Since I did not merit writing new insights into the Seder after the meal except for the Psalm which is called Hallel HaGadol (Ps. 136) I debated whether I should include it with the Haggadah or not. Afterwards, I said, since it is a passage pertaining to the event, I will give thanks with my whole heart and I will speak of God’s kindness, for they are forever. Rabbi Foa הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב “Give thanks to HaShem for God is good...” (Ps. 136) The Sages call this psalm Hallel HaGadol since in it one praises God who feeds, sustains and maintains the world according to a Torah of living-kindness for 26 generations³¹⁹ from the creation until the giving of the Torah. Actually, according to (the principles of) justice God should have turned the world back to chaos after Adam and Cain sinned. But the Exodus from Egypt was essential to the receiving of the Torah, as is stated, “And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain,” (Ex. 3:12) and the essence of this psalm is about the loving-kindness that God showed to maintain the world even without the Torah, we continue to praise and celebrate how God took us out of Egypt. At the proper time, one should praise God with this song of praise. ואולם. However, one should note the connection between these praises and the 26 generations (between creation and Sinai). Even though the numbers (of verses and generations) are the same, I might have thought that the 26 generations was referring (to the generations) from the birth of Peretz to (King) Tzidkiyahu during which God watched over Israel with a Torah of loving-kindness and did not pour out wrath upon them, casting them out, even though they rebelled against from the time that Jacob’s sons died and Egypt enslaved them. In every generation the people angered God. אמנם However, the Psalms are true and their words are true, and one should not part from their words, for, “The mysteries of HaShem are for those who fear Him; to them He makes known His covenant.” (Ex. 25:14) For one cannot say that the Holy Spirit was on the tongue of King David, (and his words) refers to the generations from Peretz to King Tzidkiyahu, for then the world would have returned to chaos, and there was more loving-kindness from that time forward because God did not wipe them out. It is better to say that the verses of this Psalm were for the 26 generations in which there was no Torah yet. From that time forward, loving-kindness was unnecessary because Torah helped maintain the world. God performed many acts of loving-kindness in the world besides those that are mentioned in Scripture such as, the manna, the well and above all of them the giving of the Torah. It is fitting to give a reason why it mentions these events as opposed to others. נ"ל Each of the verses (of Psalm 136) refers to one of the 26 generations which preceded the giving of the Torah. King David wished to praise God in the name of the Jewish people and thank HaShem for the acts of Kindness performed for them. (King David) begins with the creation of the world because God created the world for them, as Scripture states, “In the beginning (b’reishit) God created,” (meaning) ‘For the sake of Israel, who are called Reishit, God created…’ God suffered the world for 26 generations even though none of them were unfit, since in the end Israel would receive the Torah. The first verse is for the generation of Adam. He said, “Praise (hodu) HaShem; for He is good,” (Ps. 136:1) David praises God who forgave Adam’s sin. This is what the Midrash states; The Sabbath defended Adam, keeping him from dying. As a result Adam said, “A psalm. A song; for the Sabbath day.” (Ps 92:1) The Sabbath then said to him, “It is good to praise (lihodot) HaShem…” (Ps. 92:2) And so he did.³²⁰ Psalm 92 Further, the sages asked in a Midrash , “What is the meaning of: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good” (Ps. 136:1)? It means giving thanks to HaShem’s who exacts one’s debt, (the punishment for a person’s sins and wickedness,) in accordance with the goodness of each individual. God punishes each person based on his means. He punishes a wealthy person by taking his ox, and He punishes a poor person by means of his sheep. He punishes the orphan by taking away his egg, and He punishes the widow by means of her chicken…” ³²¹ 118a The translation is taken from Sefaria. The rich person is the first human being, Adam, had the strength to bear the punishment which was meted out to him because Adam was fastidious and enjoyed all the pleasures in the Garden of Eden. When Adam went out from the Garden to work the land with his hands and suffer greatly before he could eat - it is a wonder he didn’t die. But Adam developed great strength from all of this suffering. That is why he was called, “the rich person who paid with “bulls with horns and hooves.” (Ps. 69:32)

footnotes: ³¹⁹ There are 26 praises in Hallel HaGadol, for the twenty six generations. ³²⁰ See Midrash Tehilim/Shochar Tov ³²¹ See BT Pesachim

ה֭וֹדוּ לֵאלֹהֵ֣י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים “Praise the God of gods…” (Ps. 136:2) This is for the generation of Seth who didn’t live in the generation of idolatry. The whole world knew that Hashem was the “God of gods.” This was not the case in the time of Enosh; they began to call to God by other names rather than pray to God with the name of HaShem. Therefore, it says for him, “Praise the Lord of lords,” (Ps. 136:3) because at that time they had to acknowledge that HaShem was “the Lord,” and Patron of all below. God inundated them with the sea and drowned a third of them.”³²² 38:10 But in his loving kindness, he let the rest (of humanity) live even though they weren’t worthy.

footnotes: ³²² Bereshit Rabbah

לְעֹ֘שֵׂ֤ה נִפְלָא֣וֹת גְּדֹל֣וֹת לְבַדּ֑וֹ “Who alone works great marvels” (Ps. 136:4) This was the generation of Kenan. (Gen 5:12) In the D”H³²³ it states that Ada and Tzilah, the wives of Lamekh,³²⁴ were the daughters of Kenan. In Lamekh’s generation men began giving their wives a sterility potion so that they wouldn’t get pregnant and so their beauty would not be diminished. Rashi gives a reason for the names Ada and Tzilah. Tzilah was so called because she sat in the shadow of an adorned house like a bride while Ada was wrapped in a cloak like a mourner who was about to give birth. It is well known that the Holy one does not give the key to childbirth over to human beings.³²⁵. Even though Tzilah was barren because of the infertility potion which Lamekh gave her, still she gave birth to a child. That is why it states, “As for Zillah, she gave birth….” (Gen 4:22) even though she was incapable. With regard to this Scripture states, “Who alone works great marvels” (Ps. 136:4) for God visits the barren.

footnotes: ³²³ D”H is most likely Divrei Hayamim, the book of Chronicles, though I am uncertain about this. Chronicles lists the genealogy of the generations but says nothing more about the individuals who are listed, ³²⁴ See Rashi on Genesis 4:16 - it was the custom of that generation to take two wives, one for bearing children and the other for pleasure…. See Bereshit Rabbah 23:2 ³²⁵ See BT Ta’anit 2a, Though Rabbi Foa lists the reference to the first chapter of Rosh Hashanah

לְעֹשֵׂ֣ה הַ֭שָּׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָ֑ה “Who made the heavens with wisdom…” (Ps. 136:5) This is for the generation of Mahalalel. It states in D”H that Kenan, his father, was a great sage. In Sefer HaYuchasin it states³²⁶ that he ruled over spirits and demons. With his wisdom he saw that the Blessed Holy One would bring a great flood upon the world. He wrote about this on tablets of marble in order to publicize it to the world. As a result many people turned from the idols that they worshipped. That is why he was called Mahalalel. It was a way of saying that it is fitting and obligatory for us to praise God, the master of loving-kindness, who performs kind deeds for us so as not to bring a flood upon us in our time. Regarding this, King David, of blessed memory, wrote the verse, “Who made the heavens with wisdom…” (Ps. 136:5) It was to remove from their hearts their first assumption, that God had left the world and allowed it to be ruled over by angels. (Some believed) that the heavens were watched over by them and not by God. Rather God made the heavens , so that God constantly creates and sustains them and watches over them.

footnotes: ³²⁶ The Book of Lineage, by Abraham Zacuto; (12 August 1452 – c. 1515) a Castilian astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, rabbi and historian who served as Royal Astronomer to King John II of Portugal. Abraham Zacuto - Wikipedia

לְרֹקַ֣ע הָ֭אָרֶץ עַל־הַמָּ֑יִם “Who spread the earth over the waters…” (Ps. 136:6) Refers to the generation of Yered the world became diminished from what it was. This was so because they added anger to their sins. It was in his generation that Uza and Azel came down from heaven and went astray by pursuing the daughters of human beings.³²⁷ Despite God the Holy Blessed One treated them with kindness and did not punish the generation.

footnotes: ³²⁷ See Genesis 6:1ff

לְ֭עֹשֵׂה אוֹרִ֣ים גְּדֹלִ֑ים “Who made the great light.” (Ps. 136:7) This refers to the generation of Enoch who became an angel, greater than all the other angels… whose face was brighter than the illumination of the firmament and whose light extended to great distance. This is referred to in the expression “Who made the great light.”

אֶת־הַ֭שֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת בַּיּ֑וֹם “The sun which dominates the day.” (Ps. 136: 8) Refers to the generation of the righteous person,Methuselah. When he died, the flood came and the lights no longer served (the world). It was as if the sun descended when it still should have been bringing light. Therefore the day was called the time that the sun dominates. Because all the time that he was in the world, he did not see the darkness of suffering.

אֶת־הַיָּרֵ֣חַ וְ֭כוֹכָבִים לְמֶמְשְׁל֣וֹת בַּלָּ֑יְלָה “The moon and the stars to dominate the night,” (Ps. 136:9) This refers to the generation of Lemech since he too was a righteous man. After he died (God brought) the great flood so that he wouldn’t have to see his children drowned. Despite this, in comparison with his father he was like the moon next to the light of the sun. The stars were like Noah and his sons that ruled by night; that is in the ark in which there was no light.

לְמַכֵּ֣ה מִ֭צְרַיִם בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶ֑ם “Who struck Egypt through their first born.” (Ps. 136:10) This refers to the generation of Noah in whose time God smote all life with the waters of the flood. The Psalm states, “Their firstborn;” because, just as God smote the Egyptians by way of their firstborn, since it is not the way of ethics for a child to strike his parent (be the cause of his parents punishment), so too in the generation of the flood God smote all the animals, as the verse states, “That same day Noah and Noah’s sons… went into the ark…” (Gen. 7:13) They were not like the rest of the world whose fear and terror did not occur until that last moment.

וַיּוֹצֵ֣א יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָ֑ם “God brought Israel out of their midst.” (Ps. 136:11) This refers to the generation of Shem, from whom Israel was descended. The word Vayotzei - God brought out - is a reference to the generation of Noah and his sons who went out of the ark. Ham and Canaan immediately sinned (as soon as they left the ark). This was the judgment of their generations and yet in God’s loving-kindness God continued to sustain them.

בְּיָ֣ד חֲ֭זָקָה “With a strong hand...” (Ps. 136:12) This refers to the generation of Arpachshad. I did not find any Midrashim regarding his life, even though I had heard that in one book they wrote great things about him but I did not merit to find it. Therefore, I was not able to find any references to this verse. Similarly, with regard to the verse, לְגֹזֵ֣ר יַם־ס֭וּף לִגְזָרִ֑ים “Who split apart the Sea of Reeds,” (Ps. 136: 13) which refers to the generation of Shelah.

וְהֶעֱבִ֣יר יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל בְּתוֹכ֑וֹ “And made Israel pass through it.” (Ps. 136:14) This refers to the generation of Eber because the word Liha’avir is spelled *Eber Yud, Hay Vav.*³²⁸ He was called Eber because he served HaShem, a great and awesome God. He was the absolute leader to our forefather Israel and to the rest of the nations. When Scripture states, “Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem,” (Ex. 12:6) it means that he went to the home of Eber as we wrote in Parshat Lech Lecha but the other people of his generation did not do so. Therefore that generation was worthy of destruction but the Holy One sustained them according to the Torah of loving kindness.

footnotes: ³²⁸ I am not certain how he understands this.

וְנִ֘עֵ֤ר פַּרְעֹ֣ה וְחֵיל֣וֹ בְיַם־ס֑וּף “Who hurled Pharaoh and his Army into the Sea of Reeds.” (Ps. 136:15) This refers to the generation of Peleg. In his time the earth was divided but God shook them up and sustained them.

לְמוֹלִ֣יךְ עַ֭מּוֹ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר “Who led His people through the wilderness,” (Ps. 136:16) This refers to the generation of Reu. Just as God shepherded (Ro’eh) the people through the wilderness for forty years, so God shepherded the generation of Reu with loving- kindness - that is why he was called Reu. Or it could be from the word Reiyah, grazing; in his generation there was a famine.

לְ֭מַכֵּה מְלָכִ֣ים גְּדֹלִ֑ים “Who struck down great kings.,” (Ps. 136:17) refers to the generation of Serug. It was at that time that the nations began to fight with one another - that is why he was called Serug, like the verse, “Imposed upon my neck,” (Lam. 1:14) This is an expression of confusion.

וַֽ֭יַּהֲרֹג מְלָכִ֣ים אַדִּירִ֑ים “God slew mighty kings.” (Ps. 136: 18) refers to the generation of Nachor. In his days Nimrod ruled who caused the whole world to rebel against God. He brought anger upon the world, and therefore he was called Nachor, the same letters of Haron.

לְ֭סִיחוֹן מֶ֣לֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִ֑י “Sichon, the king of Amorites,” (Ps. 136:19) refers to the generation of Terach, father of Abraham. He was a chief minister of Nimrod as is written in the book of Divrei Hayamim. Just as Sichon was the doorway to the land of Canaan because everyone trusted his might, so too, everyone trusted the might of Terach. He was a great man and was referred to as the King of the Amorites, from the word Amirah, speaking. This was because he spoke libel against his son Abraham to Nimrod.

וּ֭לְעוֹג מֶ֣לֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֑ן “Or king of Bashan,” (Ps.136:20) refers to Abraham because it was in his time, Sihon was the refugee who came and told Abraham that his brother’s son was being held hostage. They debated matters of astronomy and theology.

וְנָתַ֣ן אַרְצָ֣ם לְנַחֲלָ֑ה “God gave their land as a heritage” (Ps. 136:21) refers to Isaac, for the land was given to him as an inheritance to be mainly for him and his offspring, the seed of Abraham.

נַ֭חֲלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל עַבְדּ֑וֹ “A heritage to his servant, Israel,” (Ps. 136:22) refers to the generation of Jacob. For the land was given to Jacob as an inheritance because he served God with all his heart.

שֶׁ֭בְּשִׁפְלֵנוּ זָ֣כַר לָ֑נוּ “God took note of our degradation.” (Ps. 136:23) this refers to Kehat, for our enemies blunted (hikhu) their teeth with idolatry.

וַיִּפְרְקֵ֥נוּ מִצָּרֵ֑ינוּ “God rescued us from our enemies,” (Ps. 136:24) נֹתֵ֣ן לֶ֭חֶם לְכׇל־בָּשָׂ֑ר “Who gives bread to all flesh,” (Ps. 136:25) This is the generation of Amram. For he was like an Omer of grain that was sufficient to sustain many people, so great was his merit to feed the entire world. For he was a completely righteous person who was pure as an Omer of grain and without sin. This is what the sages stated, the serpent died in his time.

ה֭וֹדוּ לְאֵ֣ל הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם “Praise the God of heaven,” (Ps. 136:26) refers to the generation of Moses, for the word Shamayim is Moshe (Moses) Mi (Who). This name alludes to the fact that Moses merited to reach fifty gates of understanding (). It is fitting, therefore, to give thanks to God for the Kindness that he performed in the world. Further, because, the Psalm, “It is good to praise HaShem…” (Ps. 92:2) is one of the Psalms which he wrote. Therefore, it states here, “Praise the God of heaven.” We only praise God. For this is something which he constantly warned Israel about. If we say that Adam said this, they forgot about it. Moses returned and said this, a type of praise that David returned to with the Holy Spirit and said it.

אלו כ''ו דורות These are the 26 generations during which the Holy One fed the world with laws of kindness because the leaders of the generations were all righteous. Even Terah the seller of idols was a righteous man because he knew that real fear is of God. And in his abundant piety of God, he gave his son over to martyrdom in order to sanctify the awesome name of God. And when he knew the truth, they turned in repentance even though their generation was wicked. For that which was taught, “there were ten generations from Adam to Noah,” and, “There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham,” all of which continued to anger God, yet the Holy One continued to sustain them with the law of kindness until the Torah was given which maintains the existence of the world. תם ונשלם