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1 Passover Torah Study 5781 Handout: Psalms of Praise Midrash

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1 Passover Torah Study 5781 Handout: Psalms of Praise Midrash Passover Torah study 5781 handout: Psalms of Praise Midrash Tanhuma, Beshallach, 10; The Israelites sang ten songs because of the ten miracles performed in their behalf. 1. The first was in Egypt, as is said: You shall have a song as in the night when a feast is hallowed (Isa. 30:29). 2. The second was at the Red Sea, as it is said: Then Moses sang (Exod. 15:1). 3. The third was at the well: Then Israel sang this song (Num. 21:16). 4. The fourth took place when Moses said: And it came to pass when Moses had made an end of writing (Deut. 31:24). 5. The fifth: Then spoke Joshua to the Lord (Josh. 10:12). 6. The sixth: Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam (Judg. 5:6); 7. the seventh: And David spoke unto the Lord the words of this song (II Sam. 22:1); 8. the eight: A song at the dedication of the House; of David (Ps. 30:1). 9. The ninth song is the Song of Songs of Solomon. 10. The tenth song is the song of the future: A psalm, O sing unto the Lord a new song; for He hath done marvelous things (Ps. 98:1). Mystics go further and speak of the song of the universe. This is what Psalm 19 means when it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands . There is no speech, there are no words, where their voice is not heard. Their music carries throughout the earth, their words to the end of the world.” 1 That is what King David meant when he sang to God the words: “You turned my grief into dance; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent.” Rilke: “Words still go softly out towards the unsayable And music, always new, from palpitating stones builds in useless space its godly home.” Pesachim 95b It was taught in the mishna that the Paschal lamb on the first Pesaḥ requires the recitation of hallel as it is eaten, whereas on the second Pesaḥ it does not. The Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? Rabbi Yoḥanan said, citing Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak, that the verse states: 2 “You shall have a song as in the night when a Festival is sanctified” (Isaiah 30:29). From here it may be derived that a night sanctified as a Festival, on which labor is prohibited, such as the first night of Passover, requires the recitation of hallel; however, a night which is not sanctified as a Festival, such as the night when the Paschal lamb is eaten following the second Pesaḥ, does not require the recitation of hallel. Is it possible that the Jewish people are slaughtering their Paschal lambs or taking their lulavim on Sukkot and not reciting hallel? It is inconceivable that they would not be reciting hallel and there is no need for an explicit biblical source for this halakha.) Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael Be-Shallah, Massekhta de-Shirah Parashah 1 ...the first was recited in Egypt, as it says “For you, there shall be singing, as on a night when a festival is hallowed” (Isaiah 30:29). Tosefta Pesahim 10:9 How much [of Hallel] does [the leader] say [on the second cup of wine]? Beit Shammai says: Until the end of Psalm 113 (“a joyful mother of children”). But Beit Hillel says: Until the end of Psalm 114 (“the flint into a fountain of waters”). And [the leader] closes with [a blessing for] redemption. Beit Shammai said to Beit Hillel: Had they left yet, so that we should mention the Exodus from Egypt? How can we go on to recite, “When Israel left Egypt” (Psalm 114) when we have not actually left Egypt yet? Why would we still sing about leaving? Why would we sing if we are still in Egypt? The Talmud Yerushalmi (Pesachim 10:5) elaborates their positions as follows: Beit Shammai said to them: Did Israel [already] leave Egypt that he should mention the exodus from Egypt? Beit Hillel said to them: Even if you wait until the cock's crowing, they would still not have reached half of the redemption. How then do we mention the redemption, when they were not yet redeemed? Surely they only left in the middle of the day, as it is stated: "And it came to pass on that selfsame day, etc." Rather, since he started the mitzva, we say to him, "Finish." A different midrashic tradition offers what may appear as a much more logical origin story of our people’s first eruption into song: Talmud Bavli Pesahim 117a ...This Hallel, who said it? Rabbi Yose says: Elazar my son says, “Moshe and Israel said it when they came up from the sea…” 3 Rabbi Yose continues: “But [Rabbi Elazar’s] colleagues disagree with him and say that David said it [Hallel].” . “But I [Rabbi Yose] prefer [my son’s] opinion to theirs… the idol of Micah was standing in tears, and Israel would recite Hallel?” What is the argument for David being the author? What is the argument against? When the angels try to sing their daily song to God the day the sea split, God rebukes them.: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: Does the Holy One, Blessed be He, in fact rejoice over the downfall of the wicked? But it is written: “As they went out before the army, and say: Give thanks to the Lord, for His kindness endures forever” (II Chronicles 20:21), and Rabbi Yoḥanan said: For what reason were the words: “for He is good” not stated in this statement of thanksgiving, as the classic formulation is: “Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good; for His kindness endures forever” (I Chronicles 16:34)? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked. Since this song was sung in the aftermath of a military victory, which involved the downfall of the wicked, the name of God was not mentioned for the good. And similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And the one came not near the other all the night” (Exodus 14:20)? The ministering angels wanted to sing their song, for the angels would sing songs to each other, as it states: “And they called out to each other and said” (Isaiah 6:3), but the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: The work of My hands, the Egyptians, are drowning at sea, and you wish to say songs? This indicates that God does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked. Yalkut Shimoni, Vayikra 23:654), "All seven days of Sukkot we recite Hallel, but on Pesach we recite Hallel only on the first Yom Tov and that evening. Why? Because 'When your enemy falls, do not rejoice, and when he stumbles, your heart shall not exult.'" The Shibbolei ha-Leket, 13th century Italy, Rosh Hodesh 174, "When your enemy falls, do not rejoice." • What are the arguments for the origins of Hallel? • Which of these ideas speaks most to you and why? 4 .
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