Mar 31, 2023
BeTzeit Yisrael MiMitzrayim: The Second Chapter of Tehillim, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
One of the highlights - and perhaps the ultimate purpose - of the Seder evening is the recitation of Hallel (Tehillim 113-118), the first two chapters of which are sung at the end of Maggid. We explore the general framework of Hallel, the rabbinic discussion about its authorship and the various "Hallels" that we have in our liturgy. We then study the text of the second chapter with an eye towards the four goals in any study of Tehillim - (1) the meaning of the words (2) the poetic structure of the psalm (3) the message of the psalm and (4) its place at that point in the liturgy. The shiur includes an introduction to the literary analysis of Biblical poetry introduced by Aryeh Strauss and by Meir Weiss.