Q&A: Musical Hallel
Musical Hallel
Question
Hello Rabbi,
For the occasion of the new month of Adar, in our minyan they asked to bring musical instruments to the Shacharit prayer service so they could play during Hallel. I play the flute, so I can’t sing the verses together with everyone else; do I need to make up those verses afterward (or the entire Hallel), or do I fulfill my obligation through the verses that are said when they aren’t playing? Or perhaps I’m not allowed to play at all? And is there any practical difference regarding the blessing over Hallel?
Thank you in advance, and all the best.
Answer
An interesting question. There are those who silence people who sing along with the prayer leader, because it is considered an interruption. Others object to alternating recitation (the prayer leader and congregation responding back and forth), because then a person is not saying the entire Hallel. But in the Talmud itself, in Sukkah, we see that Hallel is said alternately. What emerges from this is that reciting Hallel is a communal act, and therefore the one who says Hallel is the congregation. Each person does his part so that the congregation will say Hallel. Therefore there is no deficiency if I say one section and you say another section. And if the congregation wants you to play while they recite, that too is, in my opinion, a communal recitation.