Before HallelLit. “Praise” The Hallel prayers are additional prayers taken from Psalms 113-118 and are traditionally recited on the Jewish holidays of Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Chodesh, and Hanukah. was formed in Rona’s womb, the Holy One gestured to the angel in charge of the winds and said, “Bring me the wind which is in the Garden of Eden and whose name is Hallel daughter of David and Rona.” Immediately the angel went and brought the wind Hallel before the Holy One shaking and trembling, and the Holy One said to the wind: “Hallel, enter into that sperm and that egg.” And the wind Hallel opened her mouth to speak: “I am quite satisfied living in the garden of Eden. Why must I leave? I am holy and pure and formed out of Your own holiness.” And the Holy One replied,” The place where I am sending you will be even more pleasant than the Garden of Eden. And when I created you it was just for this purpose.”
The Holy One dispatched the wind Hallel and the angels placed her in her mother’s womb. There she was fed by two angels, and they guarded her and kept her safe. And in there a candle burned over her head; by its light she saw from one end of the universe to the other. There are no days in a person’s life more enjoyable than those days in the womb, and by the light of the candle the angels taught Hallel the entire TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general..
After nine months the angel announced that the time had come to enter the air of the world. Hallel protested: “Why do I have to leave? I am just fine in here!” But the angel replied, “Whether you like it or not, you are going. And mark my words, when your time comes to leave that world outside, you will not want to go.” And the child Hallel entered the air of the world. And the angel tapped her on the upper lip, leaving a mark, and the candle went out and Hallel has forgotten all that she had seen and known.
Today is the beginning of Hallel’s remembering. We give her her first word of Torah, her own name.
Modified from babynaming ceremonies by Rabbi Steven CohenPriest. Descendants of Aaron who served in the Temple in Jerusalem. Today, in the absence of a Temple, Jews continue to keep track of who is a Cohen. A Cohen is accorded certain privileges in synagogue and is forbidden from entering a graveyard or marrying a divorcee. Priesthood is patrilineal – if one’s father was a Cohen, then one is a Cohen. and Rabbi Laura Geller
