Hallel (, 'Praise') is a Jewish prayer, a verbatim recitation from Psalms which is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as an act of praise and thanksgiving.
Types
Full Hallel
Full Hallel () consists of all six Psalms of the Hallel, in their entirety. It is a Jewish prayer recited on the first two nights and days of Pesach (only the first night and day in Israel), on Shavuot, all seven days of Sukkot, on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, and on the eight days of Hanukkah. The sages have provided a "siman" (a way to remember) the days when full Hallel is recited. It is called "BeBeTaCh".
A blessing is recited at the beginning and end of Full Hallel.
Partial Hallel
Partial Hallel () omits parts of the Full Hallel: The first 11 verses of both Psalms 115 and 116 are omitted. In Yemenite Jewish custom, additional passages are omitted: Psalm 117, and Psalm 118:1–4.
Partial Hallel is recited on the last six days of Pesach and on Rosh Chodesh. On these days Hallel was originally not recited at all, and the partial recitation indicates that it is only done by later custom rather than to fulfill a requirement. Regarding Passover, the Talmud argues that Full Hallel is only recited on days when the Temple sacrifice differed from the previous day's, while the sacrifice for all days of Passover was identical. Other sources suggest a different reason: that Full Hallel is omitted on the seventh day of Passover in consideration of the Egyptians who died during the Crossing the Red Sea, and omitted on the middle days of Passover so that they not overshadow the seventh day. Regarding Rosh Chodesh, the Talmud states that Hallel is only required on days on which work is forbidden, which is not the case on Rosh Chodesh.
While Ashkenazi Jews recite a blessing at the beginning and end of Partial Hallel, some Sephardic Jews do not, particularly if the blessing they recite at the beginning of Full Hallel is (to complete the Hallel) instead of (to read the Hallel) as recited by Ashkenazi Jews.
Occasions
Hallel consists of six Psalms (113–118), which are recited as a unit, on joyous occasions including the each day of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot), as well as at Hanukkah and Rosh Chodesh.
On all these occasions, Hallel is recited as part of the morning Shacharit prayer service, following the Amidah. In addition, it is recited during the evening prayers on the first (and, outside Israel, second) night of Pesach (except by Litvaks and Yekkes), and by all communities during the Passover Seder service. According to the Talmud, there was a dispute between the Houses of Hillel and Shammai regarding the reading of Hallel during the Seder. According to the school of Shammai, only the first psalm (Ps. 113) should be read before the meal, whereas the school of Hillel advocated reading the first two psalms (Ps. 113 and 114). The remaining Psalms would be said after the Grace After Meals (as is usually the case, the halacha follows the school of Hillel).
On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Hallel is not said at all, because as the Talmud states: "Is it seemly for the king to be sitting on His Throne of Judgment, with the Books of Life and Death open before Him, and for the people to sing joyful praises to Him?"
No Hallel is recited on Purim, despite the fact that there was a miraculous salvation. The Talmud suggests three reasons for this: The miracle did not occur in the Land of Israel and, for "lesser" holidays, only those occurring in Israel merit the recitation of Hallel. The redemption was not complete: after the Miracle of Purim, Jews remained subjects of the Achaemenid Empire (whereas on Hanukkah, Jews gained their independence from the Seleucid Empire). Reading the Book of Esther is considered a form of Hallel.
Partial Hallel is recited on the last six days of Passover, and on Rosh Chodesh. On all other occasions when Hallel is recited, the text is the full Hallel.
Many Jewish communities, especially those which identify with religious Zionism, recite Hallel on Israeli Independence Day and some also recite it on Jerusalem Day. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel instructs Jews to recite Hallel during Israeli Independence Day.
Other Hallel sequences
The name "Hallel" is normally applied to Psalms 113–118. For greater specificity this is sometimes called the Egyptian Hallel (). This name is due to its mention of the Exodus from Egypt in .