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Guide to EARLY Shabbat
It's that time of year again. If this page is stapled with the rest of TT, try to remove it carefully; it will be more usable that way. This Torah Tidbits Pull-Out contains practical information, detailed explanations, and helpful, handy texts for enjoying your "Early Shabbat".

In many communities, people "take Shabbat early" during the summer months when nightfall is relatively late and they would prefer to eat their Friday night meal at a more civilized hour, and to have a bit more time after supper to learn, go over the sedra, read, go for a walk, play a family game, etc. There are some halachic points to clarify about "taking Shabbat early".

BACKGROUND
The first Mishna of Brachot chapter 4, contains a dispute between the Tana Kama (the first unnamed opinion in a Mishna-dispute) and Rabbi Yehuda as to when the deadline for Mincha is. The Tana Kama says that one may daven Mincha until sunset. Rabbi Yehuda says that one may daven Mincha only until Plag Mincha. PLAG is 1¼ "halachic" hours before sunset. A halachic hour is a twelfth part of the day, calculated from sunrise to sunset. (There is another way of reckoning the day - dawn to stars out; we will, however, stick to the sunrise-to-sunset day for this piece.) By extension, the Talmud teaches that the deadline for Mincha for each opinion is also the earliest time for Maariv, and some other nighttime mitzvot. In other words, the T.K. says that the day ends and night begins at sunset and Rabbi Yehuda say PLAG begins evening, even though the sun is still shining. The Gemara presents us with an atypical resolution of this dispute - D'AVAD K'MAR AVAD, U'D'AVAD K'MAR AVAD - he who acts according to the one opinion, acts correctly, and he who acts according to the other opinion, acts correctly. It is ALMOST a take-your-pick situation.

The machloket notwithstanding, all agree that one may not "take Shababat" before PLAG MINCHA. One may not light Shabbat candles (or Chanuka candles) before PLAG, nor say Kabbalat Shabbat & Maariv, nor make Kiddush.

THE SHMA
Although one may daven Maariv from PLAG (according to R.Yehuda), most authorities say that one does not fulfill his obligation to say the nighttime Sh'ma if it is said before sunset. (Stars-out is the beginning time for Shma.) Therefore, those who daven early must repeat the Sh'ma (all three passages) after stars-out. In other words, when one davens Maariv before dark (but after Plag), he says the full Sh'ma and its brachot as part of the davening, but not in fulfillment of the mitzva of reciting the Sh'ma at night.
One objection to taking Shabbat early is that the Sh'ma in its Maariv setting is not said at its proper time. Although one will repeat it later, this is not ideal. Furthermore, it becomes too easy to forget to repeat the Sh'ma after dark.

This pull-out and announcements at the end of "early minyan" are your reminders to say the Shma (and count the Omer) at the proper time. Try to remind each other in your family so that no one will forget these important mitzvot.

ANOTHER PROBLEM
Since davening Mincha after Plag is fine according to Tana Kama but NOT according to R.Yehuda, and davening Maariv before sunset is okay according to R.Yehuda but not according to T.K., it is "not ideal" (that's putting it mildly, to be kind to those shuls that do not follow this point) to daven both Mincha and Maariv between Plag and sunset.

It is therefore proper to schedule an early minyan to begin Mincha about 15 minutes before PLAG. This way, Mincha can be said before PLAG (which is proper when Maariv will be before sunset), followed by Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv, after PLAG. This would be consistent with Rabbi Yehuda's opinion.

CANDLE LIGHTING
Women must be reminded to light candles after PLAG, never before. Women should daven Mincha on their own (this is so year-round), light after PLAG, then go to shul for Kabbalat Shabbat (if they do).

KIDDUSH
Shuls that schedule their early minyan's Mincha after PLAG, not only enter into the contradictory situation mentioned above ("satisfying" neither the T.K. nor R.Yehuda), but also can run into another problem (depending upon timing). Once it gets "close" to dark, one should not begin a meal (nor say Kiddush) before saying Shma. In other words, if one has not made Kiddush before sunset (maybe even 5-10 minutes before that), then he must (should?) wait until dark, say the Sh'ma, and THEN make Kiddush (thereby defeating the purpose of "taking Shabbat early"). The idea is to say Kiddush well enough before sunset so that one is not in the "range" of Sh'ma time. If people are "sloppy" about this issue, they make taking Shabbat early less than ideal.

A minyan that starts Mincha a half hour before J'lem candle lighting time will get people home for a "problem-free" Kiddush, if the people don't linger too much after shul. (They still have the Mincha-Maariv after Plag problem.)

Technically, if one begins his meal "with halachic permission", he need not stop for Sh'ma or the Omer (they can be be said /counted after the meal). However, it is highly desirable that when the proper time arrives, families should interrupt their meals for Sh'ma and the Omer. This helps prevent forgetting later on, and also has a positive educational value for family and guests.

Some say that when people say Kiddush and begin their first Shabbat Seuda early, they should make sure that some challah is eaten after dark as well.

OTHER OBJECTIONS
Some object to splitting a community by having two minyanim on Friday night.

Others point out potential problems if a whole community takes Shabbat early and some individual members don't, specifically, lighting candles and doing other "melachot" after the community accepted Shabbat. Ask your Rav.

Early Shabbat should be an enhancement of Shabbat, a fulfillment of Tos'fot Shabbat - but without being careless about Shma and davening.

This handy pull-out will hopefully make things easier for you. Bring it to your Shabbat table and use it for the Sh'ma and then for counting the Omer. Remain sitting for the Sh'ma; stand for counting the Omer.

ANOTHER FACTOR IN FAVOR
The Oruch HaShulchan (HaRav Yechiel Michel HaLevi Epstein) introduces another factor into the equation which adds an additional positive spin to taking Shabbat early. He points out that we daven Maariv corresponding to the HECTEIR CHALAVIM V'EIVARIM, the slow burning of fats and certain parts of the day's korbanot on the Mizbei'ach all night. That's why we may daven Maariv all night long. But on Friday, the burning had to be done before Shabbat, i.e. earlier than the rest of the week. By davening Maariv earlier on Friday evening, we nicely match the corresponding procedure of the Beit HaMikdash. (It's not perfect because we're beginning Shabbat at that point, and the Hecteir Chalavim v'Eivarim was DAVKA before Shabbat. Also, to be consistent, we'd have to daven Maariv early on Friday throughout the year, which we don't. But it's a nice point anyway.)

Taking Shabbat early for the right reasons, and being very careful about Sh'ma and the Omer can really add to KAVOD SHABBAT.

The Time Chart for Fridays throughout the summer is not presented in the electronic version of TT. It is available in the hard copy.

So too, the counting of the Omer for the next several Fridays, and the Sh'ma to say at the table when night falls. These are part of the hard copy.

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