May 25, 2023
Beirakhnukhem MiBeit Hashem: The Final Chapter of Hallel, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
In this, the final shiur in the series, we explore the longest chapter in the collection which we refer to as "Hallel Mitzrayim" and note the seemingly jagged switches from the public call to thanksgiving, the intensely private confession of salvation from a mortal threat, to the national song of thanksgiving, culminating in the farewell blessing of the Levi'im to the pilgrims as they complete their festival visit to the Mikdash. We propose seeing the chapter as a series of quatrains, with one crescendo verse just before the end, and a coda of farewell blessing. The curious crescendo of pleading for salvation seems atonal in the context of salvation-thanksgiving; we address this anomaly and suggest a deeper view of our Hallel experience.