|
| Praised are you O' Lord our God King
of the
universe who sanctified us and commanded us to
recite the Hallel |
Barukh ata hashem elokeinu melekh
haolam
asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav vitzivanu
likro et
ha'hallel |
This blessing can be found on page
380 of Siddur Sim Shalom. Over the
course of the next year it is my hope to share a different blessing
with you each week in this column. The bracha or blessing is the
most basic unit of prayer and in its core is found in the most
common statement of faith the Shema. In the Shema we find the
phrase Adonai Eloheinu, O Lord our God, which forms the basis
for ever bracha hence.
This week we recited the prayer of Hallel twice.
Hallel is recited on most holidays and Rosh Hodesh. This week
we observed Rosh Hodesh Ellul, the new month of Ellul, the month
that is spent in preparation for the High Holidays. With each
Rosh Hodesh we are asked to reflect on the month just past as
we plan for the month ahead. 30 days or so is thoughtful period
of time in which we can truly affect change and recognize the
difference those changes have made in our lives.
Hallel is a prayer that reminds us of the necessity
to praise God for the new month we have been given and through
the joyous times we have shared through the holidays we commemorate.
Our Rabbis of the Talmud explained that the six psalms of the
Hallel were recited at major moments of victory such as our exodus
from Egypt and Joshua's defeat of the Canaanite king. (Pesachim
117a)
But what is most interesting is that we recite a
blessing in which we recognize being commanded to recite the Hallel.
Rarely, throughout the prayer book do we find a blessing in which
we acknowledge our obligation to say a series of prayers. Usually,
we simply thank God or petition God, but seldomly do we first
say a bracha either in preparation or in consequence of the recitation
of a prayer.
Two lessons can be drawn from this oddity worship.
First that to be happy is a commandment. Life is hard. There is
pain all around us and it is easy to become disheartened by the
events that surround our lives. Says our tradition we must find
happiness and we must celebrate it. It is not a suggestion, it
is a requirement. Life cannot and should not be viewed always
as a glass half full or a glass half empty but a combination.
Life is neither solely a series of negative or positive experiences.
It is a amalgamation of them and when we are confronted by gladness
we ought to enjoy it unfettered.
Secondly, we all experience moments of triumph.
No matter how great or small those achievements are we must own
them without explaining them away. Just as we must live in the
moment when feeling sadness, so too we must enjoy the moments
of victory as well.
Hallel reminds us that in the coming month just
as in the past, we will find great joy and experience accomplishment,
and we must understand that God is a part of that and we share
it therefore with God. Through the prayers of Hallel we do just
that. Through saying the bracha prior to the recitation of the
Hallel we declare that it not only acceptable to enjoy life but
that we are commanded to do so. By saying the bracha, we say thank
you for giving us a world in which there peeks and valleys, highs
and lows and we are commanded to live life in both locations.
Incorporate this bracha into your life and you will gain greater
perspective.
Copyright © 2001 Rabbi
Yohanan Stein. All rights reserved.
New Jersey Region United Synagogue
of Conservative Judaism
PO Box 390; 1025 St. Georges
Ave
Linden, NJ 07036-0390
Phone: 908-925-USCJ (8725)
/ Fax: 908-486-USCJ (8725)
E-mail: njersey@uscj.org
Copyright © 2000 -
2003 New Jersey USCJ. All rights reserved.
Last Updated: July 2003
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