Pesachim 117a (קיז.) — the Talmud in English

Rav Ḥisda said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “Halleluya” and “Khasya”

“for a hand is upon the throne of Yah” at the end of the portion of Beshalach,

and “Yedidya,”

the word that the prophet Natan called Solomon,

are one word

and are not divided into two.

“Halleluya” in its entirety is an expression of praise, and not “Praise Yah.” Rather, it is customary for Scripture to end the word with the letters “Yah.”

Likewise, “Khasya” is an expression of throne, and not “the throne of Yah.” And likewise, “Yedidya” is his name, and not “the beloved of Yah.”

The practical difference is that it must be written on a single line, and the entire word may be erased.

Rav said: “Khasya”

and “Merḥavya”

[which is stated in Hallel: “From the straits I called upon Yah; Yah answered me with expansiveness,”], are

one word,

as “Merḥavya” is an expression of expansiveness, and does not mean that Yah answered me in an expansive place.

Rabba said: Only “Merḥavya”

is one word; the others are two words.

They raised a dilemma before them: With regard to “Merḥav Yah,” according to Rav Ḥisda, what is the halakha?

Is it one word or two?

The dilemma shall stand unresolved.

They raised a dilemma before them: With regard to “Yedidya,” according to Rav, what is the halakha?

Does he intend to add to Rav Ḥisda’s ruling that “Khasya” and “Merḥavya” are also one word, or does he disagree with him, maintaining that only “Khasya” and “Merḥavya,” but not “Yedidya,” are one word?

Come and hear, as Rav said: “Yedidya”

is divided into two.

Therefore,

“Yedid”

is

profane;

“Yah”

is

sacred.

A dilemma was raised before him: With regard to “Halleluya,” according to Rav, what is the halakha?

Come and hear, as Rav said: I saw the volumes of the house of my beloved,

I saw the book of Psalms belonging to my uncle, Rabbi Ḥiyya,

in which it is written

“Hallelu”

on one side,

at the end of the line,

and “Yah”

on one side,

at the beginning of another line. And this proves that they are two words.

And this disagrees

with Rabbi Ḥiyya’s opinion concerning

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.

As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What

is “Halleluya”?

Praise Him with many praises,

meaning that it is one word.

And his own statement disagrees with itself.

For Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi himself says elsewhere the opposite.

As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The book of Psalms was recited using ten expressions of praise.

a.

With victory “For the conductor.”

For the leader.”

b.

With melody “For the conductor, with melodies.”

For the leader, with melodies.”

c.

With contemplative understanding “Contemplative understanding, by David.”

An insight of David.”

d.

With a psalm “A psalm, by David.”

A psalm of David.”

e.

With a song “A psalm, a song.”

A psalm, a song.”

f.

With ‘praiseworthy.’

g.

With praise “Praise, by David.”

A praise of David.”

h.

With prayer “A prayer for the afflicted when he faints.”

A prayer for the poor man when he wraps himself.”

i.

With thanksgiving “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

Give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good.”

j.

With ‘Halleluya.’

The greatest of them all

is “Halleluya,”

which includes the Name

of Yah

and praise at once.

Thus, “Halleluya” is two words: “Praise Yah.”

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The song in the Torah,

“Then Moses sang,”

was recited by Moses and Israel when they came up from the sea,

and this song did not exist beforehand.

And this Hallel

that we recite on New Moons and Festivals,

who recited it?

The prophets among them instituted for Israel that they should recite it on every occasion and every occasion,

on every Festival,

and on every trouble that should not come upon them

[he formulated his language as praise; that is, he meant that if a trouble should befall them],

and when they are redeemed

from that trouble,

they recite it for their redemption,

as with the Hallel recited on Hanukkah.

It was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Meir would say: All the praises stated in the book of Psalms,

[Rashi’s version reads

“all the prayers,”

and he explains that this refers to all the psalms that open with the word “prayer,” such as “A prayer for the afflicted when he faints,”]

David recited them all.

As it is stated: “The prayers of David son of Jesse are completed.”

Do not read

“kalu,”

“are completed,” but

“kol elu,” “all these”—the prayers of David son of Jesse.

This Hallel

in the book of Psalms,

who recited it?

Rabbi Yosei says: Elazar, my son, says: Moses and Israel recited it when they came up from the sea.

For it is written there: “When Israel went forth from Egypt,” and “The sea saw and fled,” and afterward David incorporated the Hallel into his book.

And his colleagues disagree with him, saying that David recited it.

And his words appear more convincing than theirs!

For is it

possible

that

Israel slaughtered their Paschal offerings and took their lulavim

from the Exodus from Egypt until the time of David

and did not recite a song?

Surely every mitzva of this nature requires Hallel! Rather, it is necessarily the case that Hallel had already been instituted in the days of Moses.

Alternatively:

is it possible that

Micah’s idol stood in Bakhai

[the name of a place]

in the days of David,

and Israel recited Hallel,

in which it is written: “Those who make them shall become like them”?

Rather, certainly Moses and Israel recited it first at the sea, and thereafter they never ceased reciting it. The Sages taught: All the songs and praises that David recited in the book of Psalms,

Rabbi Eliezer says: He recited them concerning himself,

as he prayed for himself.

Rabbi Yehoshua says:

that he

recited them concerning the community,

as he prophesied about their exile and prayed for them.

And the Sages say: Some of them

he recited

concerning the community, and some of them

he recited

concerning himself:

Those stated in the singular are concerning himself.

Those stated in the plural are concerning the community.

“For victory” and “with melody”:

Wherever “For the conductor, with melodies” is stated,

he is speaking of the World to Come.

the World to Come.

Wherever

“contemplative understanding” is stated, it was said through an interpreter:

David would say it, and another person would explain it. “Maskil” means that he would whisper it to the interpreter.

“A psalm, by David,” teaches that the Divine Presence rested upon him

first,

and afterward he recited a song.

“A psalm of David,” teaches that he recited

first

a song, and afterward the Divine Presence rested upon him.

This teaches you that the Divine Presence rests neither amid laziness, nor amid sadness, nor amid frivolity, nor amid lightheadedness, nor amid idle matters, but only amid the joy of a mitzva.

And this is also proven from another verse.

As it is stated:

“And now bring me a musician.

And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.”

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: And likewise, for the study of halakha,

one must begin with a matter of joy.

Rav Naḥman said: And likewise, for a good dream,

if one goes to sleep in a state of joy, he sees a good dream.

And we raise a difficulty against what Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav, that a matter of halakha must be studied מתוך שמחה של מצוה, with the joy of a mitzva:

Is that so?

But didn’t Rav Giddel say that Rav said: Any Torah scholar who sits before his teacher and whose lips do not drip with bitterness,

bitterness resulting from awe,

they shall be burned!

As it is stated

in the Song of Songs:

“His lips are lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.”

Do not read “shoshanim,” “lilies,” but “sheshonim,”

words of Torah.

Do not read

“flowing myrrh,” but

“bitter words.”

Thus, must one study amid awe, and not amid joy?

It is not difficult: This, which speaks of joy, refers to the teacher himself;

the teacher who studies must study by beginning with a matter of joy.

That, which speaks of awe, refers to the student;

the student must sit before his teacher in awe.

And if you wish, say: Both this and that refer to the teacher.

And it is not difficult: This,

before he begins, one must be joyful.

And that,

after he has begun, when he is engaged in Torah, he must sit in awe.

This is like that which Rabba did: Before he began teaching the Sages,

Torah,

he would say something humorous, and the Sages would be cheered.

And ultimately,

when he had finished the humorous remark,

he would sit in awe and begin the lesson.

The Sages taught: This Hallel—who recited it?

Rabbi Elazar says: Moses and Israel recited it when they stood at the sea,

after they had crossed the sea, as it is written: “The sea saw and fled.”

They said: “Not for our sake, Lord, not for our sake,”

as they prayed that Pharaoh and his army would not cross the sea after them.

The Divine Spirit responds and says to them: “For My sake, for My sake, I shall act.”

Rabbi Yehuda says:

Even

Joshua and Israel recited it when the kings of Canaan stood against them.

They said

“Not for our sake,”

and it responds, and so forth.

Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i says: Deborah and Barak recited it when Sisera stood against them.

They said

“Not for our sake,”

and the Divine Spirit responds and says to them:

“For My sake, for My sake, I shall act.”

Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says: Hezekiah and his associates recited it when Sennacherib stood against them.

They said

“Not for our sake,” and it responds, and so forth.

Rabbi Akiva says: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah recited it when the wicked Nebuchadnezzar stood against them.

They said

“Not for our sake,” and it responds, and so forth.

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: Mordecai and Esther recited it when the wicked Haman stood against them.

They said

“Not for our sake,”

and it responds, and so forth.

And the Sages say: The prophets among them instituted for Israel that they should recite it on every occasion and every occasion, and on every trouble that should not befall Israel; and when they are redeemed, they recite it for their redemption.

Rav Ḥisda said:

Every

“Halleluya”

in Psalms that appears between one section and another

is the end of the section,

the end of the preceding section.

Rabba bar Rav Huna said: “Halleluya”

is the beginning of the section,

the beginning of the following section.

The dispute applies when there is only one “Halleluya” between the two sections. But when there are two “Halleluya”s, according to all opinions, one belongs to the preceding section and the other belongs to the following section. Rashbam.

Rav Ḥisda said: I saw the volumes

of the book of Psalms

of the house of Rav Ḥanin bar Rava, in which it was written

“Halleluya”

in the middle of the section,

between one section and another.

Evidently,

it is proven that

he was uncertain

where it belongs.

Rav Ḥanin bar Rava said: Everyone agrees concerning “Praise of Yah; my mouth shall speak, and all flesh shall bless His holy Name forever and ever”

that

“Halleluya”

following it,

which comes after it, is

the beginning of the section,

of the section “Praise the Lord, O my soul.”

And likewise, everyone agrees concerning

“The wicked shall see and be angry; he shall gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish”

that

the “Halleluya” following it is the beginning of the section.

And

likewise, everyone agrees concerning

“Those who stand in the house of the Lord”

[Psalms 135] that

the “Halleluya” following it

is

the beginning of the section.

The readers of Scripture,

“the masters of the biblical text,”

add these as well: “He shall drink from the stream on the way; therefore he shall lift up his head”

[Psalms 110], as

the “Halleluya” following it

is

the beginning of the section.

And likewise,

“The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord; sound understanding belongs to all who perform them”

[Psalms 111],

the “Halleluya” following it

is

the beginning of the section.

And the Gemara analyzes this:

Shall we say that it is a dispute between tannaim

concerning every “Halleluya”—did the tannaim disagree about whether it is the beginning of a section or the end of a section?

As we learned in the Mishna:

Until where does he recite?

Beit Shammai say: Until

“A joyful mother of children.”

And Beit Hillel say: Until

“The flintstone into a spring of water.”

And it was taught in another baraita: Until where does he recite?

Beit Shammai say: Until

“When Israel went forth from Egypt.”

And Beit Hillel say: Until

“Not for our sake, Lord, not for our sake.”