This question was asked before Rabbi Tanchum of Neway: What about extinguishing a burning lamp for a sick man on the Sabbath? — Thereupon he commenced and spoke: You, Solomon, where is your wisdom and where is thine understanding? It is not enough for you that your words contradict the words of your father David, but that they are self-contradictory! Your father David said, “The dead praise not the Lord (Psalms 115:7),” while you said, “Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead (Ecclesiastes 4:2),” but yet again you said, “for a living dog is better than a dead lion (9:4).”

Yet there is no difficulty.

As to what David said: ‘The dead praise not the Lord,’ this is what he meant:

Let a man always engage in Torah and good deeds before he dies, for as soon as he dies he is restrained from the practice of Torah and good deeds, and the Holy One, blessed be He, finds nought to praise in him.

And thus Rabbi Yochanan said, What is meant by the verse, “Among the dead I am free (Psalms 88:6)?”

Once a man dies, he becomes free of the Torah and good deeds.

As to what Solomon said, ‘Wherefore I praised the dead that are already dead’ for when Israel sinned in the wilderness, Moses stood before the Holy One, blessed be He, and uttered many prayers and supplications before Him, but he was not answered. Yet when he exclaimed, ‘Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants (Exodus 32:13) !’ he was immediately answered. Did not then Solomon well say, “wherefore I praised the dead that are already dead?’

Another interpretation: In worldly affairs, when a prince of flesh and blood issues a decree, it is doubtful whether it will be obeyed or not; and even if you say that it is obeyed, it is obeyed during his lifetime but not after his death. Whereas Moses our Teacher decreed many decrees and enacted numerous enactments, and they endure for ever and unto all eternity. Did then not Solomon well say, ‘Wherefore I praise the dead, etc.’ (Shabbat 30a)

Kavanah: “The dead do nor praise God,” and therefore I will take advantage of every moment of life to study Torah and do Mitzvot.

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The Theme of this paragraph of Hallel is Trusting God: See “Hallel Rosh Chodesh Tevet: Paragraph Three”  “Trusters” and “Chanukah Hallel Paragraph Three: Becoming Trusters.”

“Let all those who put their trust in You rejoice (Psalms 5:12),” because You took vengeance upon Babylon (Tenth of Tevet); “let them ever shout for joy,” because in Persia, You took vengeance upon Haman and upon his sons (Purim); “shout for joy because You defended them,” in the days of the Greeks, when You surrendered the Greeks into the hands of the Maccabees and their sons (Chanukah); “let them also who love Your name and be joyful in You,” when You will inflict punishment upon Gog & Magog. (Midrash Tehillim 5:11)

We declare that we sing this Hallel of Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh Tevet as Trusters that God will give us cause to rejoice as He did after He punished the Babylonians and the Greeks.

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Many of the verses in the concluding Psalm of the Hallel resonate powerfully on Rosh Chodesh Tevet, the month in which Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian hordes lay siege to Jerusalem:

“I called to the Creator of Heaven and Earth from a tight spot (inside besieged Jerusalem), and He answered me broadly.”

Sefat Emet: The Baal Shem Tov explained that we should read this verse as, “Not only will God take us out of this tight spot, but it will be from within the tight spot itself that the salvation will come (Netzavim 5640).” Kavanah: Rather than look for the salvation to come from outside besieged Jerusalem; we can look inside the city, at ourselves, and find the key to salvation.

Kedushat Levi: Just as the Creator, Blessed is He, is Infinite; so are His Attributes without measure. At the time of creation, He constricted His Attributes. However, from within the constricted Attributes, as they are drawn to Israel, they expand broadly (Ki Tisa). Kavanah: The siege of Jerusalem was possible only because of the constricted Attributes. We need only access their Essence, and they will broaden and wipe away all who fight them. “May we merit to access all of the Divine Attributes and broaden their expression in this world through our service of God, so that all boundaries imposed on us will be smashed.”

Ohr HaChochmah: When the Evil Inclination pushes me into a limited state, so that I feel besieged, I consider whether Above I am being constricted, and I call out,  as in, “I called to the Creator of Heaven and Earth from a tight spot, and He answered me broadly,” to the One Who promised that He will always be with us when we are suffering, so that I will be empowered to break all boundaries and limitations (Beshalach). Kavanah: The Spiritual Influence of the siege of Jerusalem is experienced when we feel constricted in our spiritual growth. We turn to God and request His ‘Broadness,” expansiveness, so that we can achieve explosive growth.

Ohr Yisrael: When we are suffering and besieged by troubles and enemies, we do not respond as others, described by the prophet, “Through the land will pass the troubled and hungry. When he will be hungry he will be angry and curse his kings and gods, and direct his face on high (Isaiah 8:21),” rather, we, “Call out to God from a tight spot,” and this committed expression of love and loyalty, elicits, “He answers me expansively.” (Tikkunei Zohar #12) Kavanah: We sing this Hallel in loyal love even though we hear the Babylonians, and our other enemies approaching, confident that You will respond to our love for You with Infinite blessings and kindness.

Shufrah d’Yaakov: When we are in exile, we call out because Your Name is not whole. We pray that Your Name be fully expressed in this world (Chanukah) Kavanah: Had the inhabitants of Jerusalem prayed, not for themselves, but for God’s Name to be expanded in the world; the Babylonian siege would have been smashed, just as was the Assyrian attack. We commit ourselves to focus on Your Glory; not our suffering.

Yismach Yisrael: “I called out to Y-H,” as in, “For with Y-H, He created worlds (Isaiah 26:4),” ‘worlds,” meaning, this world and the World to Come. When I am besieged by enemies, limited by my sins, I fear that I have lost both worlds. They respond from Heaven, “and He was for me, Li, a salvation,” your salvation is in returning Li, to Me, and then you will experience the broadness of God (Likkutim; Tehillim). Kavanah: “We call out to You to return to You. Please respond broadly.”

I suggest that we focus on the following verses in the same context of escaping the “siege.”

“All the nations surrounded me but I survived them in God’s Name. They surrounded and encircled me but I survived them in God’s Name. Though they surrounded me like a swarm of bees, they were snuffed out like burnt thorns. I survived them in God’s Name. I was pushed to fall but God helped me.”

“Open the gates of justice for me, I will enter and thank the Creator. This is the gate to God, the just may enter here.”

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We derive the appellation for God’s Name, used in the Rosh Chodesh Mussaf – Additional Prayer – from the combination of letters and vowels of the following verse: “Declare the greatness of God with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” (Psalms 43:4)

I. Individual Divine Providence

There are those who believe that God is so exalted and that it is not respectful of Him to even believe that He is directly involved with the physical beings of this earth. Therefore, Moshe declared, “Declare the greatness of God,” – “Who is with me,” meaning, who is directly involved with me. (Ketav Sofer)

We are entering winter the darkest time of the year. The Kabbalists teach that Tevet is one of the months that because of their darkness are in the hands of the angel of Eisav. However, the beginning of Tevet always falls during Chanukah, and the light of the Menorah can weaken and even defeat the darkness of Eisav right from the beginning of the month.

II. Partners

The Talmud teaches that we should never rely on a miracle. (Ta’anit 20b) A person must accept responsibility to act with an absolute trust that God, Who will be, “With me,” and will bless and empower our efforts, will join his efforts. (Ketav Sofer)

This flows directly from the strength of Chanukah, when the Chashmonaim chose to act without relying on miracles. Their choice stirred the heavens and God empowered their victories and success. We pray on Rosh Chodesh that we should have the clarity to define how much effort is necessary, the courage to act, and that God will join with us and empower our actions.

III. Humility

Usually when someone says, “Do this with me,” he is asking the other to join him, but he is primary. Moses begins by inviting us to praise God with him, but he concludes, “We will exalt His Name together.” We will all be equal. (Rabbi Akiva Eiger)

We can attach to the strength of those greater than we, and join them in serving God. The name of God hidden in this verse, allows us to draw on that strength and actually rise to the level of those greater individuals who inspire us.

We pray that during this coming month we will be able to draw on the strength of all those who teach us Torah and Service of God, even if only through their sefarim – books – written long ago. We pray that we can then make that strength part of our own service and growth.

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Paragraph Seven:

“Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The Lord of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands He has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, He has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold (Daniel 2:37-38).”

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your Lord is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery’ (Verses 46-47).”

King Nebuchadnezzar, who began his siege of Jerusalem on the 10th of Tevet, acknowledges God as the Supreme Power, just as all nations will as described in this Psalm:

“All you nations; Praise God!

Sing compliments, all you peoples!

For His kindness overpowers us,

and God’s Truth is forever.

Hallelukah!”

We sing this paragraph of the Hallel with the confidence of having witnessed our greatest enemy acknowledging and blessing God.

Paragraph Eight:

The following is the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, who, on the Tenth of Tevet, lay siege to Jerusalem: All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”

Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.

You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox.

Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled.

He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox.

His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.

Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion;

his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

All the peoples of the earth

are regarded as nothing.

He does as he pleases

with the powers of heaven

and the peoples of the earth.

No one can hold back his hand

or say to him: “What have you done?”

At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble (Daniel 4:28-37).”

It is astounding to read this Psalm, the concluding paragraph of Hallel, which is the story of David rising to his throne and succeeding despite terrible tribulations, and realize that the man who destroyed God’s Temple, ultimately sang a similar song.

For the miracles described in this paragraph of the Hallel are not unique to King David; they were experienced by one of our worst enemies as well. These miracles are not limited to the great and holy such as King David; they are possible for all of us. When can we possibly experience this potential more than we do on Hanukkah. We sing this paragraph with total confidence that these miracles can be ours. May it be God’s Will.

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Paragraph Four:

“Neither the dead can praise the Creator, nor any who descend into silence; but we will bless the Creator from this time and forever (Psalm 115:18).”

God had warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem, through Jeremiah, that the Babylonians would be coming, and that they would be victorious. God instructed them to repent and to leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians.

The people refused to listen to Jeremiah. They preferred death to surrender.

This paragraph of the Hallel is a celebration of the potential of life, “the dead cannot praise the Creator.” The inhabitants of Jerusalem were so devastated by all that happened since the Babylonians rose to power, that they lost their connection to life. They ceased to see that alive, they would have the opportunity to rebuild. They stopped believing that alive, they could still live a life of blessing.

Once they disconnected from the potential of life; they disconnected from God as the Creator of heaven and earth.

On Hanukkah, our souls vibrate with the potential of life, and of purpose. On Hanukkah we connect to life at its source; God. On Hanukkah we sing this paragraph as a celebration of life, potential, and blessing, so that we will never allow ourselves to stand as those people did so long ago in Jerusalem.

Paragraphs Five & Six

In this paragraph and the next, King David is expressing gratitude for deliverance. When he thought he was at death’s door, he cried out to God. He expresses his gratitude through the medium of praise in the presence of an assembled congregation, and that what appears to be a private event, is inseparable from the life of the community. All the people share each other’s joys and sorrows, and so, King David summons them to celebrate with him.

This is the theme of this paragraph of the Hallel, Psalm 116, as it is the theme of the Hanukkah Psalm # 30.

Both these Psalms were part of our liturgy even as the Babylonian hordes approached Jerusalem. Imagine how different the story would have been if only we had reconnected to King David’s voice reminding us of the power of prayer, the impact of repentance, and the promise to express our gratitude to God upon salvation!

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This Rosh Chodesh Hallel is unusual in that we recite the complete Hallel, rather than skipping the first half of Psalm 115 and that of Psalm 116, because it is also Hanukkah.

It is unusual in another sense, as we are singing with the full joy of the Festival, even though in just a few days we will be fasting to commemorate the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem just before the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem surely knew that the Babylonian army was on its way to attack.

We will be commemorating other tragedies that occurred during this Hebrew month, such as the deaths of Ezra and Nehemiah, and the translation of the Torah into Greek for Ptolmey.

First Paragraph:

We sing this Hallel with full joy despite knowing that we will soon be commemorating this series of tragedies. This Hallel surely falls into the category of the Hallel we must sing before tragedy strikes.

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, God’s Name is praised (Psalm 113:3).” Although we know that it is not the sun that is circling the Earth, it is certainly the way it appears to our eyes: As if, we are circled by the sun; it surrounds us as a siege surrounds a city. This reminds us of another verse in Psalms, “Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, and God surrounds His people, from now and forever (125:2).”

We sing this paragraph of the Hallel with full confidence that even though armies may come and surround Jerusalem, laying siege to it, God surrounds them and will protect us.

We take the joy of the Chanukah miracle with confidence and project it into the future and rejoice that the same Divine Guidance that protected us during the Chanukah story, will protect us during the coming month.

Second Paragraph

The theme of this paragraph of the Hallel is: Just as we were redeemed from Egypt, so too, will we be redeemed from the Babylonian exile. The Exodus was not just something that happened in our great history; it became part of our very nature and reality. It is part of our being.

It was the Exodus that gave us the power to fight against the Greeks and win the Chanukah victory.

It was the Exodus that empowered us to survive the Babylonian exile with confidence that we would return to Jerusalem.

It is the Exodus that empowers us to continue to survive despite all our troubles with the confidence that He, “Who turns the rock into a pond of water, the flint into a flowing fountain,” will transform everything around us so that we may return to Him in full glory.

Third Paragraph:

The word came to Jeremiah from God when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said: “Inquire now of God for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps God will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ‘This is what God, the Lord of Israel, says:

I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city.

I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath.

I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.

After that, declares God,

I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’

“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what God says:

See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.

Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.

But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.

I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares God.

It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’

“Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, ‘Hear the word of God.

This is what God says to you, House of David:

“‘Administer justice every morning;

rescue from the hand of the oppressor

the one who has been robbed,

or my wrath will break out and burn like fire

because of the evil you have done—

burn with no one to quench it.

I am against you, Jerusalem,

you who live above this valley

on the rocky plateau, declares God—

you who say,

“Who can come against us?

Who can enter our refuge?”

I will punish you as your deeds deserve,

declares God.

I will kindle a fire in your forests

that will consume everything around you.’

(Jeremiah Chapter 21)”

This is the paragraph of Hallel that describes our great trust in God because He is True and real. He is not like the idols of the other nations.

Jeremiah’s audience trusted that God would save them.

They trusted that God would never allow the Babylonians to successfully destroy Jerusalem.

They trusted that God would protect His Holy Temple.

Jeremiah is warning them that their trust is misplaced; not because of God being unable to protect them, but because they have rejected God and His multiple warnings that if they refused to change and live as good people and create a just and righteous society, that they would be destroyed by the Babylonians.

We sing this paragraph because it is Hanukkah,

because our trust in God after the Chanukah miracle is so real and tangible, because we have recommitted ourselves to live as He desires,

because we are committed to bringing His Light to the world.

We can use the trust of Hanukkah,

the confidence of Hanukkah,

the joy of Hanukkah,

the reconnection to God of Hanukkah,

to project deserved trust that God will surely protect us over the coming month.

It was this level of trust that was lacking in Jeremiah’s generation.

It is not lacking as we sing this Hallel on Hanukkah.

We have the ability to sing this Hallel to protect us from tragedy with full confidence that this time it will protect us.

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“Please God; Save us! Please God; Make us successful!” (Psalms 118:25) We sing the first half, “Please God; Save us,” as we approach our service with prayers that God will empower our actions and service so that His Presence will rest upon our efforts.

We sing, “Please God; Make us successful,” when we complete our service that all our efforts be successful. (Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein – Or Yechezkail)

We sing these verse on Rosh Chodesh Elul, with the intention that the first half will empower all our work during the coming month as we repair the past year and prepare for Rosh Hashana. The second half of the verse is our prayer that we should complete the month with a powerful sense of success, so that we can enter Rosh Hashana with great joy and confidence.

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“God is with me, I have no fear; what can people do to me?” (Psalms 118:6) The ‘people’ mentioned refer to the ‘man’ described in Daniel’s vision of the Four Beasts,when he says, “I was watching in night visions and behold! with the clouds of heaven, one like a man came; he came up to the One of Ancient Days, and they brought him before Him. He was given dominion, honor and kingship, so that all peoples, nations and languages would serve him; his dominion would be an everlasting dominion that would never pass, and his kingship would never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) Jacob saw this ‘man’ in his dream of the ladder, when the fourth (exile) ascended the ladder and did not seem to come back down. (Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer 35) Jacob was terrified, until God came and said, “Behold I am with you.” (Genesis 28:15)

In Obadiah’s prophecy against Edom, the ‘man’ in Daniel’s vision, and the fourth exile in Jacob’s vision, he promises: “Even if you raise your nest like an eagle or if you place your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there.” (Obadiah 1:4)

Our verse, “God is with me, I have no fear; what can people do to me,” explains Rabbi Yitzchak Eizek Chaver (Yad Mitzarim) is a reminder of Obadiah’s promise. Although we may feel that the exile is unending we must grasp and hold onto Obadiah’s promise, and David’s song, “God is with me, I have no fear; what can people do to me?”

We approach the end of the Jewish calendar year, another year and the exile has not ended. We sing this verse with joy as we celebrate Obadiah’s prophecy and David’s promise; as long as we feel that “God is with me,” especially during this month of intense relationship with God, “(we) I have no fear, what can the ‘man’ do to me?”

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“Give thanks to God Who is good, for His kindness is forever!

Let Israel declare that His Kindness is forever!

Let the House of Aaron declare that His kindness is forever!

Let those who are in awe of God declare that His kindness if forever! “ (Psalms 118:1-4)

Rav Yechezkail Levenstein explained that we must read these four verses as ascending from one level to another: We begin to offer thanks as part of the entire creation, but are not satisfied.

We rise to the level of Israel and offer songs of gratitude for the opportunities offered by being part of the covenant between God and Israel.

We are so moved by our expressions of thanks that we want to intensify the gratitude by singing as part of the “Kingdom of Priests,” as we were promised at Sinai.

Our songs of thanks raise us to a point at which we are still not satisfied with all the expressions of gratitude until this point; we want our thanks to come from an even higher point; those who achieve Awe of God.

We sing these four verses in this order as we begin the month of Elul to celebrate our opportunity to ascend to higher levels of attachment each day of the month so that the songs of thanks of the previous day are no longer sufficient to express the intensity of our gratitude.

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