Hallel and Pseukei DZimra

Question

According to the Talmud one who recites Hallel every day is a heretic. Then, why is OK to recite similar tehillim (146-150) as part of pseukei d'zimra? How are these different from Hallel?

Is the Talmud saying that the Tehillim which make up Hallel should not be said every day or is the Talmud saying that the blessing beracha kriah hallel should not be said every day? I could understand the latter but it would be difficult to understand why the particular tehillim in Hallel cannot be said every day while the tehillim in Pseukei Dzimra in contrast can be said every day.

Answer 1

The whole statement in the Talmud in context, Maseches Shabbos 118b, is:

א"ר יוסי יהא חלקי מגומרי הלל בכל יום איני והאמר מר הקורא הלל בכל יום הרי זה מחרף ומגדף כי קאמרינן בפסוקי דזמרא

Rabbi Yosi says "Let my portion be among those who complete Hallel every single day." This can't be, doesn't Master say "One who reads Hallel every day - this is a [heretic]" When we said [the first statement] it was referring to Pseukei d'Zimra.

Rashi says the issue is that Hallel was specifically enacted at a specific time, and by saying it all the time one is turning it into a song, not a prayer. Contrasting that with Pesukei DeZimra which was established to be said every day, it doesn't have this issue.

The Shiloh (towards the end of עניני תפילה וקריאה בספר תורה) brings Rashi, and also quotes Rabbeinu Yona who brings an opinion that the issue is saying the Bracha on Hallel, but Rabbeinu Yona rejects this by saying that the statement in the Talmud includes when a Bracha is not said and instead explains that Hallel is said so that no harm should befall the congregation by invoking the miracles of the Exodus. We say Hallel at times that remember when such events occurred. By saying it every day one is implying that Hashem does not perform daily miracles and one needs to invoke the miracles of the Exodus instead. Whereas Ashrei invokes the daily miracles and should be said every day - one who does is guaranteed a place in the world to come.

The Shiloh then quotes the Yerushalmi which says that Hallel references idols of silver and gold. By saying it every day it is like mocking Hashem that He cannot get rid of them.

The Shiloh then gives his own answer - Hallel is said at times when we remember the Exodus, and thus is appropriate when associated with the Exodus to commemorate the miracle (it is said on Rosh Chodesh because Rosh Chodesh establishes the day of the holidays). However, by saying it every day it would imply that there is something essential and defining about G-d in the miracles that he did with the Exodus, which violates the idea that G-d is פשוט תכלית הפשיטות - completely without form or definition.

Answer 2

Added to expand the point originally made by @Yishai

Note the discussion in Maseches Eruchin 10b of Hallel on Rosh Chodesh (leaving out part of the Tehillim that make up the full Hallel) also brings up this issue. The Talmud (Ta'anit 28b) records that Rav was visiting Bavel and he saw the people reciting Hallel on Rosh Chodesh. Rav wanted to stop the congregation from reciting Hallel, but when he saw that they skipped verses (the so called "half" Hallel), he said it was ok because he realized that they were only reciting Hallel as a custom.

We have similar questions brought up about saying Hallel (with or without a bracha (in tzibur or privately) on Yom Ha'atzmaut. However, the point is that Hallel is restricted to specific special occasions and should not be said at other times.

Based on the gemoro about Rosh Chodesh, we see that it is about saying that entire set of tehillim.

Answer 3

the set up of hallel is very specifc. there is a bracha before and a brcha after which are specific to Hallel. Furthermore within hallel the tehillim are broken up in a way that is different from how they are in tehillim both in separation of some parts and repeating certain pasukim. if one were to say hallel on a day in which it isn't reuired then there would be a problem. Hoever, other ways in which tehillim are said such as pesuke dezimra in davening or just saying tehillim does not follow any of the specific formalities of hallel.

that was the practical difference in what we are doing.however there is a deeper meaning behind what the gemera is trying to say. On the one hand everything that happens in essence is a miracle. however, we don't see it that way. We see the world as it happens according to the laws of nature which are not miraculus. The gemra is saying if we have an attitude of saying that the ordinary is out of the ordinary (when in fact we aren't able to see it this way) then we loose our appreciation for the miraculous and we start to devalue miracles and even G-d forbid come to say everything is equally miraculous as equal to everything being explained by another reason that isn't Hashem, Gd forbid.