We say a full Hallel with a Beracha all 8 days of Chanukah. So the question was asked if it is permissible to answer Amen to Berachot or answer Kadish, while one is in the middle of saying Hallel. This could be as a fellow is saying Hallel and another Minyan is nearby. This can also occur when someone is behind in the Tefilah and the Chazan is saying the Kadish. So can a fellow answer Amen, or for that matter reply with Modim DeRabanan of Chazara while he is in the middle of saying Hallel on Chanukah?
Maran writes in siman 488 in the laws of Pesach, that a full Hallel with a Beracha has the status of Kriat Shema and follows the same rules as Kriat Shema. Whatever would be permissible while one is saying Kriat Shema would be permissible while one is saying Hallel. So let’s review those Halachot.
1) Halacha says if one hears Kadish while he is saying Kriat Shema, he may answer the Kadish with the first 5 Amens so long as he completed already saying the Pasuk of ‘Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad’ and ‘Baruch Shem Kivod Malchuto LiOlam Vaed’. Now there is a Machloket how and if one should answer with ‘Yihe Shime Raba Mivarach etc.’ while in the middle of Kriat Shema. Chacham Ovadia Yoseph says that you answer only until the word ‘YitBarach’. The Kaf Hachayim however, holds that according to the Mekubalim one should answer all 28 words until ‘Da’Amiran BiAlma.’ Chacham Ben Tzion concurs with the later, and therefore, if one is in the middle of Kriat Shema, he would answer the full 28 words until ‘Da’Amiran BiAlma’, but again so long as he already completed the first Pasuk of ‘Shema’ and ‘Baruch Shem’. So based on Maran, if in the middle of Hallel, one may answer the 5 Amens, and additionally one may answer all 28 words until ‘Da’Amiran BiAlma’.
2) If a fellow is in the middle of Shema or for that matter a full Hallel, and he hears the Chazan say ‘Barechu’, that fellow may respond with ‘Baruch HaShem Ha’Mevorach LiOlam Vaed.’
3) If a fellow is in the middle of Shema or a full Hallel, and he heard the Chazan say the ‘Nakdishach’ of Chazarah, that fellow would be able to answer but only the 2 pesukim of, ‘Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh…’ and ‘Baruch Kivod Hashem MiMikomo.’ The fellow can not answer all the pesukim of Nakdishach. He may not say the beginning of Nakdishach, nor the Pasuk ‘Yimloch Hashem Liolam…’
4) Next we deal with answering Amen to an arbitrary Beracha. Here the Halacha is different for Hallel than it is for Kriat Shema. While in Kriat Shema you are not allowed to answer Amen when hearing somebody saying a Beracha. Saying Amen to a Beracha is considered an interruption of Kirat Shema. But, according to Chacham Ovadia Yoseph as written in his sefer Yabia Omer, even though the rules of Hallel normally follows the rules of Kriat Shema, yet nevertheless we are lenient and permit a person to answer Amen to Berachot while he is in the middle of Hallel. Certainly the person does not answer ‘Baruch Hu Baruch Shimo’, but he can answer Amen. Chacham Ovadia Yoseph explains that one can answer Amen during Hallel because Hallel and the answering of Amen to a Beracha are both considered a praise to Hashem, and as such are considered the same.
See Torat HaMoadim, page 246.
** Many Halachot on the Holiday of Chanukah are available by visiting www.dailyhalacha.com, and looking towards the right of the home page.
