הַלֵּל: כּוֹפְלִין הוֹדוּ לה' אַחַר כָּל אֶחָד מֵהַג' פְּסוּקִים יֹאמַר נָא, וְגַם כְּשֶׁמִּתְפַּלְלִים בְּיָחִיד. - וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן גו' זְבַדְיָ' יִשְׁמְרֵנִי כו' - ג' פְּעָמִים.

In Hallel, even when praying alone, one should repeat the verse beginning Hodu l’A-donai [ki tov] after the verse beginning Yomar na, and likewise after each of the next two verses.1

The verse beginning VeAvraham zakein and the request beginning Zevadiah yishmereini should be recited three times.2

To Fill In the Background

The above-mentioned verse beginning Hodu l’A-donai ki tov is one in a series of expressions of gratitude borrowed from Tehillim:3 “Offer praise to G‑d for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting.”

On more than one occasion in Tanya, gratitude is the starting point for the lines of thought that the Alter Rebbe suggests when proposing attainable ways of reaching some measure of a love of G‑d. In these simple meditations, the Alter Rebbe seeks to make his reader aware of the reasons he has for being grateful to his Maker.4

Now, if an experience of gratitude is so powerful that it can give birth to a glimmer of a love of G‑d, why should that birth have to wait until Rosh Chodesh, when the above verse appears in Hallel? In fact, this opportunity arises every day, because the same verse, like many others in the same spirit, appears in the daily prayers.5

And indeed, the commonplace daily routine that awaits us is our main concern at this time of year. After the soul-searching and steady climb of Elul and Tishrei, and the buoyant inspiration of Sukkos and Simchas Torah, will we succeed in making a safe landing? This challenge is depicted in a well-known chassidic analogy.6 A merchant expends time and toil to make the trek to the big fair in distant Leipzig, because he knows that his entire year’s income depends on the purchases he makes there. But when he finally comes home, the poor fellow doesn’t have the sense or the energy to open up his bundles, sell his wares, and realize his profits!

This concern underlies a picturesque custom that dates from the heyday of Chabad-Lubavitch when it was located in the township of Lubavitch. On one or more of three occasions, at the close of Yom Kippur or of Simchas Torah or of Shabbos Bereishis, when the evening prayers were over and the exhilarated chassidim were about to finally make their weary way home, the gabbai would draw their attention by giving the table a sturdy slap. Then, in a distinctive singsong, he would proclaim:7 VeYaakov halach ledarko — “And Yaakov took to the road!”

Our Patriarch Yaakov, the prototypal Jew, sets out confidently to face the challenges of the big world.