Adding to Shabbat

Hi,

Whenever a period of time is sanctified in Judaism (Shabbat, Yom Tov holidays, Yom Kippur, the Shmitah [Sabbatical] year, for example), we are expected to add to that time both before and after it. This may actually be a biblical mitzvah; there is debate as to the origin of the practice.

Therefore: We do not wait until sunset to light Shabbat candles. Local practice is to light 18 minutes before sunset; in some places they light as much as 40 minutes before sunset.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 261:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Pre-Shabbat Review

Hi,

When it is close to Shabbat, one should review with his household to make sure that the essential Shabbat preparations - leaving certain lights on or off, preparing the food, etc. - have been performed.
One must make sure to do so gently, though, without creating any tension, anxiety or anger.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 260:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Bathing for Shabbat

Hi,

One should make sure to bathe in hot water before Shabbat. One who will not have the opportunity to take a real bath/shower should at least wash his face and hands. One should also cut his nails before Shabbat.

All of this is part of honoring Shabbat.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 260:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Carrying before Shabbat

Hi,

One should not travel just before Shabbat while carrying something which he would not be permitted to carry on Shabbat itself, lest he forget and carry it on Shabbat. One should actually check his clothing close to sunset, in order to ensure that he is all set for Shabbat. (This is part of honoring the day of Shabbat.)

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 252:6-7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Performing heavy work on Fridays

Hi,

One may not engage in heavy labor on Friday afternoon, lest this prevent him from preparing for Shabbat. We are taught that one who does so will ultimately lose whatever profit he made from that work.

However, one may do work, even heavy work, as part of his preparations for Shabbat - whether for himself, or on behalf of someone else (assuming he is doing it for free).

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 251:1-2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Purchases for Shabbat

Hi,

During the week one should purchase special products and set them aside for Shabbat; this is a way of honoring the Shabbat all through the week.
One who purchases such an item, and then finds a better one later in the week, should purchase the better item for Shabbat. He may then use the first item during the week.

Note: With all of this purchasing, one must still stay within the bounds of what he can afford. We are taught: Make your Shabbat like a weekday, rather than need to be financially supported by others.

(Mishneh Berurah 250:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Personal preparation for Shabbat

Hi,

One should always try to find ways to personally prepare the home for Shabbat, rather than leave it to others. One should certainly not say that it is 'beneath his dignity' - the Talmud cites specific examples of the work performed by the sages of that era in the house (sweeping, chopping wood, mincing vegetables and more), demonstrating that the act of honoring Shabbat should be considered a source of dignity for one's self.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 250:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Friday: Wake up early and taste the food

Hi,

In order to increase the honor and enjoyment of Shabbat, one should wake up extra early on Friday to prepare for Shabbat. Even one who has help in the house - so that other people could do all of the preparation - should do at least some of the work personally.

On Friday one should sample all of the foods which have been prepared for Shabbat, in order to ensure that they have been prepared well.

(Mishneh Berurah 250:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Friday meals

Hi,

A Jew should ensure that he will appreciate and enjoy his Friday night meal. One step toward this goal is to avoid eating an unusually large meal on Friday, lest it ruin his appetite for the Shabbat meal that evening. Even meals arranged in honor of Mitzvot should be rescheduled away from Friday, where possible.

If such a meal must take place that day, as in the case of a Brit Milah (circumcision), then one should make sure to hold the meal in the morning.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 249:2; Mishnah Berurah 249:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Friday trips

Hi,

We spent some time on the laws of Fridays a couple of years ago, right before I started this blog to archive the daily emails. We'll spend the next several days reviewing that topic.

Many people are unaware that two of the most fundamental Mitzvot of Shabbat - honoring the day (Kavod) and creating enjoyment for the day (Oneg) - actually apply to the days preceding Shabbat, too. One should plan and prepare during the week, to make Shabbat a day of dignity and enjoyment.

One may not take a long trip on Friday, if that will cause him to arrive at his destination close to Shabbat, without adequate time to prepare for Shabbat.
The definition of "long trip" depends on one's mode of transportation, as the central issue is the travel time rather than the distance. The key is to arrive with enough time to make sure that Shabbat will be an honored and enjoyed day.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 249:1; Mishnah Berurah 249:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Choosing a Haftorah

Hi,

Today our Haftarot are ordained by custom and printed in our chumashim, but it was not always so; there were guidelines for selecting a Haftorah, and a community could choose any prophetic passage that matched those guidelines.

One such rule is that on a week with a double Torah portion, the Haftorah's theme must match a theme from the second portion. Similarly, on a week when we read from a single Torah the Haftorah was supposed to match a theme from the end (maftir) part of the Torah reading.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reading the Haftorah from parchment

Hi,

The Haftorah is supposed to be read from a parchment scroll containing the entire book of Prophets from which the Haftorah is drawn. If that is not possible (due to the expense of such a scroll), the next-best option is to read from a printed book of the Prophets.

If neither of those is available for some reason, then one may read the Haftorah from a printed Chumash or from a "Book of the Haftarot," but then each person in the synagogue should personally read along, as well.

(Mishneh Berurah 284:1, 284:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Beginning the Haftorah

Hi,

One may not begin the Haftorah until the Torah has been entirely wrapped up, so that the people wrapping the Torah will have the opportunity to fulfill their obligation to hear the Haftorah.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:6; Mishneh Berurah 284:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haftorah - Picking up in the middle

Hi,

If the person reading the Haftorah suddenly becomes unable to continue, the person who picks up for him goes back to the beginning of the Haftorah, but does not recite a new blessing on the Haftorah.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The blessings for Torah reading and the Haftorah

Hi,

The person who recites the blessings for the Haftorah (as well as all of the Aliyot) should make sure to recite the blessings aloud, such that everyone will be able to hear and respond 'Amen.' When the congregation replies 'Amen' it is as though they had recited the blessings themselves.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:3; Mishneh Berurah 284:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haftorah in a vacuum

Hi,

The Haftorah is only recited with its blessings if it follows a communal Torah reading. Therefore, one who is praying privately may read the Haftorah, but may not recite its blessings.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 284:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

New topic: Haftorah

Hi,

Today we begin a new topic: The Haftorah (although for some readers, some of this material will be review).

The "Haftorah" is a passage from one (or more) of the Prophets, read after the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat and Holiday mornings, and on Fast Day afternoons.

Traditionally, we understand that the Haftorah-reading originated over two thousand years ago, at a time when a controlling empire forbade public reading of the Torah. To substitute for the Torah, we read from the Prophets. The practice then continued even after that decree was repealed.

There are other explanations for why we have the Haftorah, including a suggestion that we want to add reading from the Prophets to a Jew's regular Torah study, and that we want to be sure to include the Mashiach-related themes which are a constant in the Haftarot we read.

(Mishneh Berurah 284:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzniut (privacy) when undressing for bed

Hi,

We've been learning about the bedside Shma.

In its discussion of the bedside Shma, the Code of Jewish Law includes a law of tzniut (privacy): One should undress in such a way that particularly private parts of the body remain covered. This applies to both men and women.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 239:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Forgiving people before going to sleep

Hi,

In addition to the other bedside practices we have mentioned, one should also forgive others for sinning against him that day. This practice is recommended by Mar Zutra and R' Nechunyah ben Hakanah in the talmud.

(Mishneh Berurah 239:9, citing Megilah 28a)

מועדים לשמחה,
Mordechai

The bedside viduy

Hi,

In addition to the various bedside prayers we have mentioned, it is also recommended that one recite a form of viduy, acknowledging his sins from the day and apologizing for them.

(Mishneh Berurah 239:9)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Sleeping by day

Hi,

We have now discussed three parts of the bedtime ritual: Shma, the blessing of HaMapil, and additional passages regarding Divine protection.

The former two elements were instituted for nighttime sleep, but only the latter is recited before going to sleep between dawn and sunset.

(Mishneh Berurah 239:8)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Additional prayers at bedtime

Hi,

In addition to Shma and the blessing of HaMapil, people add various passages from Tanach, in particular Psalm 91. These passages are added because they speak of Divine protection, and so they are appropriate for a time when a person is going to sleep, rendering himself most vulnerable.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 239:1; Mishneh Berurah 239:9)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

HaMapil

Hi,

We have discussed the recitation of Shma before going to sleep at night.

There is a separate practice of reciting a blessing called "HaMapil" before going to sleep at night, as a blessing upon sleep. There is some debate as to whether this blessing should precede or follow Shma. The Shulchan Aruch rules that Shma precedes HaMapil, so that one will fall asleep right after HaMapil.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 239:1; Mishneh Berurah 239:2)

Moadim l'Simchah,
Mordechai

Unable to sleep after Shma?

Hello,

We have said that one should recite Shma shortly before falling asleep at night.

One who recites Shma and then finds that he cannot sleep may simply recite the first paragraph of Shma again, once he feels tired.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 239:1; Mishneh Berurah 239:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai