Shabbos Bulletin Parshas Pesach 5776

Tefilla Halacha

Hallel at Maariv:

The general minhag in Eretz Yisrael is to say Hallel Shaleim with a berachah on the first night of Pesach in Shul, b’rov ahm.

It is an exalted time. Yet the urge to sing and praise HaShem slowly and deliberately MUST be balanced against Chazal’s insistence that we do not delay at all the seder of the night, so as to maximize engaging the whole family (and oneself) in the mitzvohs of the evening, and their full meaning and import.

(BTW: The berachah “magen avos” is not said this first night of Pesach, although it is Friday night. This is connected to the night being leil shimurim.)

Hallel During the Seder

  • Tur writes: Finish Halel, say that last berachah (yehalleluchah) up until the baruch atta at the end; then say hallel hagadol (26 ki l’olom…) and then nishmas, say yishtabach, but conclude yishtabach (after may’atta v’ad olom) with Baruch atta…melech mehullal batishbachos.
  • The Levush says: No, conclude yishtabach as one normally does.
  • The Beis Yosef indeed asks on the Tur-why not conclude yishtabach in the normal way? Beis Yosef suggests: Finish Hallel; do NOT say yehalleluchoh; then say Hallel hagadol, nishmas, and yishtabach up until its concluding berachah (until you say may’atta v’ad olom); then say yehaleluchoh and conclude melech mehullal batishbachos.
  • And so he paskens in Shulchan Aruch.
  • Aruch haShulchan says: That is what our minhag is
  • Pri MeGedaim says: do either like the Shulchan Aruch or the Tur, but certainly concluding with melech mehullal batishbachos.
  • Mishneh Berurah is not machri’a. (see Shaar Tziyun 480:5)

Good luck! and whatever you do, don’t say the berachah twice or make BOTH berachos!

The First Kos

The first kos on the first night of Pesach/Leil Shabbos is:

  1. Kiddush of Shabbos, and
  2. Kiddush of Yom Tov, and is also
  3. The first of the 4 kosos.

And so should a person have this in mind.

We do not make a berachah acharona on it, although it will presumably be a very long time until one eats the meal or drinks some more. Also theoretically problematic is the usual requirement of kiddush b’mokom seudah.

This is, stating it simplistically, because saying the hagadah is precisely what one is supposed to be doing at this point in time. And halachically, and probably hashkafically, that precludes it being a hefsek.