Soul and Body in Praise

הלל והודאה בחי' נפש וגוף.

Hallel and thanksgiving correspond to the soul and the body.

The Sefat Emet opens by assigning Hallel to the soul’s light and gratitude to the body’s submission.

כי הלל הארת הנשמה והנפש כמ"ש כל הנשמה תהלל.

For Hallel is the illumination of the soul and spirit, as it is said: “Let every soul praise.”

Hallel expresses the inner spiritual radiance of the soul, which naturally rises upward in praise.

והודאה הכנעת הגוף להסכים עם הנפש.

And thanksgiving is the submission of the body to align with the soul.

Gratitude involves bending the physical self so it joins the soul’s higher awareness.

ולכן יש כריעת הגוף בהודאה.

Therefore the body bows during thanksgiving.

The physical act of bowing reflects the body’s consent to the soul’s truth.

וכ' הוציאה ממסגר נפשי עי"ז להודות כי הנפש במאסר הגוף וכשיש גאולה וחירות אל הנפש צריכין להכניע גם הגוף להודות לה'.

And it is written: “Bring my soul out of confinement”—through this to offer thanks, for the soul is imprisoned in the body, and when there is redemption and freedom for the soul, the body too must be humbled to thank God.

The verse reveals that redemption begins internally; once the soul is freed, the body must also participate in gratitude.

כי הודאה בפה שהוא בהשתתפות הגוף.

For thanksgiving is with the mouth, which involves the participation of the body.

Speech itself is a physical action, making gratitude a joint act of body and soul.

והלל במחשבה ורצון.

And Hallel is in thought and will.

Hallel arises from the inner spiritual faculties that do not depend on physical action.

והם בחי' גאולה ותפלה.

And these correspond to redemption and prayer.

Hallel reflects redemption—liberation of the soul—while thanksgiving aligns with prayer, which refines the body.

כי הנפש באמת חלק אלקות רק שנאסר תוך הגוף וצריך גאולה.

For the soul is truly a portion of divinity, but it is imprisoned within the body and needs redemption.

The soul’s divine nature becomes obscured inside physical existence and must be “released.”

ותפלה לתקן גם הגוף שהוא גשמיי. בשר ודם.

And prayer serves to rectify the body as well, which is physical—flesh and blood.

Prayer elevates the material self, aligning it with spiritual intention.

וכן בסמיכות גאולה ותפלה בכל יום ברוך אתה ה' גאל ישראל ס"ת הלל וסמיך לי' אדני שפתי תפתח שהוא תפלה.

Thus in the daily juxtaposition of redemption and prayer: “Blessed are You, God, Who redeemed Israel”—its final letters spell Hallel—and next to it is “Lord, open my lips,” which is prayer.

The liturgy itself encodes the connection: redemption (soul) leads directly into prayer (body), mirroring Hallel and thanksgiving.

The Sefat Emet teaches that Hallel expresses the soul’s inner light, while thanksgiving expresses the body’s humble participation. Together they mirror redemption and prayer—the liberation of the soul and the refinement of the body—revealing how both must unite in divine service.