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Following Our Shabbat Evening Service

Here you can find the Service Stream along with the Service Booklet and Source Sheet that we'll be using in this week's Shabbat Evening Service. You can either follow them below online, or download them to your device.

We hope you can join us in person for our services - we no longer require members and visitors to book in (though if you are a first time visitor to our building, we do ask you to complete this Visitor's Form ahead of time!). For those that are not able, or do not yet feel comfortable, joining us in person, please do join via Zoom! Members can click here, for the login details. If you cannot see the links page, please email the office. 

If you'd like to be more involved in our Shabbat Services, click here to find out more!

To follow the Shabbat Morning service, click here.

Friday Night Service Order

Our Shabbat Evening Services are full of joyous music as we welcome in the Sabbath together. As part of our Chuliyot initiative, we want all members to feel comfortable enough to join in with the tunes and melodies of our service. As such, we've created a resource bank so you can familiarise yourself with the music of our Friday Night Service. Stay tuned for more updates as we also delve into the meaning behind specific texts and also how to familiarise yourself with other parts of the service. Click here to access the page!

Our Friday Evening Prayer Book

Download our Prayer Book here.

Our Shabbat Learning

Download our Friday Evening Learning here.

How is Hallel different for Pesach?

Mishnah Pesachim 10.5

בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג), וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם. לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִין לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה, וּלְקַלֵּס, לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִּסִּים הָאֵלּוּ, הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו, הַלְלוּיָהּ:

In each and every generation a person must view himself as though he personally left Egypt, as it is stated: “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: It is because of this which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). Therefore we are obligated to thank, praise, glorify, extol, exalt, honor, bless, revere, and laud [lekales] the One who performed for our forefathers and for us all these miracles: He took us out from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to a Festival, from darkness to a great light, and from enslavement to redemption. And we will say before Him: Halleluya.

  • From this text why do we say/sing Hallel on Seder night? What could be its power?

Mishnah Pesachim 10.6, beginning

עַד הֵיכָן הוּא אוֹמֵר, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, עַד אֵם הַבָּנִים שְׂמֵחָה. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, עַד חַלָּמִישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ מָיִם.

Until where does one recite hallel? Beit Shammai say: Until “[Who makes the barren woman dwell in her house as] a joyful mother of children, halleluya” (Psalms 113:9). And Beit Hillel say: Until “[Who turned the rock into a pool of water,] the flint into a fountain of waters” (Psalms 114:8)

  • Can you come up with reasons for these two different positions on whether to say just psalm 113 before the meal, or psalms 113 and 114?

  • You might want to think about both the specific verses quoted and the whole psalm, thinking with each psalm below: what does it have to do with the Pesach story?

 

Psalm 113

(1) Hallelujah. O servants of the Eternal, give praise; praise the name of the Eternal. 

(2) Let the name of the Eternal be blessed now and forever. 

(3) From east to west the name of the Eternal is praised. 

(4) The Eternal is exalted above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. 

(5) Who is like the Eternal our God, who, enthroned on high, 

(6) sees what is below, in heaven and on earth? 

(7) He raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the refuse heap 

(8) to set them with the princes, with the princes of His people. 

(9) He sets the childless woman among her household as a happy mother of children. Hallelujah.

(א) הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ ׀ הַ֭לְלוּ עַבְדֵ֣י יי הַֽ֝לְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם יי׃

 

(ב) יְהִ֤י שֵׁ֣ם יי מְבֹרָ֑ךְ מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם׃ 

 

(ג) מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֥מֶשׁ עַד־מְבוֹא֑וֹ מְ֝הֻלָּ֗ל שֵׁ֣ם יי׃ 

 

(ד) רָ֖ם עַל־כָּל־גּוֹיִ֥ם ׀ יי עַ֖ל הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃ 

 

(ה) מִ֭י כַּיי אֱלֹקֵ֑ינוּ הַֽמַּגְבִּיהִ֥י לָשָֽׁבֶת׃ 

 

(ו) הַֽמַּשְׁפִּילִ֥י לִרְא֑וֹת בַּשָּׁמַ֥יִם וּבָאָֽרֶץ׃ 

 

(ז) מְקִֽימִ֣י מֵעָפָ֣ר דָּ֑ל מֵֽ֝אַשְׁפֹּ֗ת יָרִ֥ים אֶבְיֽוֹן׃

 

(ח) לְהוֹשִׁיבִ֥י עִם־נְדִיבִ֑ים עִ֝֗ם נְדִיבֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹ׃ 

(ט) מֽוֹשִׁיבִ֨י ׀ עֲקֶ֬רֶת הַבַּ֗יִת אֵֽם־הַבָּנִ֥ים שְׂמֵחָ֗ה הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃

  • What possible emotions are being expressed here? What is the psalmist asking for?

  • What qualities of the Divine are celebrated here?

  • What possible links are there between this psalm and the story of the Exodus?

 

Psalm 114

When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,

Judah became His -holy one, Israel, His dominion.

The sea saw them and fled, Jordan ran backward,

mountains skipped like rams, hills like sheep.

What alarmed you, O sea, that you fled, Jordan, that you ran backward,

mountains, that you skipped like rams, hills, like sheep?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flinty rock into a fountain.

בְּצֵ֣את יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם בֵּ֥ית יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב מֵעַ֥ם לֹעֵֽז׃

הָיְתָ֣ה יְהוּדָ֣ה לְקָדְשׁ֑וֹ יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָֽיו׃

הַיָּ֣ם רָ֭אָה וַיָּנֹ֑ס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן יִסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר׃

הֶֽ֭הָרִים רָקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־צֹֽאן׃

מַה־לְּךָ֣ הַ֭יָּם כִּ֣י תָנ֑וּס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן תִּסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר׃

הֶֽ֭הָרִים תִּרְקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־צֹֽאן׃

מִלִּפְנֵ֣י אָ֭דוֹן ח֣וּלִי אָ֑רֶץ מִ֝לִּפְנֵ֗י אֱל֣וֹהַּ יַעֲקֹֽב׃

הַהֹפְכִ֣י הַצּ֣וּר אֲגַם־מָ֑יִם חַ֝לָּמִ֗ישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ־מָֽיִם׃

 

  • What happens in the Psalm? What event is being referenced?

  • What imagery is used and why?

  • What is the emotional experience of the psalmist here?

  • What is the connection of this Psalm to Pesach?

  • How many questions appear in verses 5-8? What is the connection here to the seder?

 

Thu, 1 May 2025 3 Iyar 5785