Chacham Maran Ovadia Yosef Shlita announced that one is permitted to recite Hallel on Independence Day without a bracha. The Rav adds it is preferable to push off the recitation of Hallel until completing the davening, since one should not insert tefillos into the prescribed text.
The Rav explains that gedolim have voiced various opinions regarding the recitation of Hallel, since Chazal did not insert it into the tefilla for this day we are not accustomed to do so but one cannot discard the miracles resulting in the establishment of the country and the ability of Jews to return to their Homeland.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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16 Responses
“since Chazal did not insert it into the tefilla for this day we are not accustomed to do so ”
It sounds like the Rav is saying that it is not the minhag to say hallel, but it would be mutar, “not be an aveira” to say hallel without a bracha.
He never said that we “should” say it.
Furthermore, saying hallel without a bracha is essentially just reciting regular Tehillim, which can’t be wrong in any case.
“since Chazal did not insert it into the tefilla for this day we are not accustomed to do so”
I’m not sure I understand this. The overwhelming majority of tefillos were not written or inserted by chazal. This is true of shabbos dvening, yom tov davening and even weekday davening. Yomim noraim is full of tefillos and piyutim that were inserted much later as are the kinos on Tisha B’Av. I don’t understand his statement.
Of course without a bracha. This is our custom even on Rosh-Chodesh. We do not say Hallel with a Bracha there either. The difference here is that on this day, we put Hallel at the end of the Tefilah because it is not part of the Nusach Ha’Tefilah.
Happy Birthday Israel
the Chazon Ish z”l said Tachnun on Yom Hatzmoas even when the was a Bris in his Shul
Just a little something I found on the web. I don’t vouch for it’s authenticity.
Successes and Failures of Medinat Yisrael
Many note that although we are grateful to Hashem for giving us Medinat Yisrael, we must acknowledge the shortcomings of Medinat Yisrael. Besides the chronic (and current acute) security problems, there are spiritual shortcomings. Rav Ovadia Hadaya (Teshuvot Yaskil Avdi O.C. 10:7) rules that Hallel should not be recited on Yom Haatzmaut because of the unstable security situation. Instead, he suggests reciting the chapters of Hallel (omitting the Beracha) after the completion of Tefillah. Rav Ovadia Yosef relates that Rav Zvi Pesach Frank did not recite Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut in his Bait Midrash because of the security problems and the spiritual shortcomings of the nation. Moreover, the Chazon Ish (Letters of the Chazon Ish, number 97) writes that it is inappropriate for this generation, with all of its spiritual flaws, to institute new practices. The Chazon Ish wrote this in connection with establishing Yom Hashoah, and his reasoning applies to instituting the recitation of Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut.
Nevertheless, many Gedolim endorse reciting Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut. Rav Meshulem Roth (Teshuvot Kol Mevaser 21) and Teshuvot Neitzer Mataai (number 36) rule that Hallel may be recited with a Beracha, while other Gedolim believe that it should be recited without a Beracha. These Gedolim include Rav Ovadia Yosef (Teshuvot Yabia Omer 6:O.C. 41), Rav Aharon Soloveitchik (Gesher, Yeshiva University, 1969), and Rav Yitzchak Herzog (cited in Teshuvot Yabia Omer 6: O.C. 42).
Rav Ovadia notes that although we are profoundly disappointed at the overall spiritual level in Israel, we should appreciate the incredible growth of Torah study and observance in many sectors of the population. He writes that Israel has become the world Torah center. We add that today almost all very serious Halachic questions are referred to the great Halachic authorities in Israel for adjudication. This constitutes a sea change relative to the situation that existed in America only two decades ago.
Some cite the Halacha (Mishna Berura 219:2) that one recites Birchat Hagomel only upon full recovery from illness and not partial recovery as support for omitting Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut. They claim that the Jewish People have only partially recovered from the illness of the Holocaust and the Exile and thus it is not yet time to recite Hallel for the establishment of the State of Israel. Others respond that the Gemara (Berachot 59b) states that when one hears of his father’s death, he should recite two Berachot if there is an inheritance. He recites Dayan Emet upon the death and Shehechiyanu upon the joy of the inheritance. Halacha appreciates and addresses complexity and ambivalence. Accordingly, many recite Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut as well as mourn on Tisha B’av. We celebrate the accomplishments of Medinat Yisrael on Yom Haatzmaut and mourn what we lack on Tisha B’av.
Just in case people are wondering, I don’t say Hallel on this day. Although, Tehillim every day is a good thing. 🙂
I’m of the view that a non-Torah run Jewish State is a Chilul Hashem and choose to wait until things change. Then we can all say Hallel (WITH A BRACHAH)!
I recite Hallel on Y”H as a reminder that it is HaShem, not humans, who is responsible for all miracles and tragedies.
FWIW, Rov Soloveitchik z’tz’l insisted that *if* one is to say Hallel it should be said on 5 Iyar, not 6 Iyar as is done this year.
To#5,Softwords, you should change your name to HARSHWORDS for calling the Jewish State a “chillul HaShem”, For your information,it was HaShem Himself, that created the “Medinat Israel” because if you read the Neviim and other Torah sources, you will see that it was HaShem will to happen and not men.
The headline for this article is deceitful as it implies Rav Ovadia said one SHOULD say Hallel while the body of the article is clear that he only said that IF one recites it it should bo w/o a beracha.
to the PachadYitzchak fan:
the fact is that if you will read the Meiri on Maseches Megillah you will discover that
saying hallel without a brachah is still a kiyum of Hallel and not just saying tehillim! – look for it yourself – yagata umatzata –
The return of Israel is a miracle beyond our ability to fathom. I won’t enter into the debate regarding Halel. Bt I will say this – do we know in reality who is more endeared to G-d, someone who is a Shomer Shabbat or a soldier who is willing to die for Israel and the Jewish people. Lets wake up and stop judging each other. that way Moshiach will come and then we’ll surely be able to say Hallel (full Hallel and with a Bracha).
Uzi, I thought his words were quite soft, and your attributing the State’s creation to G-d is no different than attributing any other disaster to G-d.
Yes, it only happened because G-d allowed it to happen. But no prophet has ever stated that G-d WANTED the State of Israel to come into being, and there is no evidence to support that hypothesis.
On the contrary, there is ample documentation that the greatest Rabbis of the time warned it was not the correct thing to do.
In any event, there is a difference between allowing and wanting. Did G-d allow it? Obviously – it happened. Did he want it? Logic would suggest not, but ask your nearest prophet if you want to know for sure.
and in our shul, we say chatzi hallel without a bracha..thereby being “mekayim” most shittos without the problem of a “bracha levatallah”. Also, for all who reside OUTSIDE of eretz yisroel, it is not clear whether one should say hallel- as technically, we were not there duirng the “Ness”. Hence, the chatzi hallel without a bracha.(and preferably on 5 iyar, as charliehall says)
Softword wrote:
>I’m of the view that a non-Torah run Jewish State is a Chilul Hashem and choose to wait until things change.
>Then we can all say Hallel (WITH A BRACHAH)!
when rav tzvi yehuda kook was asked, how can we support a state whose leaders are not torah followers, he answered: are they worse than achav, worse than omri ?
To#11 instead of having a rosh katan, you should have a rosh gadol,looks like that you NEVER studied the Neviim carefully enough, especially Yermiyahu and Yecheskel, the problem is that most Religious Jews do not learn the Neviim well, but your sarcasm shows me how katan you are in Torah knowledge. Remember what HaShem said in Yeshayahu 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares HaShem. So, you think that you have HaShem all figure out, you are WRONG.
#3 – Ashkenazic minhag is to say Hallel with a bracha on Rosh Chodesh.
We recite full Hallel on Chanukah yet 200 years after the miracle, the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed. Furthermore, those 200 years weren’t exactly years of peace, security, and tranquility, nor were they years of spiritual greatness.
But Chazal has a concept that we say Hallel for miracles despite the aftermath.
But Yoim Ha’atzmaus is different. In the aftermath of the miracle, there is an army that is ranked as one of the top in the world and provides plenty of security to the Jewish People (not just in Eretz Yisroel; their mere existence is a preventative measure against wide-scale state-sponsored attacks against Jews in all corners of the world). Furthermore, their has been a resurgence and abundance of Torah study in Eretz Yisroel the likes of which has not been seen there since the time of the Second Beis HaMikdash.
To deny the fact that the return of the Jewish People to Eretz Yisroel was done in a miraculous way and is the will/want of Hashem is to deny the fact that Hashem has a hand in every single thing of this world, which is tantamount to kefirah.
Baruch Hashem, I did my best to avoid any kefirah and recognized our gratitude to Hashem for returning us to our homeland!