Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 488 - The Order of the Pesach Morning Service

In this section, the term “festival” refers to the sacred days of the festival.

With regard to the psalms added to the Evening Service, the Alter Rebbe is referring to the psalms beginning Mizmor Shir Leyom HaShabbos (Psalm 92) and A-donai Melech (Psalm 93), that are recited before the Evening Service on Friday night. Apparently, it was customary in some communities to add these psalms to the Evening Service on the night of a festival as well. Although the Alter Rebbe mentions this practice here, he does not mention it in his Siddur, and it is not Lubavitch custom to follow this practice.

See sec. 281:2. In that source, as here, the Alter Rebbe mentions adding psalms to Pesukei DeZimrah. The term Pesukei DeZimrah refers to the portion of the Morning Service recited from the blessing Baruch She’amar until after the blessing Yishtabach. The practice of adding psalms to Pesukei DeZimrah on festivals is the common Ashkenazic custom.However, the Sephardic and Lubavitch custom is to add these psalms before Baruch She’amar.

Vayikra 23:11. The Alter Rebbe is explaining this verse according to its interpretation by the Sifra to the verse and Menachos 65b-66a.

That verse is referring to the omer offering, which is waved on the day following Pesach and not on the day after Shabbos. See sec. 489:3 and footnotes there, where the concept that the verse refers to Pesach as Shabbos is explained at length. See also sec. 487:1 and sec. 518:1, where the Alter Rebbe mentions the concept of referring to festivals as Shabbos.

Arachin 10a. See sec. 490:6, with regard to the recitation of Hallel on Chol HaMoed of Pesach. See sec. 487:8, with regard to the communal recitation of Hallel on Pesach night.

See sec. 432:4, where the Alter Rebbe explains that when reciting this blessing, it is preferable to say “to recite the Hallel” rather than “concerning the recitation of the Hallel.”

See sec. 158:16. One might wonder why we recite the blessing, “Who sanctified us with Hiscommandments and commandedus…,” when fulfilling a Rabbinic command. Seemingly, the act was commanded by the Sages and not by G‑d.

In resolution, it can be explained that whenever we fulfill a Rabbinic command, we fulfill the Scriptural commandment to heed the words of the Sages (see Devarim 17:11). Accordingly, it is appropriate that the blessing recited before fulfilling the Rabbinic command mention that we are “sanctified… with His commandments.”

Pesachim 117a states: “The prophets among them ordained that Israel should recite [the Hallel] at every important epoch… and when they are redeemed, they recite it [in gratitude] for their redemption.”

This is the Ashkenazic and Chassidic custom. The Sephardic custom is to conclude the blessing ligmor es haHallel.

Megillah 20b. See also sec. 131:5, where the Alter Rebbe rules in this manner.

The Alter Rebbe uses the term alos hashachar, which we have translated as “dawn.” Alos hashachar is commonly defined as the first appearance of light on the eastern horizon before sunrise (hanetz hachamah). See sec. 471:4, footnote 18, for a detailed explanation regarding how to calculate the exact time of alos hashachar. Although in sec. 471 the Alter Rebbe uses the term amud hashachar, that term is synonymous with the term alos hashachar used here.

In his Shulchan Aruch (see sec. 261:5, sec. 331:5, and sec. 608:3), the Alter Rebbe follows the ruling of Rabbeinu Tam, who maintains that the stars appear 72 minutes after sunset. However, in his Seder Hachnasas Shabbos that appears in his Siddur (which the Alter Rebbe wrote after he wrote his Shulchan Aruch), the Alter Rebbe follows the approach of the Geonim, who maintain that in Eretz Yisrael during the months of Tishrei and Nissan, the stars appear approximately 24 minutes after the visible sunset. See sec. 261:5 and footnotes for a detailed discussion of the matter.

See sec. 588:1, where the Alter Rebbe issues a similar ruling with regard to the sounding of the shofar. See also the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 652:1), where Rav Yosef Caro issues a similar ruling regarding taking the four species.

In sec. 588:1, the Alter Rebbe (borrowing the reasoning of Rashi, Megillah 20a) offers a different reason for not sounding the shofar until sunrise: “Our Sages, nevertheless, required that we wait until sunrise, in order to remove any doubt as to whether it is [still] night, for not everyone is knowledgeable with regard to [the time of] dawn.”

See Rosh HaShanah 32b. In sec. 131:5, the Alter Rebbe writes: “[Hallel] is recited immediately after the morning Shemoneh Esreh… because ‘those who are eager hasten to [observe] the mitzvos.’”

See Sukkah 38b, which describes how to recite Hallel responsively. See also sec. 479:6, where the Alter Rebbe mentions reciting Hallel responsively. See also footnote 18 to sec. 479:6, which cites the Rebbe’s notes to his Haggadah im Likkutei Taamim UMinhagim detailing the way one should respond when reciting Hallel responsively.

Magen Avraham 422:7 explains that since one is reciting the Hallel as a song of praise, it is appropriate that it contain choral responses. In that way, our Hallel will resemble the song sung by Moshe and the Jewish people after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, which was sung as a series of choral responses.

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. Magen Avraham 422:6 rules that when a person arrives at the synagogue at the time the congregation has reached Hallel, he should join them even though he has not yet recited Shemoneh Esreh. In this manner, he will recite the Hallel communally and thus fulfill the mitzvah in the optimum manner.

Despite the Alter Rebbe’s ruling here, in practice, if one arrived too late to recite Shacharis together with the congregation, instead of reciting Hallel before having completed Shacharis, according to Lubavitch custom, one is advised to proceed at his own pace through Shacharis and then to recite Hallel individually, at the proper juncture. As the author of Kaf HaChayim writes (Orach Chayim, sec. 422:38), “The saintly AriZal disapproved of the arguments that favor the recitation of prayers out of sequence.”

This approach is reflected in the directives given by the Lubavitch Rebbeimin their respective generations. See Siddur Rabeinu Hazaken Im Tziyunim Mekoros V’Heoros, p. 732, footnote 6. Nevertheless, see the Rebbe’s Igros Kodesh, Vol. 17, Letter no. 6213, which emphasizes that even though the Rebbeim would recite their prayers at length, they would be careful to arrange to be able to recite Hallel together with a minyan.

Berachos 14a.

In that source, the Alter Rebbe details the Talmudic discussion regarding when one may interrupt his prayers to greet people whom he respects and people whom he fears. However, the Alter Rebbe concludes his discussion of those laws as follows: “However, if it is apparent that the other party will take no offense whatsoever [if he is not greeted], one should not make an interruption (whether to respond to him or to greet him out of deference), even between the passages.” In this spirit, the universal practice today is to neither greet nor respond to greetings during these sections of the prayers.

Even so the laws referred to are significant, because the same principles apply with regard to interrupting the recitation of these passages to respond to Kaddish, Kedushah, and Borchu. See sec. 66:4.

The Hebrew text states beyamim shegomrim bahem Hallel. Although this literally means, “on days when we finish Hallel, our translation “days when the complete Hallel is recited” reflects the Alter Rebbe’s intent. The Alter Rebbe is referring to the entire holiday of Sukkos, Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, all eight days of Chanukah (see sec. 131:5), the first two days of Pesach (see sec. 490:6), and both days of Shavuos (see sec. 494:4).

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 422:4). Magen Avraham 422:6 rules that on the days when Hallel is not completed, when a person is in the midst [of the Morning Service and has already recited the passage] Baruch She’amar when the congregation is beginning to recite the Hallel, he should interrupt [his prayers] to recite [the Hallel] with the congregation. However, he should not recite a blessing before or after Hallel. The rationale is that there is a difference of opinion whether or not a blessing should be recited on these days. Since there are many authorities who maintain that in general a blessing is not recited, in this instance, one should follow their ruling.

As mentioned above, Lubavitch practice is to continue one’s prayers in the prescribed order rather than interrupt them to recite Hallel with the congregation.

As explained in footnote 22 above, sec. 422 is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 422:5). In that source, Rav Yosef Caro rules that even if one made such a long interruption, he need not go back to the beginning of the Hallel, provided he did not speak in the interim. Magen Avraham 422:9 rules that on the days when the entire Hallel is recited, if one made such an interruption because of forces beyond his control, he should recite the Hallel again from the beginning.

Megillah 21b. See also sec. 128:28 and sec. 284:11, where the Alter Rebbe mentions this principle in different contexts.

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 141:2). See also Magen Avraham 141:3.

Megillah, loc. cit. See also sec. 590:14, where the Alter Rebbe rules in a similar manner with regard to the sounding of the shofar.

See sec. 213:6, where the Alter Rebbe mentions the virtue of many people fulfilling their obligations by listening to one person recite a blessing and responding Amen.

Talmud Yerushalmi, Megilah 4:1; Megilah 21a. As the Alter Rebbe states in sec. 282:1, Moshe ordained that we read a special portion on the festivals and that five men be called to the Torahon each festival – in contrast to the three aliyos on an ordinary weekday – to reflect the special quality and holiness of the festival.

Although the Alter Rebbe uses the word “read”, the intent is that five men are given aliyos. The Alter Rebbe refers to the person receiving the aliyah as “reading” the passage from the Torah because in the Talmudic era, the person honored with an aliyah would actually read “his” verses from the Torah. Indeed, this is still the custom in some Sephardic and Yemenite communities. However, among Ashkenazim, the prevalent custom in the present era is that the person called for an aliyah does not read from the Torah himself. Rather, the person receiving the aliyah listens to the baal koreh (i.e., the communal reader) read “his” verses.

See Megillah 31a, where this allusion is mentioned.

Vayikra 23:44.

The Men of the Great Assembly were the Sages who returned to Eretz Yisrael after the Babylonian exile. Under the leadership of Ezra the Scribe, these Sages formalized many aspects of Jewish practice.

In sec. 284:1, the Alter Rebbe writes: “Once [the non-Jewish rulers of Eretz Yisrael] instituted decrees intended to stamp out the Jews’ religion and forbade them to read from the Torah. [To compensate, the Jews] would read [a selection from] the works of the Prophets that shares the theme of the Torah reading…”

Marei Mekomos VeTziyunim notes that in sec. 284:1, the Alter Rebbe is referring to the decrees instituted by Antiochus before the Chashmonean revolt, a later era than that of the Men of the Great Assembly. This appears to contradict the Alter Rebbe’s statement here, that the practice of reading a Haftarah was instituted by the Men of the Great Assembly.

Divrei Shalom resolves this apparent contradiction bysuggesting the possibility that the practice of reading the Haftarah was instituted in stages. In support of that thesis, it can be said that here, the Alter Rebbe is speaking of the essential fact that a reading from the Prophets was ordained on the festivals. In sec. 284, by contrast, the Alter Rebbe is focusing primarily on the length of the reading, and explaining that the minimum length of this reading was instituted as a result of the non-Jews’ decrees.

Megillah 30b-31a. The implication of the Alter Rebbe’s words is that although the ordinances to read from the Torah and the Prophets on each of the festivals were instituted by Moshe and the Men of the Great Assembly respectively, the actual portion to be read was undefined. It was only the Sages of the Mishnah and the Gemara who instituted a fixed reading for each festival.

Megillah 31a.

Shmos 12:21-51.

Yehoshua 5:2.

Ibid. 3:5. The widespread custom – which is also the Lubavitch custom – is to read Yeshoshua 3:5-7, 5:2-15, 6:1, 6:27.

In that source, the Alter Rebbe writes that there are two opinions concerning this issue:

Should [a congregation] desire to [call] other additional [men to the Torah] in addition to the above number, they may call as many as they desire. Our Sages’ ordinance was only that they should not call fewer than this number. There are authorities who maintain that on a festival no more than five men [should be called to the Torah], so that it will not be equivalent to Yom Kippur or Shabbosif six or seven [individuals] would be called….

Sotah 39b; Megillah 23a.

In that source, the Alter Rebbe explains the rationale for this practice: “so that the honor shown to the works of the Prophets will not be equivalent to that shown to the Torah.” As the Alter Rebbe proceeds to explain there, if the person read the Haftarah without first reading from the Torah, it would appear that the reading from the Prophets and the reading from the Torah were equivalent, i.e., just as one reads from the Torah without any introductory reading, one reads from the Prophets without any introductory reading. To avoid creating this impression, the person is first called to the Torah, and reads the Haftarah only afterwards.

The Rabanan Savorai were the Sages who served as the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people between the redaction of the Talmud (around the year 4260; 500 CE) and the period of the Geonim (around the year 4460; 700 CE).

See sec. 282:11-13, where the Alter Rebbe explains that originally, there was a difference of opinion as to whether the person reading the Haftarah should be considered one of the seven required aliyos to be given on a Shabbos or festival. Some sages maintained that the person reading the Haftarah should be given that status, while others maintained that since he was only reading from the Torah to demonstrate that the honor due to the Torah is greater than the honor due the Prophets, he should not be included in this number. After the second opinion was adopted, to make a clear distinction, the Rabanan Savorai ordained that Kaddish be recited before the maftir reading.

The Rabanan Savorai ordained that on the festivals the maftir read an entirely different passage, based on the rationale the Alter Rebbe proceeds to cite here.

For example, the maftir read on the first day of Pesach is Bamidbar 28:16-25.

Megillah 31b.

As long as the Beis HaMikdash stood, Jews were forgiven for their sins after bringing the appropriate sacrifice. Avraham was worried: How would we merit to be forgiven for our sins during the eras when there is no Beis HaMikdash?

The term “generation of the Dispersion” refers to the people who built the Tower of Bavel. These people were punished by being dispersed throughout the world (Bereishis, 11:1-9).

See sec. 1 of the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, mahadurah kama 1:11-15 and mahadura basra 1:9. In these sources, the Alter Rebbe mentions that reading the passages which describe the sacrificial offerings is considered comparable to offering the sacrifices themselves.

Yoma 70a. Rashi explains that it is not respectful to make the congregation wait in silence while the Torah is being rolled.

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 144:3).

When the Alter Rebbe mentions “these regions,” he is referring to the European Ashkenazic community, where it is not customary to add the phrase morid hatal to the second blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh in the summer.

The Alter Rebbe is referring to the phrase mashiv haruach umorid hageshem, “Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to descend.”

The Alter Rebbe’s ruling in the main text reflects the common Ashkenazic custom of not adding morid hatal to the second blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh. As the Alter Rebbe’s words here indicate, an announcement to cease reciting morid hageshem is not made. This is because, as the Alter Rebbe states in sec. 114:2, “to do so would make it appear as if [the congregation] is spurning the rains – and the Sages teach that “we do not pray for [the cessation of] abundant good (Taanis 23a).”

In sec. 114:2, the Alter Rebbe also explains that in some communities – and this is the Sephardic and Lubavitch custom – it is customary to add the phrase morid hatal, which praises G‑d “Who causes dew to descend,” in the second blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh during the summer months. In those communities, an announcement morid hatal is made before the congregation recites the Shemoneh Esreh to remind everyone to make that addition.As the Alter Rebbe explains there: “Before this announcement is made, the community does not cease mentioning rain, so as not to create a confusion of practices with one mentioning it and one failing to mention it, in divergent groups.”

This ruling also applies to an individual who delayed reciting the Shacharis Shemoneh Esreh until after the sheliach tzibbur recited Mussaf (or until after the anouncement morid hatal was made). See the Rebbe’s Igros Kodesh, Vol. 12, Letter no. 3808.

The Alter Rebbe’s intent appears to be that if an individual would mention rain after the congregation at large ceased, it would create “a confusion of practices.”

In that source, the Alter Rebbe mentions the teaching in Gittin 60b: “You are not permitted to recite by heart words that are written [in Scripture].” However, the Alter Rebbe qualifies that restriction by stating, “Nevertheless, all passages that are familiar to all and commonly recited by them… may [be recited by heart].” He then emphasizes that, “If a passage is familiar to a particular individual, but not to everyone, he is forbidden [to recite that passage by heart].”

See sec. 591:5, where the Alter Rebbe states that this is the practice in the Sephardic community.

In that source, the Alter Rebbe explains that the rationale for the omission is that perhaps people at large are not familiar with these verses and hence there is a possibility that they will “err and their prayers thereby become confused.”

When the Alter Rebbe refers to the custom, “in these regions,” he is referring to the custom in the Ashkenazic community. The custom mentioned here is also the Lubavitch custom.

In that source, the Alter Rebbe writes that in the Ashkenazic community “this [possibility] does not arouse concern.”