Explanations of the Prayer - Halleluyah, Halleli - Part 1

00:00 There are five “Hallelujahs” here—five chapters, each of which begins with the word “Hallelujah” and ends with it. That means the word “Hallelujah” appears ten times altogether. In fact, when we speak of Pesukei Dezimra, these five Hallelujahs are its main part. That is why, according to halachah, when the laws discuss what someone who arrives late to shul may skip in order to catch up and daven with the congregation—all those laws that most of us don’t really follow, since in Chabad we have the practice not to skip—one must say at least one of the Hallelujah chapters. That is the third one, “Praise Hashem from the heavens.” So what are these Hallelujahs about? They are the main part of Pesukei Dezimra. Before Pesach, we spoke at length about Pesukei Dezimra according to Chassidus: the songs and praises through which a person “cuts down the tyrants” and clears away the thorns of the animal soul. Each of these Hallelujah chapters has a general theme, a particular aspect of Divine providence or of Hashem’s greatness on which a person reflects, and around which the whole chapter is built. Just to put it briefly: the first chapter, the first Hallelujah, is about bitachon—trust in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. If you wanted to sum up the whole chapter in one point, that would be it. A Jew

02:44 reflects that one cannot place one’s trust in anything except Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He expresses his trust that Hakadosh Boruch Hu alone provides—not any efforts or anything else, not doctors, not professors, not organizations, or whatever else. There is only Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself, and He is the source of all blessing; apart from Him, there is nothing. It rules out any notion of another power alongside Him. That is the chapter’s general point. Later we’ll look at its many details, but the central point is bitachon. The next chapter, the next Hallelujah, is about hashgachah pratis, Divine providence. It speaks more about how Hakadosh Boruch Hu watches over every raven and every animal and gives them all food. He provides everything—the rain, the wind, and so on. That, in general, is its point: hashgachah pratis. Of course, according to the deeper teachings and Chassidus, there is much more depth here than in the straightforward meaning. But that is the point. The third Hallelujah speaks about the bittul of all created beings to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It speaks of all the hosts of heaven and earth, and how each expresses its bittul. It divides this into three parts: the bittul of the hosts of heaven, then the bittul of the hosts of earth, and then the Jewish people—the loftiest bittul, “the people close to Him.” The fourth chapter speaks about the Jewish people’s relationship to all this, about kelipah and the sitra achra. It speaks about

04:47 “executing judgment upon them,” about nullifying the nations. The point is to bring down and nullify the entire existence of the sitra achra and kelipah, to “bind their kings with chains.” Then the true oneness will be revealed, as in “I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth.” This is the chapter of “a new song.” It speaks of the complete and true nullification of all this—“I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth”—when their kings will be bound with chains, along with all the nations and all of that. It is the revelation of oneness in the world. The final chapter, the last Hallelujah, speaks about every kind of praise. It includes “Praise G-d in His sanctuary,” and it is like a summary of all the Hallelujahs. It presents every kind of praise and acclaim in the world, and we’ll leave that until we get there. So that is just a brief outline of the themes of the Hallelujahs. Now we can talk a little about the word “Hallelujah” itself. What is this word? We say it ten times here, and surely everyone understands that the number ten is significant. Ten expresses the ten sefiros, or, in the soul, the ten faculties of the soul. In other words, there are five chapters, but “Hallelujah” is written twice in each chapter, ten times altogether. This emphasizes that the praise must come from all ten faculties of the soul. When a person praises Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the praise comes from all ten faculties. As in the well-known teaching of the Tzemach Tzedek, “praying with a congregation” means gathering together all ten faculties of the soul and praising Hakadosh Boruch Hu with them. And on the spiritual plane, it also means drawing down the ten sefiros, the ultimate completeness of all

06:49 the revelations of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That’s right—this is understood in terms of the ten sefiros, the praise of all ten sefiros. That is the point in general. Now, more specifically, let’s look briefly at the word. What is “Hallelujah”? It doesn’t say “Hallelu”; it says “Hallelujah.” “Hallelujah” is two words joined together. It means, as it were, “Praise Hakadosh Boruch Hu.” They have simply been joined together. That is its meaning: “Praise”—praise whom? It is as though King David is saying to the Jewish people, “You, the Jewish people, praise—praise Yah.” What does that mean? And why specifically Yah? Why not, if we’re going that far, the full Name of Hashem? What is gained by using this Name? Of course, another wording wouldn’t sound right to us. We’re used to saying “Hallelujah”; we can’t imagine it written any other way. But the question is why specifically these letters, since everything is precise. Why are we told to praise this Name? What does it mean? The basic explanation goes like this: the whole subject here is praise. But what it means to praise Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not at all clear. What are we going to praise Him for? Even if we could recount His praises, why is praise needed? Does Hakadosh Boruch Hu need our praises? Does He need us to say nice things to Him so that He will give us what we want? With a boss, you know, if you praise him, you can get all sorts of things out of him. You arouse his desire to give. But that isn’t how it works Above. What is the point of all this praise of Hakadosh Boruch Hu? So,

08:54 This is explained at length in Chassidus, in the maamarim; I imagine you’ve learned it. It appears in several places, in the discourse on Ashrei, at length in Derech Mitzvosecha on Hallel, and in many maamarim of Chassidus. They explain how this whole matter of praise works. We see something similar in the human soul: a person has hidden abilities, and sometimes the strongest ones remain hidden and never come to the surface. They are present, concealed within the soul, but they are not visible. A person may outwardly seem cruel, even though he has kindness hidden within his soul. Or a person may appear foolish, even though he has wisdom hidden within his soul. The soul is whole, utterly complete, but these qualities do not come to light. The value of praise is not only, as we said, to make someone feel good. There is something about the human soul: when you praise a person for a particular quality, you awaken that ability in him. This is not something superficial. It is a real power that praise has. When you praise someone for his wisdom, you awaken the power of wisdom that lies hidden within his soul. Through that praise, it emerges from concealment into revelation. It comes out; it breaks through. Praise has the power to bring out hidden abilities that the person himself did not even realize he had. We see this in practice. The Rebbe also explains it in a sicha we had last week. I imagine many of the bochurim learned it—the sicha on Emor. That is the whole point of Emor: telling a person

10:47 about his good qualities. The Rebbe points to the meaning of Emor in that sicha. Why “Emor”? It means speaking in someone’s praise. The Rebbe says that speaking in praise of another person is a great thing, because it awakens the good abilities hidden within him and gives him the strength to overcome the evil within him. The Rebbe explains this at length in the sicha; I think it’s the seventh sicha on Emor. This principle applies to the human soul down here, and it also applies above, insofar as we can draw a comparison. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is, so to speak, utterly complete. But the ten sefiros are concealed. In other words, all of Hashem’s powers and attributes are within Him in a state of utter concealment, utter simplicity, and complete inclusion within one another. Hashem is utterly simple, and although He possesses the perfection of the ten sefiros, they are included there like light within its source, where it is not felt as a distinct existence. We want to draw these revelations into the world. For that, particular qualities need to be revealed: Hashem’s revelation must be drawn down in a specific expression of kindness, severity, sovereignty, or wisdom. We want a particular influence to be drawn down for a particular matter. That is what praise can accomplish. By praising Hashem for that particular quality, we bring about a revelation of the Infinite in that respect. There is a difference between the analogy and what it represents. With a person, praise works because when you repeatedly tell him that he has a certain quality, it awakens him to make an effort to reveal it. He really does have it; he just didn’t—he thought he didn’t. By convincing him, by telling him, you awaken him to work until he actually brings it out. And to say

12:37 this, of course, is not possible with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. With Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the reason is different. He is inherently apart, exalted, and transcendent. So through our praise, we need to bring about a revelation suited to the particular quality we want to draw down. A revelation could come without limit, but then it could not reach our world. Nothing would come of it; it would not provide the particular influence needed for the matter at hand. Therefore, by praising Him for particular qualities, we bring about a revelation of G-dliness in a particular way. After all, the entire purpose of the creation of the world and of making a dwelling place in the lower realms is to draw G-dliness down specifically into the details. Yes? Meaning that the Infinite should be drawn into the particulars of creation, into every single detail. That is the power a Jew has in prayer: by praising Hakadosh Boruch Hu for these particular qualities, he draws down His revelation through those specific attributes. This is the central point Chassidus explains about praise. That is why it is called “hallel,” or “hilul”: “hilul” is related to the words “behalo neiro”—“when His lamp shone.” There are several words for this: praises, songs, and all kinds of other terms. Why is it called specifically “hilul”? Because the word “hilul,” H-L-L, denotes revelation. “Behalo neiro,” “yahel”—in Lashon Hakodesh, this is an expression of brightness and light. In other words, the function of praise is to cause all these qualities, which already exist within Hakadosh Boruch Hu, to be drawn from concealment into revelation, as we mentioned. That is the idea of “behalo,” of revelation. This is the general meaning of “hallel,” of praise. And why do we emphasize “Hallelu Y-H” specifically? The explanation is that Yud-Hei represents Chochmah and Binah

14:28 in the name Havayah. That is what Yud-Hei represents: Chochmah and Binah. As we said, there is Yud-Hei and Vav-Hei. Yud-Hei is Chochmah and Binah, and Vav-Hei is ZON. There are two points here. Why specifically Yud-Hei? First, because Yud-Hei is concealed. In the name Havayah, it represents the level that is more hidden. “The hidden things belong to Hashem our G-d” refers to Chochmah and Binah, which are beyond revelation. So there, especially, we need to ask for revelation. We ask specifically regarding Yud-Hei because Yud-Hei is inherently concealed. That is one point. But the main explanation in Chassidus is more interesting. Why do we say specifically Yud-Hei? Because when we bring about a revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu through Yud-Hei, through Chochmah and Binah, we ensure that the influence goes only where it belongs, only to those who are batel to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. In other words, only to the souls of the Jewish people, without the external forces drawing sustenance from it, without the influence going to the kelipos. To explain this simply, we see something similar with a person of flesh and blood. A person may be kind. Chassidus explains in the maamarim—you learned this in Derech Mitzvosecha and in several maamarim—that there are natural emotional traits and traits guided by the intellect. A person may be kind, but if his kindness comes only from his nature, it may also go where it should not. He may show kindness even to those who do not deserve it. The kelipos and sitra achra may also receive from it. It says there that he might give a knife to a baby, thinking he is being kind. Kindness can be directed toward something harmful and lead to a bad outcome. “One who is merciful to the cruel will ultimately be cruel to the merciful,” as our Sages say there. In other words, he starts with kindness, but it ends badly. Why? Because his kindness has no judgment, no intellect guiding it. It is natural kindness. He is a good person who cannot say no to anyone, so he gives to everyone, including those who do not deserve it. That serves no good purpose. When is kindness good? When it is guided by intellect. When the giving of kindness depends on intellect, the intellect seeks the truth and directs the influence only to places worthy of receiving it. And there is the well-known story of Avraham Avinu and how he dealt with his guests. He insisted that they thank Hashem, asked them for a great deal of money, and so on, because Avraham’s kindness was measured kindness, not indiscriminate kindness. In the same way, here we say, “Hallelu Y-H.” What are we emphasizing by praising Yud-Hei? In Pesukei Dezimra, through our praise we awaken the attributes of Hakadosh Boruch Hu to emerge from concealment into revelation. We want His influence to be revealed in all the matters we speak about here: kindnesses, blessings, every good blessing, all the revelation and influence that sustains the whole world. So we emphasize that this should happen through Yud-Hei, through Chochmah and Binah, so that the influence goes where it belongs. Let’s look a little at the text. We have two verses. The first one, right? So I’ll begin with at least the first verse. That was a general explanation of “Hallelu Y-H.” The verse continues: “Hallelu Y-H; praise Hashem, my soul.” Yes,

16:23 “One who shows mercy to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful.” That’s what it says there, in the words of our Sages. In other words, he starts out with kindness, but in the end it turns into something bad. Why? Because his kindness has no judgment, no thought behind it. It’s a natural kindness. He’s a good person; he can’t say no to anyone, so he gives to everyone, including people who don’t deserve it. So it does no good. When is kindness good? When it’s guided by intellect. When the giving of kindness depends on intellect, the intellect has this quality of seeking the truth. It directs the giving so that it reaches only those who are worthy of receiving it. And there’s the well-known story of Avraham Avinu and how he dealt with his guests. He demanded that they thank Hashem, asked them for a lot of money, and so on, because Avraham’s kindness was measured kindness, not just indiscriminate kindness. Along those lines, here too we say, “Hallelu-Yah.” What are we emphasizing with “Hallelu-Yah”? That in Pesukei Dezimra, through our praise, we arouse the attributes of Hakadosh Boruch Hu to emerge from concealment into revelation. We want Hashem’s giving to be revealed in all the things we’re talking about here—kindness, sustenance, and all the good blessings; all the revelation, all the giving throughout the world. So we emphasize that it should be in the manner of Yah, through the Divine Name Yah—Chochmah and Binah—so that the giving reaches the proper place. Let’s look a little at the text itself. We have two verses. The first one, right? So I’ll at least start with the first verse. That was a general explanation of “Hallelu-Yah.” The verse continues here and says: “Hallelu-Yah; praise Hashem, my soul.” Yes.

19:25 So the plain meaning is—this is the heading, as it were, the opening verse that states the general point. It says, “Praise G-d,” because, as we explained, the whole idea is to praise Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And what is the point? It says, “Praise Hashem, my soul.” My soul praises Hakadosh Boruch Hu. On the simplest level, I am saying that my soul, the soul of a Jew, praises Hakadosh Boruch Hu and speaks of His greatness. But the meaning goes a little deeper. Who is saying “my soul” here? Whose soul is it in this prayer? It is the soul of King David, who composed this psalm. And King David represents the sefirah of Malchus, as we discussed in Ashrei as well. The whole idea of “A praise of David,” and of prayer altogether, is connected with Malchus. “And I am prayer.” King David embodies prayer; he is Malchus. Malchus descends into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah and connects with the world, where it encounters all the concealments. The avodah of prayer is that Malchus seeks to emerge from the darkness. It asks, it prays, it connects with the levels above Malchus—with the higher sefiros, with Hashem’s right hand—so that G-dliness can be revealed in Malchus. So this is the meaning of “Praise, my soul”: the soul of King David, the sefirah of Malchus, praises—and “praise” here is like a request that the light be revealed within it. “Hashem”—Havayah. Havayah is [unclear], the higher sefiros, the source from which all of Hashem’s lights emanate. That is the idea of Havayah. “Praise Hashem, my soul”: that my soul, the sefirah of Malchus—associated with the name Elokim, whose numerical value is that of “nature”—that Malchus, nature and the world, should be illuminated by a revelation of the name Havayah

21:22 in the world. That is the point of “my soul [praises] Havayah.” In our avodah of Hashem, “my soul” refers to the soul as it is clothed in the body. After all, there are nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah. Nefesh is the lowest level, the aspect of the soul clothed in the body. So we say, “Praise, my soul”—the soul clothed in the body, where there is the animal soul, the yetzer hara and all the things that obscure and conceal. Regarding this we say, “Praise, my soul”: through the avodah of Pesukei Dezimra, we reveal and bring the light of the name Havayah into the nefesh. This brings the soul of a Jew to turn toward the name Havayah, and through this we can connect with the revelation of sovev kol almin.