Daniel Bloom
Throughout the course of the Jewish year there are many instances in which it is a mitzvah to praise Hashem for the miracles that He has performed for us. Chazal instituted two different forms of such praise. The first of these, Hallel, is recited when the Jewish people were saved from their enemies. The second, the blessing of She'Asah Nissim is recited anytime one sees a place in which such a miracle happened. The Sheiltot extends the applicability of this second requirement further by noting that one is required to bless Hashem also on the date that the miracle occurred.
From this perspective, Pesach and Chanukah certainly fulfill the requirements for reciting both Hallel and She'Asah Nissim. This article will discuss these two forms of praise as they relate respectively to Pesach and Chanukah.
I. She'Asah Nissim
The Mishna in Berakhot (54a) states that if one sees the place where a miracle occurred on behalf of the Jewish people, the blessing of "Blessed is Hashem that he performed miracles for our fathers in this place" should be said. The ensuing Gemara discusses the Biblical source for this halakha and concludes that it is derived from the story of Yitro, who upon seeing what Hashem did for the Jewish people, blessed Him for saving them from Egypt.
The halakha of reciting this blessing on Purim prior to the reading of the Megilla, and on Chanukah before lighting the candles, is based on this story. Yet, though Yitro is praising Hashem for the miracles of the exodus from Egypt, ironically, there is no obligation on Pesach to recite this berakha. This requires further explanation.
The Sefer HaMinhagim ( Siman 58) offers one answer. He explains that in reality the berakha of She'Asah Nissim is recited on Pesach but in a different form -- that of 'asher gaalnu' the concluding berakha of Magid. In this berakha, Hashem is praised for a specific miracle -- that of redeeming us and our fathers from Egypt. Conceptually, therefore, it is similar to the theme of She'Asah Nissim and on the Seder night serves in its place. Thus, reciting She'Asah Nissim on the Seder night is consequently rendered superfluous.
The Kol Bo adds further emphasis to the explanation of the Sefer HaMinhagim by pointing out that 'asher gaalnu' is more appropriate on Pesach night as it mentions a specific miracle -- unlike which has a more general connotation. This is in keeping with the principle that if there is a choice of two blessings that may be recited, the one that is more specific is preferred.
However, these explanations present their own difficulties: 1) Why does Pesach stand alone amongst all holidays that the usual form of She'Asah Nissim is dispensed with? 2) Why does this "uniqueness" not apply to Chanukah as well?
An explanation may be given through an idea presented by Rav Yitzchak Mirsky in his Haggadah 'Hegyonai Haggadah' (page 91). The Mishna in Pesachim (116b) states that in every generation a person must regard himself as if he left Egypt. Therefore, on the Seder night we are not only praising Hashem for the miracles that were done to our fathers, but to us as well. As such, the only blessing that fulfills that requirement is 'asher gaalnu' as it mentions both our fathers' redemption as well as ours.
She'Asah Nissim, by contrast, only alludes to the miracles that were done to our fathers 'biyamim haheim bazmon hazeh'. Therefore it would be insufficient on Pesach. For this reason, during the Seder we recite a more encompassing form of She'Asah Nissim, which includes not only our fathers' salvation, but ours as well. On Chanukah and Purim, on the other hand, She'Asah Nissim suffices, as the only praise that we are obligated to give, i.e., for the miracles that were performed for our fathers.
II. Women's obligation to recite Hallel on Pesach and Chanukah
This same idea may be seen in discussing women's obligation to recite Hallel on Pesach as opposed to their obligation to recite Hallel on Chanukah.
To understand this, let us refer to a Tosafot in Masechet Succah (38a) which asks why women are obligated to recite Hallel on Pesach night, whereas on Succot they are exempt. Tosafot make the following distinction which sheds light on the nature of the Hallel that is recited on Pesach night. They explain that there are two types of Hallel that can be recited. The first type of Hallel is simply another mitzvah that one must do on a Yom Tov. Just like there is a mitzvah to sit in the Succah, so too there is a mitzvah to say Hallel. Hallel on Succot falls under this category. It is purely a "Din in the Yom Tov" -- having nothing to do with the miracle which occurred on that day. Furthermore, even if there was no miracle one would say this type of Hallel.
The second type of Hallel is recited solely because of a miracle which occurred on a specific day. The Hallel said on Pesach night falls into this category; the only reason that it is said is because of the miracle of Yetziat Mitzrayim. It is this type of Hallel, that Tosafot suggest is incumbent upon women to recite as well.
Tosafot base this halacha on the simple fact that women were also saved from Egypt; they are therefore obligated in saying Hallel on the miracle just like men. This Halakhic concept of "Af hein hayu b'oto haness," similarly obligates women in Megilla reading, lighting Chanukah candles, and drinking the Four Cups on Pesach night. In contrast, it does not apply to the Hallel of Succot as that Hallel is not said as a response to the miracle, but rather it is a Halakha of the Yom Tov. It then becomes a time-bound mitzvah and women are exempt from this category of mitzvot.
It would logically follow from this Tosafot that women should likewise be obligated in the Hallel of Chanukah as that too is said in response to a miracle. Yet, the Rambam (Hilchot Chanukah Perek 3, Halacha 14) distinguishes between the Hallel on Pesach and the Hallel on Chanukah. It is only the former in which Rambam obligates women. If Tosafot's reasoning seems so inherently logical why would the Rambam take issue with it?
It may be suggested that the Hallel recited on Pesach is conceptually different from the Hallel on Chanukah. True, the Hallel on Chanukah is recited in response to a miracle. However, it is not in response to a miracle that occurred to us, but rather a miracle experienced by a different group of people in a different generation.
Hallel on Pesach, on the other hand, is recited because of a miracle that we ourselves are experiencing on the night of Pesach. This is in the spirit of the Mishnaic dictum that each individual must feel as if he personally left Egypt on the Seder night. The Hallel of that night must be viewed as praise not for a prior miracle but rather for a miracle that is occurring at the present time. This Hallel stems from the actual experience of the miracle, and therefore women as well as men are obligated to recite it.
This distinction may be viewed as the crux of the argument between the Rambam and Tosafot. It is the Rambam's opinion that women are only obligated in the Hallel that is said for a miracle which is transpiring now. It is Tosafot's position on the other hand, that as long as Hallel is said in response to any miracle women are obligated. Tosafot do not require the experiential element; all they need is a Hallel that is said in response to a miracle.
To sum up, we have seen three types of Hallel.
1. The Hallel that stems from the holiday itself (Din in the Yom Tov) as exemplified by Succot.
2. The Hallel said in response to the personal experience of a miracle. The Hallel of Pesach would fall into this category
3. The Hallel which is recited to commemorate a miracle performed for our forefathers. The Hallel of Chanukah is an example of this.
III. Berakha On Hallel Of The Seder Night
Now that it has been established that the Hallel on Chanukah and the Hallel on Pesach both relate somehow to a miracle that occurred on that day, one last question still remains. Why do we say a blessing on the Hallel of Chanukah and not on the Hallel of Pesach night?
At first glance, a blessing should definitely be recited on any Hallel, as one is performing a mitzvah and therefore should make a blessing before it. However, this issue is the source of major debate between the Rishonim. Tosafot (Berakhot 14a) explicitly state that a blessing is recited.
Rav Hai Gaon on the other hand, rules that no blessing is recited on the Hallel of Pesach night. Tosafot's position seems to be the more logical approach; why would we make a blessing on every other Hallel of the year and not on Pesach night? Rav Hai Gaon distinguishes between the Hallel said on Pesach night, and all other Hallels of the rest of year. He posits that no blessing is recited on the Seder night because the Hallel of that night is said as a Shirah -- a song. He refers to every other Hallel as 'Kriat Hallel' and the Hallel of the Seder night as Shirat Hallel. When one is reciting a Shirah, it is as if he is reciting verses from Tehillim on any other day, and consequently a blessing is not required. The Griz (Rav Yizchak Zev Soloveitchik) provides a proof for this distinction. He cites our practice of reciting half of the Hallel during Magid and the other half during the Hallel section. If this were a Kriat Hallel there would be no such allowance to split it up. However, since the Hallel on the Seder night is a Shirat Hallel it is permissible to have an interruption.
The Rav (Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik) gives an alternative explanation as to why there is no blessing on the Hallel of the Seder night. The Rav explains that one of the components of the Mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim on Pesach night is to recite Hallel. As such, the Hallel on Pesach night is just an extension of the mitzvah of Sippur, and therefore a blessing is not required. (Why there is no blessing on Sippur is beyond the scope of this article.) The Rav comments that this added dimension of Hallel is one of the differences between the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim on Pesach and the mitzvah æëéøú Yetziat Mitzrayim during the rest of the year.
We have seen three distinctions between our responses to the miracles of Chanukah and Pesach. First, we only recite She'Asah Nissim on Chanukah. Second, the Hallel of Chanukah is said to commemorate a miracle, while the Hallel of Pesach is said in response to our experience of the miracle. Finally, the Hallel on Chanukah has a blessing before it, and the Hallel of Pesach does not.