Full Answer
What does the Zohar say about the Song of Songs?
The Zohar tells us that Song of Songs embodies the entire Torah, the story of the exile in Egypt, and the redemption of Israel from there, as well as from the other oppressors, so that by reading it we are enhancing the mitzvah of recounting the story of the Exodus.
When is the song of songs read?
It is customary to read the Song of Songs on the first night of Passover at the end of the Seder. In the Diaspora, where the Seder is repeated on the second night of Passover, the reading of this book is sometimes spread over the two nights, but it is more common for the whole book to be completed on the first night.
Who published the book of our heritage?
Excerpted from: The Book of Our Heritage. Published and copyright by Feldheim Publications.
Does Chabad.org share email address?
Please send me Chabad.org's weekly Magazine and periodic emails. We will not share your email address.
What happened after Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal together?
After they ate the Passover meal together, Mark records that Jesus and the disciples sang together before going to the Mount of Olives where Jesus would be betrayed, arrested and given over to be crucified. He knew the extent to which he would suffer. That his friends would abandon him and betray him. That they would beat him.
What are the Psalms sung during Passover?
During the Passover meal, Psalms 113-114 are sung midway through the meal and Psalms 115-118 at the very end of the meal. If you have a chance, I’d really recommend going through the whole section of Scripture.
What is the Jewish tradition of the Hallel?
In Jewish tradition, there is a set of Psalms referred to as the Hallel. The word comes from the Hebrew word for “praise” and is the same word that serves as the root for “hallelujah”. The Hallel is made up of Psalms 113-118 and is sung at all major Jewish holidays except for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which are more somber holidays.
What does "pesach" mean?
Pesach, commonly translated into English as Passover, has also a deeper interpretation (to have compassion or mercy) that is both logical and meaningful, according to Rabbi Ari Zivotofsky on the website Orthodox Union. LINK to the article, Tzarich lyun: The Meaning of "Pesach."
What is the meaning of Passover?
Passover or Pesach is a celebration of deliverance as expressed in Exodus 6 :6-7.
Where did they go when they had sung a hymn?
Matthew 26:30 "And when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives ."
What is the Hallel in Psalms 113?
The sages of Israel recognized that Psalms 113-118 — called “the Hallel” — were apropos for 18 days of the year: Pesakh and the seven days of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot/Pentecost, seven days of Sukkot/Tabernacles and Shmeni Atzeret/The Eighth Day and Chanukah. Pilgrims would sing it on the way ...
What are the Psalms called?
As we prepare ourselves for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, let’s focus our attention on the group of Psalms that are called “The Egyptian Hallel.” The phrase “Hallelu Yah” — praise the Lord — shows up frequently in these Psalms. That is why they are nicknamed “the Hallel.” These are the Psalms that Jews in New Testament times commonly sang during the Passover seder and we see in the Scriptures that Yeshua and the Apostles sang “The Egyptian Hallel” with Him for the last time before His death.
Why are the Psalms called the Hallel?
These are the Psalms that Jews in New Testament times commonly sang during the Passover seder and we see in the Scriptures that Yeshua and the Apostles sang “The Egyptian Hallel” with Him for the last time before His death.
What does Hallelu Yah mean?
The phrase “Hallelu Yah” — praise the Lord — shows up frequently in these Psalms. That is why they are nicknamed “the Hallel.”. We look forward to singing an addendum to the Hallel at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb as foretold in Rev. 19:1-9.
What day did the pilgrims sing the Hallel?
Pilgrims would sing it on the way to Yerushalayim for Lamb Selection Day, the 10th day of the first month of God’s calendar. In the first century AD, the priests would chant the Hallel during the sacrifice of the Paschal lambs in the Temple.
What is the significance of Psalm 119?
Interestingly, Psalm 119, with its focus on the beauty of the law of God, is sandwiched between. The family celebration of Pesakh was a relatively simple affair in the first century: roasted lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs and four cups of wine.
What are the themes of the Hallel?
Alfred Eldersheim notes how the sages found five themes in the Hallel that fit with Pesakh: “According to the Talmud, the Hallel recorded five things, the coming out of Egypt, the dividing of the sea, the giving of the law, the resurrection of the dead and the lot of the Messiah. ”.
Categories
Themes
- The poems description of Gods redemption coming at midnight focuses our attention both on the Exodus, which took place at midnight, and on ourselves, who are to finish our meal by midnight. Night is the time of greatest vulnerability, but with God as our savior, the poet implies, the darkness is not to be feared. The poem climaxes (in a passage sung more often than the rest of …
Significance
- In this poem, too, as in the previous one, this day on the calendar is said to bear more than the memory of the Exodus. Midrash teaches that it is the day when Abraham greeted his angelic guests, Sodom was destroyed but Lot saved, the walls of Jericho fell, the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem was lifted, and, parallel to the climax of the previous poem, Esther declared a three-d…
Structure
- These ancient compositions are usually followed by four medieval compositions, each of them far easier to sing than the earlier pieces. One of these, Adir hu (Powerful is He), is built of 24 short, simple lines, each beginning with an adjectival attribute of God adir (powerful), barukh (praised), gadol (great) exhaustively cataloguing, as it were, the magnitude and power of God. Each line de…
Lyrics
- Another simple alphabetical composition, Ki lo naeh (For it is fitting for him), describes the praise of the divine king by angelic choruses. Playing on verses in Psalms (Psalms 65:2, Psalms 89:12) and I Chronicles 29:11, the refrain is built of repeating one- and two-syllable words and rhymes, and is therefore simple enough for children to sing: lkha u-lkha, lkha ki lkha, lkha af lkhaki lo nae…
Overview
- The list includes the two tablets of the Decalogue (10 Commandments), the three biblical forefathers, their four wives, the five books of Moses (Torah), and so on. It seems to be shaped more by the imperative of numbering than by any consistent logic of significance. Yet its popularity is such than versions exist in several languages. (An Italian version appears in the Os…
Examples
- If cumulative numerology appeals to children, a cumulative animal ditty is even more effective at grasping their attention. The Haggadah offers one of these, too: the whimsical Had gadya (One kid), in Aramaic. The hapless goat of the title, purchased by Dad for a pittance, is eaten by a cat, which is, in the next retelling, bitten by a dog, and so on through a minor bestiary plagued by fire, …
Style
- The tale then takes on a mythic overtone with the appearance of the Angel of Death (who slays the butcher) and finally waxes theological as the Holy One slaughters the Angel of Death. Some families add to the songs inherent appeal by having individuals produce sound effects for each of the animals and the other figures in the story.
Analysis
- This tale of measure-for-measure violence seems didactic, but what is its message? What might have been an endless cycle of violence becomes, at the end, a teleological view of history: death itself will be conquered. Some commentators link the song to Jewish history and messianism: the successive waves of conquerors of the land and people of Israel will yield to a proto-Messiah (M…
Purpose
- Summarizing his view of the message of this cluster of disparate songs, Fox writes that they serve to give an answer to questions raised throughout the Haggadah: nature has laws and a Creator. It is the Creator who makes demands of natures creatures. Human beings have a responsibility to ensure a just society. We must know our past. Jews need to prove that they are …