, since we are hopefully imagining ourselves being redeemed from Egypt, our hearts are overflowing with song and praise of Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and we are moved to sing\u00a0Hallel<\/i>. But we recite no blessing over the Haggadah at the Seder, since it is really an emotional expression.<\/p>\n

In a somewhat contrasting but related vein, Rabbi Leib Minzeberg z\u201dl in his Haggadah inBen Melech<\/i>\u00a0writes that our redemption from Egypt is not a one time occurrence of thousands of years ago, but is the forerunner to Hashem\u2019s keeping His promise to our forefathers\/Vehi she\u2019amda<\/i>, that He would always be with us and save us. That promise has been kept throughout the millennia of our history, as in every generation there arose those who would annihilate us, but, just as Hashem saved us in that first exile in Egypt, so has He stood by us, and will continue to protect us and preserve us forever. Therefore\/Lefichach<\/i>\u00a0we have the obligation to thank Him and praise Him for that first redemption that proved to be only the first of many.\u00a0 And we feel that redemption not just in our national history, but also in our personal lives. As we review the year in our minds, we recognize Hashem\u2019s guiding hand in so many ways. We become emotional and want to sing a new song to Hashem.<\/p>\n

This is indeed the entire purpose of the Seder, to bring us closer to Hashem on a personal level, to see His loving hand in our lives so that we want to serve Him, writes Rabbi Kluger in\u00a0Beni Bechori Yisroel<\/i>. Rabbi Kluger here cites a\u00a0medrash<\/i>\u00a0in the\u00a0Yerushalmi<\/i>\u00a0that relates that on the night of the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh screamed, \u201cUntil now you were servants to Pharaoh; now you are servants to Hashem.\u201d Immediately, Bnei Yisroel sang out, \u201cHallelu avdei Hashem<\/i>\/ Praise [Him] those who serve Hashem.\u201d At the Seder, we are re-experiencing this night and are again moved to be grateful for being Hashem\u2019s servants and singing our gratitude. Therefore, we do not recite a blessing, writes Rabbi Frand, for it is not a commemoration of past miracles, as when we recite\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0on other occasions and holidays, but a song of gratitude for the present.<\/p>\n

To further this idea, R. Mirsky notes that we only say full Hallel on the first day[s] of Pesach, not on chol Hamoed, or on the seventh day.\u00a0 The reason, we know is that since the Egyptians drowned it is inappropriate for us to say a full Hallel.\u00a0 If we only say part of Hallel on the seventh day, it is only correct on Chol Hamoed to follow suit.\u00a0 However, if we don\u2019t say full Hallel when others are suffering, how do we understand saying full Hallel at the seder when the first born died?!\u00a0 It is for this reason, some offer, that we spill a bit of our wine from our cups when saying the Makot, to recall the suffering of others, and we can\u2019t full rejoice. R. Mirsky, however makes the distinction that we are allowed to say a full Hallel only if we personally experienced the salvation. The seventh day of Pesach we are recalling what happened to the Jews at the Red Sea; at the Seder we are singing about what happened to us!<\/p>\n

This point seems to be the basis for a disagreement between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai. On this night of the Seder, when we are re-experiencing the exodus, can we sing the passages of\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0that refer to the exodus before midnight, when we were not yet redeemed until midnight, asks Beis Shammai? But Beis Hillel reasons that Pesach is a celebration of our personal redemption throughout the year, and we connect that to the national redemption that defines our identity. Further, when we relate the story of leaving Egypt, even through theHallel<\/i>\u00a0of the Seder, it should be recited when there is matzoh and\u00a0marror<\/i>\u00a0before us, before we consume them. The later part of\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0recited after the meal has no mention of Egypt, and we can thank Hashem for helping us overcome our personal challenges.<\/p>\n

There is no mandated ritual of how to say Hallel at the Seder. There is not even a brachah preceding it. Since it is\u00a0 meant to be an emotional outpouring of love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu, some people sit while others stand, and some may be moved to get up and dance.<\/p>\n

In an interesting discussion that parallels our discussion of a divided\u00a0Hallel<\/i>, the\u00a0Shvilei Pinchas<\/i>\u00a0posits that the entire Seder is actually divided in two. Based on the work of the Ramban, he writes that the first half of the Seder provides the lesson for the second half. In the first half of the Haggadah, we see all the open miracles Hashem performed for us, how He changed nature to bring on the plagues and redeem us from Egypt. But that God Who can change nature is also the same God Who controls every aspect of nature. The functioning of the world, of our very existence, are really miraculous manifestations of Hashem\u2019s sovereignty hidden in the normal functioning of nature. Therefore, in the second half ofHallel<\/i>, we thank Hashem Who releases us from all our foes, and Who provides food for all living things.<\/p>\n

We conclude the\u00a0Hallel\u00a0<\/i>with\u00a0Nishmat kol chai…<\/i>\/The soul of every living thing shall bless Your Name. We have moved the Seder from being purely historical to being personal, to seeing God\u2019s kindness in everything, adds Rabbi Mattisyahu Salomon. At this point, we may certainly feel moved to thank Hashem for all the blessings in our lives, to thank Hashem for our children who may be cranky and fighting each other if they\u2019re still awake, for our livelihood albeit it may be stressful, for having the home we obsessed over cleaning before Pesach. When we appreciate all that we have to praise and thank Hashem for, we will move more slowly through\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0because we will want to express our sense of gratitude and joy, adds Rabbi Pincus z\u201dl. The Seder should move us to pure joy in being able to serve Hashem Who constantly maintains the world through His hidden miracles and loving kindness.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Imrei Emes z\u201dl sees the meal not as a divider of the Haggadah, but rather as an integral, unifying element of the Seder. The meal itself is an expression of gratitude, and it is therefore sandwiched between the two formal parts of\u00a0Hallel<\/i>.\u00a0 R. Tzadok Hakohen z\u201dl notes that food itself contains sparks of the Divine, and thus enables us to survive. When we bless the food or discuss Torah at the table, we elevate the food. Shabbos and Yom Tov imbue the food with further sanctity, and when we make a special brachah over a special food, such as over matzoh and\u00a0marror<\/i>, they receive even further sanctity. By ingesting this food, we are ingesting the sanctity within it. When we eat the matzoh, we are vicariously ingesting thekorban Pesach<\/i>, and we are inspired to sing\u00a0Hallel<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Since this is the case, it is important to maintain a sense of sanctity during the meal, reminds us Rabbi Schorr in\u00a0Halekach Vehalebuv<\/i>. The meal is the appropriate time to offer commentary and discussion on the Haggadah, or otherwise to personalize the lessons of Pesach. Indeed, every moment of the\u00a0seudah<\/i>\/meal is part of our prayers and our\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0rather than just an ordinary meal, writes Rabbi Biederman in\u00a0Be\u2019er Chaim<\/i>. Ordinarily, when one eats, one loosens one\u2019s belt, but the\u00a0korban Pesach<\/i>, Pascal sacrifice, was to be eaten with a girded, tied belt. It is not a time to slack off, but to continue the praises of Hakodosh Boruch Hu.<\/p>\n

The sanctity of this meal brings with it the scent of\u00a0Gan Eden<\/i>, continues\u00a0Halekach Vehalebuv<\/i>. It was on the night of Pesach that Yaakov brought the tasty food to his father Yitzchak and received the blessings. Upon Yaakov\u2019s entry, Yitzchak smelled the scent of\u00a0Gan Eden\u00a0<\/i>upon him. On that same night of Pesach, when we come before our Father, that same scent of Gan Eden<\/i>\u00a0accompanies us, and the food carries within it the aroma of\u00a0Gan Eden<\/i>. When we eat the matzah, we should sense the taste of\u00a0Gan Eden<\/i>\u00a0and sense Hashem\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

Taking this idea one step further, Rabbi Meislish in\u00a0Sichot Ba\u2019Avodat Hashem<\/i>\u00a0imagines our Seder meal as a meal of the future, with Hashem sitting at the head of the table. Through this meal we should see ourselves as offering the\u00a0ketoret<\/i>\/incense offering to Hashem. The ketoret had the ability to vanquish our enemies, and therefore immediately after the meal we ask Hashem\u00a0Shefoch Chamoscha\u2026<\/i>\/Pour out your anger on our enemies. Our main enemy is within ourselves, our\u00a0yetzer horo<\/i>\/evil inclination. Hashem, pour out your wrath upon the\u00a0yetzer horo<\/i>\u00a0so that it will hold no sway over me, we ask. Help me be redeemed from its clutches.<\/p>\n

In a poignant observation, Rabbi Pincus z\u201dl notes that the\u00a0Hallel<\/i>\u00a0is not the only thing that is divided during the Seder. The matzoh too is broken. Perhaps, like the broken glass under the wedding canopy, these broken symbols are also meant to remind us that our redemption is not complete, that we still find ourselves in a state of exile, and therefore we cannot sing the full\u00a0Hallel<\/i>. That will be done when Moshiach comes and we experience our final redemption may it be speedily, in our day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Shiur provided courtesy of\u00a0Naaleh.com Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein The words signifying the order of the Seder are well known. We begin withKadesh\/Sanctifying the Seder night over wine, continuing with another eleven or thirteen (depending on whether some segments are combined or separated) and ending withNirtzah\/Acceptance (of our Seder). 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