Psalms in Liturgy 6 - Hallel - Psalm 114/115

Eighteen days and one night (in the year) the Hallel is recited. These are: the eight days of Sukkot, the eight days of Hanukkah, the first festival day of Passover and its night, and the festival of Shavuot.

The Gemara asks: And since there is the great hallel, [DR: 'Great Hallel' is a rabbinic name for Psalm 136] which contains the special praise of “Who gives food to all flesh” (Psalms 136:25), as explained above, what is the reason that one also recites this hallel of Psalms 113–118, the section recited on every joyous occasion?

The Gemara answers: The reason is because the regular hallel contains these five matters: The remembrance of the exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah, the resurrection of the dead, and the pangs of the Messiah. Since it mentions these key concepts, this hallel is also considered important.

Background; Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (early 3rd c. CE, Lod, Land of Israel) does something he thinks is improper: He reads from a book of sermons or homiletical teachings. He thinks that such teachings should not be transcribed or read from a book--they should be taught orally, since they are part of Oral Torah. Here he recounts what he learned from reading the book of Aggadah/Midrash.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said, I never looked into a book of sermon concepts [a Book of Aggadah or midrashic teachings], except that once I looked, and I found written there:

The 175 paragraphs where in the Torah is written speech, saying, commandment, correspond to the years of our father Abraham, as it is written, you took gifts from Man, and it is written, the great Man among giants.

The 147 songs written in Psalms correspond to the years of our father Jacob. This teaches that all praises by which Israel praise the Holy One, praise to Him, correspond to the years of Jacob, as it is said, You are Holy, [enthroned upon] the praises of Israel.

The 123 times Israel answer “halleluiah” [during the public recitation of Hallel] correspond to the years of Aaron, Halleluiah, praise God by His holy one [Psalm 150:1] Aaron his holy one, for Aaron, the Eternal’s holy one [Psalm 106:16].

Nevertheless I was frightened in the night.

(1) When Israel went forth from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech, (2) Judah became His holy one [NJPS note: or 'sanctuary'],
Israel, His dominion. (3) The sea saw them and fled,
Jordan ran backward, (4) mountains skipped like rams,
hills like sheep.

(5) What alarmed you, O sea, that you fled,
Jordan, that you ran backward, (6) mountains, that you skipped like rams,
hills, like sheep? (7) Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord [אדון / Adon],
at the presence of the God of Jacob, (8) who turned the rock into a pool of water,
the flinty rock into a fountain.

(1) Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to Your name bring glory
for the sake of Your love and Your faithfulness. (2) Let the nations not say,
“Where, now, is their God?” (3) when our God is in heaven
and all that He wills He accomplishes.

(4) Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men’s hands. (5) They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see; (6) they have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell; (7) they have hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk;
they can make no sound in their throats.

(8) Those who fashion them,
all who trust in them,
shall become like them. (9) O Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield. (10) O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield. (11) O you who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.

(12) The LORD is mindful of us.
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron; (13) He will bless those who fear the LORD,
small and great alike.
(14) May the LORD increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s also. (15) May you be blessed by the LORD,
Maker of heaven and earth.

(16) The heavens belong to the LORD,
but the earth He gave over to man. (17) The dead cannot praise the LORD,
nor any who go down into silence. (18) But we will bless the LORD
now and forever.
Hallelujah.

The Gemara elaborates: The exodus from Egypt, as it is written: “When Israel came forth out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language” (Psalms 114:1). And the splitting of the Red Sea, as it is written: “The sea saw it and fled; the Jordan turned backward” (Psalms 114:3). The giving of the Torah, as it is written: “The mountains skipped like rams” (Psalms 114:4), which is similar to the description of the giving of the Torah found elsewhere in the books of the Prophets. The resurrection of the dead, as it is written: “I will walk before the Lord in the lands of the living” (Psalms 116:9), which follows the verse: “For you have delivered my soul from death.” After mentioning death, the psalm describes the resurrection in the lands of the living.

(49) ה' will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, which will swoop down like the eagle—a nation whose language you do not understand,

Commentary by Rabbi David Kimchi, Radak (1160–1236) of Provence.

Mountains [skipped like rams, hills like sheep] - 'Mountains' in the plural. It is possible that other mountains close to Mount Sinai trembled and quaked [in response to the revelation of the Ten Commandments].

There are manuscripts [of the book of Psalms] in which this verse [115:1] is not the beginning of the psalm. [In other words, those manuscripts join together Psalms 114 and 115.]. [The Psalmist] said that, just as You have performed acts of lovingkindness for our ancestors by taking them out of Egypt, so may you do for us in every generation. Even though we are not worthy, do not do so 'for us' (115:1) but for your Name's sake. For they [the generation of the Exodus] likewise would not have been worthy had it not been for the glory of Your name and [Your] covenant with the Fathers. He says "not for our sake" twice in order to emphasize the point.

[you who fear the Lord] ... Some explain that these are people who fear the Lord among the various peoples.