Articles
Davening Hallel on Chanukah
November 25, 2021
Rabbi Avrohom Aba Freundlich
Rosh Bais Horaah
Lakewood, NJ
Q A woman only has time to say part of Hallel. May she say the bracha on Hallel?
A No.
Q Is there any difference if it is a day when one says whole Hallel or a day when one says half Hallel?
A There is no difference. One may recite the bracha only when saying the entire required Hallel.
Q A woman is driving to work and wants to say Hallel by heart in the car. She knows basically everything by heart but will definitely miss some words and possibly some pesukim. May she recite the bracha on Hallel?
A No.
Q A woman doesn’t usually have time before going to work to say all of the required Hallel, so she plans on saying just the beginning without a bracha. In the end, her ride is late and she realizes she can finish the entire Hallel. May she now make a bracha in the middle, since she will finish the entire Hallel?
A No. If she wants to make a bracha she must start again from the beginning and say everything.
Q In the above case, when the woman finishes Hallel without reciting the bracha in the beginning, may she say the bracha at the end of Hallel?
A Yes.
Q A woman mistakenly only said chatzi Hallel, half Hallel. She finds out afterward that on Chanukah one says Hallel shalem, whole Hallel. May she just say the additional pieces she left out?
A If she hasn’t yet said the last bracha, she can go back to the part she left out and continue in order. If she already said the last bracha, she should say the entire Hallel again, in order.
Q Should she make another bracha before and after Hallel when saying it a second time?
A Yes.
Q A woman only has time to daven some parts of davening every morning before work. She usually says at least Brachos, Shema, and Shemoneh Esrei. On Chanukah she has a few more minutes to daven. Should she daven a little bit more of Shacharis or say Hallel?
A Either one. Whatever she enjoys more.
Q A woman makes time every day to daven Shacharis before work. She can push for a few more minutes. Should she daven Hallel or Mussaf?
A Hallel, since it’s the zman of Shacharis and Hallel is part of Shacharis.
Q Until what time may one say Hallel?
A Until sunset.
Q It’s before shkiah, sunset, and a woman realizes she didn’t daven Hallel, Mussaf, and Minchah. Which should she say if she only has time for one?
A Minchah.
Q It’s before shkiah and a woman realizes she didn’t daven Hallel and Mussaf. Which should she say if she only has time for one?
A Either one.
Halachah: When davening Hallel privately, one should say Hodu, Yomar Na, and the two Yomru Na together with two other people. One person should be the chazzan and say all four sentences, pasuk by pasuk, the way it is said in shul. The other two people should answer Hodu like is done in shul.
Q Does this halachah apply only to men or also to women?
A It applies to women also.
Q A woman may not daven Minchah after she lights Shabbos candles. It is Erev Shabbos Chanukah, when her husband lights the Chanukah candles before shkiah, and she hadn’t yet davened Hallel, Mussaf, or Minchah. May she recite these tefillos after the Chanukah candles are lit but before she lights the Shabbos candles, since these Chanukah candles are proclaiming the next day, Shabbos, and the tefillos are for the previous day, Friday?
A She may.
Q How does this apply to a man? Should he daven Minchah b’yechidus before lighting Chanukah candles to avoid the tarti d’sasri, or should he say it after lighting, b’tzibbur?
Q Is Hallel said on Chanukah in a beis avel?
A Yes, the avel leaves the room and Hallel is said as usual.
Halachah: Kaddish Tiskabel is usually said at the end of davening after Ashrei and U’va L’Tziyon. When Hallel is said there is usually also a Mussaf, and in that case, Kaddish Tiskabel is said after Hallel and a second Kaddish Tiskabel is said after Mussaf. Chanukah is the exception to the rule. Since no Mussaf is said, we say Kaddish Tiskabel like we do every day after Ashrei and U’va L’Tziyon, and Chatzi Kaddish is saidafter Hallel.
Q If by mistake Kaddish Tiskabel was said after Hallel on Chanukah, what should be said after U’va L’Tziyon?
A Kaddish Tiskabel should be repeated.