Ya'aleh ve-yavo and al ha-nissim

Two prayers that are sometimes added to the Shemoneh Esrei are ya'aleh ve-yavo and al ha-nissim. We recite ya'aleh ve-yavo in Shemoneh Esrei on Rosh Chodesh and the festivals by Shacharit, Minhah and Maariv and also in the Birkat Ha-mazon on the same days. We recite al ha-nissim on Purim and Hanukkah, also both in the Shemoneh Esrei and Birkat Ha-mazon.

There are three other differences between the two prayers. One, they are recited in different places in the Shemoneh Esrei and in the Birkat Ha-mazon. Ya'aleh ve-yavo is recited within the blessing of avodah in Shemoneh Esrei and in the blessing for the re-building of Jerusalem in the Birkat Ha-mazon. On the other hand, al ha-nissim is recited in the blessings of thankfulness both in Shemoneh Esrei and in Birkat Ha-mazon.

A second difference is that if one forgot to say ya'aleh ve-yavo in Shemoneh Esrei (excluding Maariv on Rosh Chodesh) and in Birkat Ha-mazon on Yom Tov, where one is obligated to eat, then one is required to repeat the Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat Ha-mazon (Shulchan Arukh, Orah Chayyim, 178:6,7; 422:1). However, if one forgot to recite al ha-nissim then one does not repeat Shemoneh Esrei or Birkat Ha-mazon. (Shulchan Arukh 682:1; 693:2, and 695:3. Mishneh Berurah 695:15 notes that there are two opinions if one forgot to recite al ha–nissim by the meal on Purim whether one has to repeat Birkat Ha-mazon, and he rules that one does not repeat Birkat Ha-mazon. The Arukh Hashulchan 695:13 emphatically rejects the opinion that if one forgets al ha-nissim in Birkat Ha-mazon one has to repeat Birkat Ha-mazon.)

A third difference between the two additions is that ya'aleh ve-yavo is never said by Musaf, but al ha-nissim is recited on Musaf of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh Tevet which occurs on Hanukkah (Orah Chayyim 682:2).

Another difference that is indirectly related to the two additions is with regard to the blessing after eating, al ha-michyah, which is a "shortened" version of Birkat Ha-mazon. If one recites al ha-michyah, on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Yom Tov, then one refers to the special day, but if one recites al ha-michyah on Hanukkah or Purim, then the day is not referred to (Orah Chayyim 208:12). (Bet Yosef, Orah Chayyim 208, ve-tsarich, quotes various opinions that even on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Yom Tov, one does not need to refer to these days in al-ha-michyah.)

A clue to understanding the difference between these two additions is from a Tosefta (Berakhot 3:14), which records that on a day that does not have a korban musaf like Hanukkah and Purim, one mentions the day in the Shemoneh Esrei but if one forgets to refer to the day, then one does not repeat Shemoneh Esrei. The implied converse to this rule is that on those days when a korban musaf is offered such as Yom Tov, Chol ha-Moed and Rosh Chodesh, if one forgets to refer to the day, one repeats Shemoneh Esrei. Al ha-nissim is the prayer in which we refer to Hanukkah and Purim, while ya'aleh ve-yavo is the prayer where we refer to Yom Tov, Chol ha-Moed and Rosh Chodesh. Thus we see that the difference between the two additions is that ya'aleh ve-yavo relates to the korban musaf, while al ha-nissim does not.

Furthermore, we see from the Tosefta, that the korban musaf connects to all the prayers of day, Shacharit, Minhah and Maariv. The importance of the korban musaf is that whenever there are prayers on the day, one needs to add something that marks the special day. The korban musaf generates an obligation to mention the special day in all prayers of the day, and this obligation is why one must repeat the Shemoneh Esrei and Birkat Ha-mazon if one forgot to say ya'aleh ve-yavo. (Gershon Segal, my brother-in-law, pointed out to me that this idea accords with the Mishnah in Megillah 4:2, that we have an extra aliyah by the reading the Torah on a day when the korban musaf would be offered, as again see that the korban musaf impacts on the prayers of the day and not just on the Shemoneh Esrei of Musaf.)

On the other hand, al ha-nissim is not due to any sacrifice, and hence it has the status of a custom, see Mishnah Berurah 208:59. Thus if one forgot to say it, then he does not have to repeat Shemoneh Esrei and Birkat Ha-mazon.

Yet if ya'aleh ve-yavo relates to the korban musaf why do we not recite it during the Shemoneh Esrei of Musaf, which is derived from the korban musaf? The answer is that ya'aleh ve-yavo is a "mini-Musaf" and therefore it does not have to be said when one recites the full Musaf, but it must be recited by the other Shemoneh Esrei during the day. In contrast, al ha-nissim is recited on Musaf of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh of Hanukkah since the prayer is to thank G-d and there is no reason not to add these extra thanks by the Musaf prayer.

This difference in the relationship of the two additions to the korban musaf also explains why the additions are added at different places in the Shemoneh Esrei and Birkat Ha-mazon. Ya'aleh ve-yavo is based on the korban musaf, and hence it is included in the prayers that relate to bringing sacrifices, which is the avodah blessing in Shemoneh Esrei and the third blessing by rebuilding Jerusalem (and implicitly the Bet ha-Mikdash) in Birkat Ha-mazon. However, al ha-nissim is not based on any sacrifice but is to thank G-d, and hence it is more appropriate to be included in blessings where one is thanking G-d, moddin in Shemoneh Esrei and the second blessing in Birkat Ha-mazon.

With regard to al ha-michyah, this is a "shortened" version of Birkat Ha-mazon and hence it is one "level" less than Birkat Ha-mazon. Thus, by Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and Yom Tov where one is obligated to refer to the day in the Birkat Ha-mazon, also by al ha-michyah, one refers to the days but if one forgot one does not have to repeat al ha-michyah. However, by al ha-nissim, which only has the status of a custom in Birkat Ha-mazon, then one "level" less means that we do not refer to Hanukkah or Purim in al ha-michyah.