Hebrew4Christians Blog

by John J. Parsons
www.hebrew4christians.com

כּוֹס־יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא וּבְשֵׁם יְהוָה אֶקְרָא

Kos-Yeshuot essa uv’shem Adonai ekra

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:13

This verse is often recited during Havdalah (at the end of Shabbat), but notice something a bit odd here. The phrase kos-yeshu’ot literally means “the cup of salvations (or deliverances),” and this has led to some speculation among the Jewish sages regarding (of all things) the number of cups of wine to sip during the Passover Seder…

This verse is a part of The Hallel (Hebrew: הלל‎ “Praise [God]“), a verbatim recitation of Psalms 113-118 used to offer praise and thanksgiving on Jewish holidays (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, Chanukkah, and Rosh Chodesh). Hallel is not said on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, for obvious reasons, nor is it recited on Purim, since the miracles recorded there did not occur in the land of Israel.

There are different types of Hallel:

1. Full Hallel (הלל שלם, Hallel Shalem) consists of all six Psalms in their entirety (Psalms 113-118 were considered as a single composition). Hallel is recited on all seven days of Sukkot, on Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, on Shavuot, on the first two days of Pesach (only the first day in Israel), and on the eight days of Hanukkah. The Full Hallel is sometimes called “The Egyptian Hallel” (Hallel Mitzrayim) because it was chanted in the temple while the Passover lambs were being slain. This was probably “the hymn” which Yeshua and his disciples sand at the conclusion of the Passover Seder on the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26).

 

2. Chatzi Hallel (חצי הלל, Half or Partial Hallel) does not include parts of the “Full Hallel”: namely, the first two halves of Psalm 115 and Psalm 116. It is recited on the intermediate days of Pesach and on Rosh Chodesh.

 

3. The “Great Hallel” (Hallel ha-Gadol) is Psalm 136 (some sages include Psalm 135 as well). It is recited at the morning service on Sabbaths and over the fouth cup of wine during the Passover Seder.It begins:

   הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

   Hodu la’Adonai ki-tov, ki le’olam chasdo

   Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

   These words, originally coming from the song King David composed celebrating the bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (see 1 Chronicles 16:34) are also found at the beginning of Psalms 106 and 107 and at the beginning and end of Psalm 118.

   R’ Yochanan said in the name of Rebi Shimon ben Yehotzedek: There are eighteen days that one recites a full Hallel : Eight days of the Festival of Sukkos, eight days of Chanukah, the first day of Pesach, Yom Tov of Atzeret (Shavuous), and in the Diaspora, twenty days: nine days of the Festival Of Sukkos, two yom tov days of Pesach and two days of Shavuous. – Talmud Arachin

Note: Some of the information used here was derived from Wikipedia, the Jewish Encyclopedia, and the Talmud (Tractate Pesachim 118a, Arachin, etc.).