recite a blessing at the beginning and end of Partial Hallel, some Sephardi Jews do not, particularly if the blessing they recite at the beginning of Full Hallel is (to complete the Hallel) instead of (to read the Hallel) as recited by Ashkenazi Jews. New Testament The New Testament accounts of the Last Supper state that Jesus and his disciples "sang a psalm" or "hymn" after the meal before leaving for the Mount of Olives (, ), which may have been the Hallel. The Last Supper is popularly considered to have been a celebration of the Passover, although this is controversial among scholars. Jesus, like any other literate Jew in the first century, may well have known how to chant the Psalms in Hebrew, especially the famous Hallel psalms which were an integral part of the Passover. Musical settings In the Jewish tradition, there are well established and various melodies for the singing of Hallel. Some of the psalms are sung while others are recited silently or under the breath. Other Hallel sequences The name "Hallel" is normally applied to Psalms 113–118. For greater specificity this is sometimes called the Egyptian Hallel (). This name is due to its mention of the Exodus from Egypt in . The term Great Hallel () is used to refer to Psalm 136; according to other opinions in the Talmud, Great Hallel refers to either Psalms 135-136 or 134-136. Pesukei dezimra is also described by the Talmud as a kind of Hallel. Other Hallel times Many Jewish communities, especially those which identify with religious Zionism, recite Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) and some also recite it on Yom Yerushalayim (the day commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967). The Chief Rabbinate of Israel instructs Jews to recite Hallel during Yom Ha'atzmaut. On those occasions, Hallel is usually chanted aloud as part of Shacharit (the morning prayer service) following the Shacharit's Shemoneh Esreh ("The Eighteen", the main prayer). See also Biblical poetry Day to Praise Hallelujah List of Jewish prayers and blessings Takbir References Further reading Cup of Salvation: A Powerful Journey Through King David's Psalms of Praise by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki (Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation, Gefen Publishing, 2017) Anthems for a Dying Lamb: How Six Psalms (113-118) Became a Songbook for the Last Supper and the Age to Come by Philip S. Ross (Fearn, Christian Focus Publications, 2017) External links