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Text Excerpt
מאי ״ברכת השיר״? רב יהודה אמר: ״יהללוך ה׳ אלהינו״. ורבי יוחנן אמר: ״נשמת כל חי״. תנו רבנן: רביעי גומר עליו את ההלל, ואומר הלל הגדול, דברי רבי טרפון. ויש אומרים: ״ה׳ רועי לא אחסר״.
The Talmud asks: What is the blessing of the song mentioned in the Mishnah? Rav Yehuda said: It is the blessing that begins with: They should praise You, YHWH, our God. And R' Yoḥanan said that one also recites: The breath of all living, a prayer that follows the verses of praise [pesukei dezimra]. A baraita states: With regard to the 4th cup, one completes hallel over it and recites the great hallel; this is the statement of R' Tarfon. And some say that one recites: “YHWH is my shepherd, I should not want” (Psalms 23:1), in appreciation of the food he ate at the meal.
מהיכן הלל הגדול? רבי יהודה אומר: מ״הודו״ עד ״נהרות בבל״. ורבי יוחנן אומר: מ״שיר המעלות״ עד ״נהרות בבל״. רב אחא בר יעקב אמר: מ״כי יעקב בחר לו יה״ עד ״נהרות בבל״.
The Talmud asks: From where does the great hallel begin and where does it end? R' Yehuda says: From “Give thanks” (Psalms 136:1) until “The rivers of Babylon” (Psalms 137:1). And R' Yoḥanan says: From “A song of ascents” (Psalms 134:1) until “The rivers of Babylon.” Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: From “For YHWH has chosen Jacob for Himself” (Psalms 135:4) until “The rivers of Babylon.”
ולמה נקרא שמו הלל הגדול? אמר רבי יוחנן: מפני שהקדוש ברוך הוא יושב ברומו של עולם ומחלק מזונות לכל בריה.
The Talmud asks: And why is this section called the great hallel? R' Yoḥanan said: Because this passage states that God sits in the heights of the universe and dispenses food to every creature. The whole world praises God for His kindness through the great hallel, which includes the verse: “Who gives food to all flesh” (Psalms 136:25).
אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: הני עשרים וששה ״הודו״, כנגד מי — כנגד עשרים וששה דורות שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא בעולמו ולא נתן להם תורה, וזן אותם בחסדו.
R' Yehoshua ben Levi said: These 26 mentions of the word hodu, give praise, in this hallel (Psalms 136), to what do they correspond? He explains: They correspond to the 26 generations that God created in His world, and to whom He did not give the Torah. There were 10 generations from Adam to Noah, another 10 from Noah to Abraham, and 6 generations from Abraham to Moses and the revelation at Sinai, i.e., Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kehat, Amram, and Moses. And why did these generations survive, despite the fact that they did not learn Torah or perform mitzvot? They survived only because God sustained them through His mercy, even though they were undeserving.