A Good Note — Five and a Half Hours of Hoshana Rabbah Prayer in the Shadow of

On Hoshana Rabbah, the final sealing day after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we were privileged to participate in Shacharit, Hallel, Hoshanot, and Musaf prayers together with our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. Before you is the full report from the prayer:

Shacharit and Hallel for four hours!

At 5:15, our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, entered for the Hoshana Rabbah prayer on the balcony of his home, while hundreds—one might even say close to a thousand people—who arrived to pray on the 'Day of Judgment' together with our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a, stood in the courtyard of our Beit Midrash, the prayer hall, all wrapped in white with tallit and kittel. Immediately upon entering, he began reciting the piyyut 'Sha'arei Tzion' in the sections customary to say during Chol HaMoed. Afterward, he began the morning zemirot with vitality and awakening. Following the morning zemirot, he began the Shacharit prayer—Korbanot—and at 6:00, he made the blessing on the tallit and recited the morning blessings. Subsequently, he began reciting Pesukei D'Zimra along with the additions for Hoshana Rabbah, a prayer similar to the Shacharit prayer on a Yom Tov. He extended the singing and melodies, such as the song 'Hoshia Et Amecha' for over ten minutes, and 'HaNechmadim MiZahav' for several additional minutes. After Shacharit, at 7:45, our teacher, the Rav, announced that there would now be a five-minute break to take the lulav. Indeed, after a few minutes, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, began singing the Hallel with melodies and immense vitality for over an hour and a quarter. Especially prominent was the singing of 'B'Tzet Yisrael MiMitzrayim' for twenty-five minutes, followed by the singing of 'Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov' for half an hour, during which our teacher, the Rav, paused for the customary shakings. Afterward, the stirring melody of 'Ana Hashem Hoshia Na' lasted for half an hour!! The entire large congregation that arrived for the prayer sang together with our teacher, the Rav, with immense vitality and awakening.

[caption id="attachment_52685" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] The Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a reciting Hallel on Hoshana Rabbah - Photo: Netzach Netzachim[/caption]

'Hoshia Na'

After Hallel, they began reciting the Hoshanot, the highlight of the day, for forty minutes word by word, as our teacher, the Rav, circled the bimah of the Torah scroll on the balcony with the Four Species, and after each section, our teacher, the Rav, recited the special verse for Hoshana Rabbah. In particular, when reciting 'Kol Mevaser, Mevaser VeOmer...', the loud voice of our teacher, the Rav, roared the verses, and the entire congregation was with him in a flame of fire! After finishing the recitation of the Hoshanot according to the willow beating, our teacher, the Rav, recited the psalm 'LeDavid Hashem Ori VeYishi' and the song 'Achat Sha'alti' lasted for several minutes. Afterward, our teacher, the Rav, beat the willow, saying that by beating the willow, one subdues all the forces of the Sitra Achra, and all enemies and accusers will be wiped out.

Torah Reading and the Musaf of the Day

After forty minutes of reciting the Hoshanot, the Torah reading for Hoshana, 'U'vaYom HaShevi'i', as well as the Maftir, were read for four honorees, with our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, receiving the aliyah of our holy Rebbe. Afterward, our teacher, the Rav, began the Musaf prayer and the Chazarat HaShatz with the melodies 'U'karev Pezureinu' and 'VeHavi'einu LeTzion Ircha' for over ten minutes. After Musaf, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, began reciting 'Ana'im Zemirot', and afterwards, the Tikkun HaKlali. Following the Tikkun HaKlali, our teacher, the Rav, delivered a short lesson and entered his holy abode to the singing of 'Becha Rabbeinu Nagila'. How fortunate are we that we were privileged!