Hallel at the Seder TB Pesakhim 117

During the Talmudic period, the text of the traditional Haggadah was not fixed. The Mishna on yesterday’s daf TB Pesakhim 116a gives the general outline and direction of the story that should be told around the Seder table. “He begins with the Jewish people’s disgrace and concludes with their glory.” (Sefaria.org translation) Everybody agrees that we conclude “with their glory” means reciting the collection of Psalms known as Hallel. Later on the same daf Rav and Shmuel disagree what it means to begin “with disgrace.” “It was taught in the mishna that the father begins his answer with disgrace and concludes with glory. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the term: With disgrace? Rav said that one should begin by saying: At first our forefathers were idol worshippers (מִתְּחִלָּה עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ), before concluding with words of glory. And Shmuel said: The disgrace with which one should begin his answer is: We were slaves. (עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ)” (Sefaria.org translation)

We begin saying Hallel before the meal and then pick it up again after the recitation of Grace after meals. Today’s daf TB Pesakhim 117 wants to know how much of Hallel should be recited before the meal. “Until where does one recite hallel? Beit Shammai say: Until 'A joyful mother of children, halleluya’ (Psalms 113:9). And Beit Hillel say: Until 'The flint into a fountain of waters’ (Psalms 114:8)." (Sefaria.org translation)

We can see that Beit Shammai agrees with Rav’s position because Psalm 113 begins “O servants of the Lord, give praise.” Once we were idolaters, but now were servants of the one true God. Similarly Beit Hillel agrees with Shmuel’s position because Psalm 114 begin “When Israel went forth from Egypt.” Once we were slaves, but now we are free.

In the Haggadah An Exalted Evening, based upon Rabbi Soloveichik’s teachings, explains why we say some of Hallel before the meal and the rest after it.

“This distinction between the first and second halves of Hallel would also explain Rashi’s intent in stating that we complete the Hallel over the mazzah.¹ In truth, we complete the Hallel of Yezi’at Mizrayim ( the Exodus from Egypt-gg) before we eat the mazzah. In general, viewing Hallel as containing two qualitatively different sections, one concerning sippur Yezi’at Mizrayim² (the recounting of the Exodus from Egypt-gg), and the other pertaining to all of God’s blessings, helps to explain the puzzling phenomenon of bifurcating Hallel on the Seder night and interrupting it with the meal. The deliberate separation of Hallel at the Seder is to emphasize sippur Yezi’at Mizrayim and to incorporate the portion of Hallel the concerns as a component Yezi’at Mizrayim of the biblical obligation to be recited before midnight while the mazzah is still present.

"Another point is noteworthy. The division of Hallel at the Seder to which we are accustomed is according to Beit Hillel. According to Beit Shammai, only the first paragraph of Hallel is recited in the Maggid section, while the second paragraph, Be-zet Yisrael mi-Mizrayim, is recited after the Afikoman with the rest of Hallel in conjunction with the 4th cup of wine. Beit Shammai apparently of the view that the second half of Hallel, like the first, is an expression of sippur Yezi’at Mizrayim.”³

1See Pesakhim 36, s.v. she-onim

2Rabbi Soloveichik holds that remembering the Exodus from Egypt and recounting the story for Exodus from Egypt are two separate mitzvot.

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