1,418. The Earliest Practice for Reciting Hallel

Hilchos Megillah v’Chanukah 3:12

In the time of the early Sages, Hallel was recited as follows: after reciting the bracha, an adult would start reciting Hallel and say “Hallelujah,” to which the people would respond “Hallelujah.” He would then read “Hallelu avdei Hashem,” praise, servants of God (Psalms 113:1) and the people would respond “Hallelujah.” He then read “Hallelu es shem Hashem,” praise the Name of God (Psalms 117), and the people would respond Hallelujah. He then read “Yehi shem Hashem mevorach me’atah v’ad olam,” may God’s Name be blessed from now until eternity (Psalms 113:2) and all the people would respond “Hallelujah,” continuing this way for every line. In this way, the people would respond Hallelujah 123 times during Hallel. A mnemonic to remember this is the number of years in Aharon’s life.

Hilchos Megillah v’Chanukah 3:13

When the shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader) reached the start of each chapter of Psalms recited in Hallel, the people would repeat the line he recited. For example, when he said, “b’tzeis Yisrael miMitzrayim,” when Israel left Egypt (Psalms 114:1), the people would repeat “b’tzeis Yisrael miMitzrayim.”He then recited “beis Yaakov meam loez,” the house of Jacob from a people of a foreign language (ibid.), and they responded with “Hallelujah,” continuing in this manner until the leader recited the first line of the next chapter, “ahavti ki yishma Hashem es koli tachanunai,” I have loved God because He hears my voice and supplication (Psalms 116), which the people would repeat. The same is true when the leader reached “Hallelu es Hashem,” all nations praise God (Psalms 117), which the leader would recite and the people would respond.