HALLEL ;3/.0, the designation of a particular part of the hymnal service, chanted in the Temple and in the family on certain festivals.
1. Origin of the name, contents of the service, etc.
The name Hallel S5r_i, which signifies praise, is 'car' itaxip, given to this distinct portion of the hymnal service because it consists of Psalms exiii.-cxviii., which are Psalms of praise, and because this group of Psalms begins with Hallelujahrl'erl. lt is also called 4-1)1S1 9r7i1, the Egyitian Hallel, because it was chanted in the Temple whilst the Passover lambs, which weie first enjoined in E,gypt, were being slain. There is another Hallet called '1'1V1, Me Great Hallel,* which, according to R.
Jelmdah (Pesachim 118) and Maimonides, com prises Psalms cxviii.-cxxxvi. Clod Ha-Chezaka, Hd Moth Chamez Maza, viii. ro). Others, how ever, though agreeing that this Hallel twds with Psalm cxxxvi., maintain that it begins will Psalm cxx. or Psalm cxxxv. 4 (Pesachim 118).
2. Time and manner in which it was chanted. This hymnal service, or Egyptian Hanel, was chanted at the sacrifice of the first and second Pesach, after the daily sacrifice on the first day of Passover (Mishna, Pesachim, v. 7), after the morning sacrifice on the Feast of Pentecost, the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Mishna, Succa, iv. 8) and the eight days of the Feast of Dedication (lifishna, Taanith, v. 5), making in all twenty days in the year. On twelve days out of the twenty, viz., at the sacrifice of the first and second Pesach, of the first day of Pesach, of the Feast of Pentecost, and of the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the flute was played before the altar when the flallel was chanted' (Mishna, Pesachi az , ii. 3), whilst after the morning sacrifice durin, the eight days of the Feast of Dedication, the Italie! was chanted without this accompaniment of the flute. The manner in which these hymns of praise were offered must have been very imposing and impressive. The Levites who could be spared from assisting at the slaying of the sacrifices took their stand before the altar, and chanted the Halle! verse by verse, the people responsively repeated every verse, or burst forth in solemn and intoned Hallelujahs at every pause, whilst the slaves of the priests, the Levites and the respectable lay people, assisted in playing the flute (comp. Pesachins 64, a ; Erachim 10, a, b • and Tosefta on cap. ; Sala, 27, b ; Taanith 28', a, b). No representatives of the peoplet onvn +vm..) were required to be pre sent at the Temple at the mornin, sacrifices on the days when the Hallel was chanted Wishna, Taa nith, iv. 4).
The Egyptian Hallel was also chanted in private families at the celebration of the Passover on the first eveniiag of this feast. On this occasion the Hallel was divided into two parts, the part com prising Ps. cxiii. and cxiv. was chanted during the partaking of the second cup, whilst the second part, comprising Ps. cxv. and cxvi. was chanted over the fourth and finishing cup (rn.t
97i1,1117shna, Pesachimx.7); and it is generally sup posed that the singing of the hymn by our Saviour and his disciples at the conclusion of the Passover supper (Matt. xxvi. 3o ; Mark xiv. 26) refers to the last part of this Hanel... In Babylon there was an ancient custom, which can be traced as far back as the 2d century of the Christian era, to re cite this Hallel on every festival of the new moon (Taanith 28, a), omitting, however, Ps. cxv. 1-1 and cxvi. I., The great Hallel (717N1 55rI) was recited on the first evening at the Passover supper by those who wished to have a fifth cup, i.e., one above the en joined number (Maimonides, Iod Ha-Chezaka,Hil choth Chan= 71. Maza, viii. io). It was also re cited on occasions of great joy as an expression of thanksgiving to God for special mercies (Afishna, Taanith 9).
3. Present use of the Hymnal Serzice.—The Jews to the present day recite the Egyptian Hanel at the morning prayer immediately after the El:Oleos Benedictions gray ilYibtl on all the festivals of the year except New Year and the Day of Atone ment, omitting Ps. cxv. I-II and cxvi. on the last six days of the Feast of Passover, and on the new moon. Before the Halle! is recited they pro aounce the following benediction : Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the world, who bast sanctified us with thy commandments, and enjoined upon us to recite the Hallel !' At the Passover supper, on the first two evenings of the festival, both the Egyptian Hallel and the Great Hallel are now recited, the former is still divided in the same manner as in the days of our Saviour.
4- bestitation of this Hymnal Service.—lt is now impossible to ascertain precisely when this service was first instituted. Some of the Talmudists affirm that it was instituted by Moses, others say that Joshua introduced it, others derive it from Deborah, David, Ilezekiah, or Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Pesachim 117, a). From 2 Chron. xxxv. 15 we see that the practice of the Levites chantiaig the Halle! while the Paschal lambs were being slain was already in vogue in the days of Josiah, and it is not at all irnprobable that it was customaty to do so at a much earlier period.
5. Literature.—Maimonides, Iod Ha-Chezaka, Ifilchoth Chamez u. Maw, sections vii. and viii. vol. p. 263-265 ; Buxtorf, Lexicon Chaldaicum Talmudicum et Rabbinicum, s. v. col. 613 616 ; and Bartoloccii, Bibliotheca Alagna Rab binica, vol. ii. 227-243, have important treatises upon this subject, but their information is most uncritically put together, and no distinction is made between earlier and later practices. A thoroughly masterly and critical investigation is that of Kroch mal, Afore A'eboche Ha-Seman, Leopoli 1S51, p. 135, ff. comp. also Edelniann's edition of the Siddur, with Landshuth's Critical Annotations, Konigsberg '845, p. 423, ff.; Herzfeld, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, Nordhausen 1857, vol. ii. p. ff.—C. D. G.