Torah Tidbits Guide to Early Shabbat Early Shabbat PDFs 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 after-supper time to learn Torah, go over the sedra, read, go for a walk, play with the children, etc. There are some halachic points to clarify about the topic of "taking Shabbat early". BACKGROUND The first mishna in chapter 4 of Brachot contains a dispute between the Tana Kama and R' Yehuda as to when the deadline for Mincha is. The TiK says that one may daven Mincha until sunset. R' Yehuda says that one may daven Mincha only until Plag Mincha. [i.e. 1? "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 - namely, dawn to stars out; we will stick to the sunrise-to-sunset opinion.)] 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. 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's ALMOST (but not quite) take-your-pick. Halachically, none of the nighttime mitzvot may be performed before Plag Mincha. Consequently, one may not "take Shabbat" before PLAG MINCHA. One may not light Shabbat candles (or Chanuka candles) before PLAG, nor say Kabbalat Shabbat & Maariv, nor make Kiddush. But one MAY light candles, take Shabbat, daven Maariv, make Kiddush and begin the first Shabbat Seuda after PLAG - even though the sun is still in the sky. SH'MA Davening Maariv and reciting the inighttime Sh'mai have been conveniently and meaningfully combined by our Sages, but each of those two mitzvot has its own rules of timing. 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 proper beginning-time for Shma.) Therefore, those who daven early (after Plag but before sunset) will say the Sh'ma and its brachot as part of Maariv, but they must repeat the Sh'ma (all three parshiyot) after stars-out. In other words, when one davens Maariv before dark (after Plag, of course), he says the full Sh'ma twice; once, with its brachot, as part of the davening, and a second time to fulfill the mitzva of reciting Sh'ma at night. Some object to taking Shabbat early because 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. On the other hand - not that this is a reason for davening early - when Sh'ma is repeated for the sake of the mitzva (and not just something said as part of the davening), one has the opportunity to focus on it "for the sake of the mitzva" more than we tend to do when it is part of davening. Again, this is not to suggest that this is a preferred procedure; what is preferred is that when saying the Sh'ma in Maariv, after dark, one still be able to focus on the mitzva, even though it is also "just part of the davening". This Guide 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 and at your Shabbat table, so that no one will forget these important mitzvot. Taking Shabbat early can be a positive experience, but not if it results in neglect of a Torah mitzva or two. Problem Since davening Mincha after Plag is fine according to TiK but NOT according to R' Yehuda, and davening Maariv before sunset is okay according to R' Yehuda but not according to TiK, it is not proper to daven both Mincha & Maariv between Plag and sunset - neither opinion is followed in that case. Therefore, it is best to schedule an early minyan to begin Mincha about 15 minutes before PLAG. This way, Mincha can be said before PLAG followed by Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv, after PLAG. This would be consistent with R' Yehuda's opinion. To begin an iearly Fridayi mincha after Plag is problematic, to say the least, and makes itaking Shabbat earlyi less than ideal. CANDLES Women must be reminded to light after PLAG, never before. Women should daven Mincha on their own (this is preferable year-round), light after PLAG, then go to shul (if they do) for Kabbalat Shabbat. This can be a problematic situation for some families. Important note: Unlike lighting at the "regular" candle lighting time, when a woman can (according to many poskim) light with a condition (T'NAI) that they are not taking Shabbat with the lighting, in the case of "early lighting", Shabbat MUST be accepted with the lighting. (Some say that if the wife needs a little time after candles and wants to make a T'NAI, then her husband can accept Shabbat upon himself with her candle lighting. Ask.) HUSBAND & WIFE Does a husband's early acceptance of Shabbat obligate his wife to light candles and take Shabbat at the same time (or earlier)? Please be patient and read this section all the way through. Bottom line - if this is a practical issue for you, consult your Rav rather than drawing your own conclusion from what you read here. (Children issue is similar, but ask your Rav.) There are various sources that say that when a man takes Shabbat early, his wife must follow suit. This seems to be the general rule, primarily applicable when the man ALWAYS takes Shabbat early and/or when his community has only an early minyan. In that case, there is a strong argument for his being obligated to take Shabbat when his community does even if he doesn't go to shul on a particular Friday night. When one's shul has both an early and a regular minyan, or when a person lives in a community or neighborhood with many shuls and minyanim, then it is unlikely that he would be bound to take Shabbat at a specific time, unless he obligates himself. TACHLIS: If we take this first approach, that a wife follows her husband's lead as to accepting Shabbat (there IS another side to this coin), then he should estimate the time when he will be up to the Shabbat-accepting part of the davening (some say L'CHA DODI beginning, some say BO'I V'SHALOM at the end of L'CHA DODI, some say MIZMOR SHIR L'YOM HASHABBAT - this seems to be the most popular opinion, but check with your posek, and some say BOR'CHU of Maariv) and his wife should light candles (and accept Shabbat) shortly before that time. Remember: The earliest one can accept Shabbat by candle lighting, by davening, by verbal declaration is PLAG MINCHA. For example: On Erev Shabbat Parshat Emor (May 10th), PLAG is 6:00pm. A minyan that is careful to daven Mincha before Plag and Kabbalat Shabbat after Plag (which is the proper thing to do), will daven Mincha at approx. 5:45pm and will begin Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:00pm. Depending upon how fast or slow a minyan davens, how much singing or not it does, it will take, let's say, 10-15 minutes until the Shabbat-accepting point. When the man leaves for shul, he should remind his wife NOT to light before 6:00pm, but no later than 6:10pm. Remember, this was one example; times vary from week to week. TACHLIS (part 2) Here's the other possibility. Remember, please, that we recommend checking this issue out with your LOR. Consider this to be informational. There are poskim who write that if a man takes Shabbat early sometimes, not so much as a commitment but rather for convenience - likes eating supper earlier, wants to get to sleep earlier, wants more time to review Parshat HaShavua, read a book... Get the point? - then his wife is not bound to follow his Shabbat starting time. What is convenient for him might not be convenient for her. Others still hold by the first opinion (we shall call it) as presented above. But there are significant opinions that the wife is not required to light candles before her husband gets up to the Shabbat- accepting passage(s) in the davening. Even so, it is recommended that the wife should light candles before the husband returns from shul, so that there is a uniform Shabbat atmosphere in the home. Again, it is experience with a particular shul that is required to be able to say, "I'll be home by such-and-such time". Technically, if the wife is not bound to follow the husband's timing, she can wait until "regular" candle lighting time, but the Shabbat atmosphere issue should be considered. Taking Shabbat early should be an enhancement of one's Shabbat without any drawbacks to mar its positive aspects. KIDDUSH Shuls that schedule their early minyan's Mincha after PLAG, not only enter into the contradictory situation mentioned above ("satisfying" neither the TiK 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 by sunset (maybe even 5-10 minutes before that), then he must (possibly too strong a word, try "should" - or maybe it is "must") wait until dark, say the Sh'ma, and THEN make Kiddush (thereby actually defeating the purpose of "taking Shabbat early"). The idea is to say Kiddush well enough before sunset so that one does not even enter the time-range of Sh'ma. If people are "sloppy" about this issue, they make taking Shabbat early less ideal. This is another point of objection by those who speak unfavorably about the whole idea of early Shabbat. A minyan that starts Mincha a half hour before Jerusalem 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 STRONGLY RECOMMENDED 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, teaching a high level of care and concern for Sh'ma and S'firat HaOmer. Another point to keep in mind... When people say Kiddush and begin their first Shabbat meal before dark, it is important that the meal - and the eating of some challah (at least a KAZAYIT) - should continue after nightfall. More Problems 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 and a fulfillment of Tosefet Shabbat - but without being careless about Shma, davening, and/or the counting of the Omer. This handy pull-out will hopefully make things easier for you. Bring it to your Shabbat table, use it for Kiddush, the Sh'ma and then for counting the Omer (during Omer season, that is). Sit for Sh'ma; stand for counting the Omer. POINT in FAVOR The Aruch HaShulchan (R' Yechiel Michel HaLevi Epstein z"l) introduces another factor into the equation which adds another positive spin to taking Shabbat early. He points out that we daven Maariv corresponding to the HEKTEIR CHALAVIM V'EIVARIM, the slow simmering 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 service of the Beit HaMikdash. (It's not a perfect match because we're beginning Shabbat at that point, and the Hekteir Chalavim v'Eivarim was specifically 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 can enhance one's Oneg Shabbat, as mentioned earlier, by allowing for dinner to be at a more icivilizedi hour, and being able to have young children join the rest of the family at the table. It can be an enhancement of Shalom Bayit for a variety of reasons. But it should not involve compromising the standards of davening and other halachic matters. It is recommended that people go over this Guide to Early Shabbat at the Friday night table on the first "early Shabbat" of the season (or maybe a couple of times), so that everyone hears what's involved and can discuss some of the issues. Many communities wait until after Pesach to do early Shabbat (even though Summer Time starts before). Although Shabbat Shuva is the last Shabbat on Summer time, this chart ends with the Shabbat before Rosh HaShana, because most shuls will end their "early minyan" then. We therefore prepared the FOLLOWING chart to "run" from after Pesach until right before Rosh HaShana. The times are correct for Jerusalem. (Adjust slightly for your locale.) These are the explanations of the times from different columns in the chart that follows... PLAG i Mincha before this time, highly preferred. Candle lighting, etc. MUST be after this time. (PLAG time was rounded to the next minute. It is recommended to "pad" this time with 1-2 minutes on either side.) REG i Regular candle lighting time (Jerusalem). This is 40 minutes before the sunset calculated for an elevation of 825m (and only 35 minutes before the sunset time which does not take elevation into account). NST i Near Sh'ma Time. Kiddush should (preferably) be said before this time. This time is 30 minutes after regular candle lighting time, which is 10 minutes before the later sunset time and 5 minutes or so before the earlier sunset (calculated as if Jerusalem were at sea level). SHMA i Recommended to say Shma at this time or soon after. (Then count the Omer.) 25 minutes after the later sunset. (This is earlier than Shabbat-out time, but usable for Stars-Out for Sh'ma.) P i Chapter of Pirkei Avot for that Shabbat. Friday PLAG REG NST SHMA P Leil Shabbat of Parshat May 2 5:56 6:44 7:14 7:49 1 K'DOSHIM May 09 6:00 6:49 7:19 7:54 2 EMOR May 16 6:04 6:54 7:24 7:59 3 B'HAR May 23 6:07 6:59 7:29 8:04 4 B'CHUKOTAI May 30 6:11 7:03 7:33 8:08 5 BAMIDBAR Jun 06 6:14 7:07 7:37 8:12 6 NASO Jun 13 6:17 7:10 7:40 8:15 1 B'HAALOTCHA Jun 20 6:19 7:12 7:42 8:17 2 SH'LACH Jun 27 6:20 7:13 7:43 8:18 3 KORACH Jul 04 6:20 7:13 7:43 8:18 4 CHUKAT Jul 11 6:19 7:12 7:42 8:17 5 BALAK Jul 18 6:17 7:09 7:39 8:14 6 PINCHAS Jul 25 6:14 7:05 7:35 8:10 1 MATOT Aug 01 6:10 7:00 7:30 8:05 2 MAS'EI Aug 08 6:05 6:54 7:24 7:59 - D'VARIM (CHAZON) Aug 15 6:00 6:47 7:17 7:52 3 VA'ETCHANAN (NACHAMU) Aug 22 5:53 6:39 7:09 7:44 4 EIKEV Aug 29 5:46 6:31 7:01 7:36 5 R'EI Sep 05 5:39 6:22 6:52 7:27 6 SHOFTIM Sep 12 5:31 6:13 6:43 7:18 1/2 KI TEITZEI Sep 19 5:23 6:03 6:33 7:08 3/4 KI TAVO Sep 26 5:15 5:54 6:24 6:59 5/6 NITZAVIM When the proper time arrives (see chart), say the Sh'ma with KAVANA to fulfill the mitzva of KRI'AT SHMA BIZMANAH (Sh'ma at its proper time). Also, have KAVANA to restate your belief in G-d and His Unity, to accept upon yourself the iYoke of Heaveni and the iYoke of Mitzvoti (second passage). For the last pasuk (of the third passage), have KAVANA to remember Y'tzi'at Mitzrayim (the Exodus) iall the days of your lifei (including nights, as we reviewed in the Hagada). The saying of SHMA is a mitzva from the Torah and we should seize the first opportunity after dark to say it, even if we are in the middle of our Shabbat meal. Since it is not now being said in the davening, [1] there is no need to say EMET (or EMES) at the end, since in the context of davening, EMET is the first word of the bracha that follows the SH'MA, which we attach to the end of Sh'ma; and [2] we can (should?) say L'SHEIM KRI'AT SHMA BIZMANAH (for the sake of saying Sh'ma on time) before we begin, to focus our KAVANA. Re KEIL MELECH NE'EMAN before the Sh'ma. several sources indicate that this three-word intro to Sh'ma is to "round out" the number of words in the full Sh'ma to 248. (This includes BARUCH SHEIM... but not EMET). 248 is the traditional number of parts in the body. "He who says the 248 words of the Sh'ma the way they are supposed to be said, HaShem will preserve his 248 parts, as it says in Mishlei (4:4), ...SH'MOR MITZVOTAI VECHYEI, keep My mitzvot and live. G-d says: you keep My 248, and I'll keep your 248. (When davening with a minyan, the chazan's repeating aloud HASHEM ELOKEICHEM EMET brings the word-total to 248 and therefore we do not add KEIL MELECH NE'EMAN to the beginning of the Sh'ma.) Women are technically exempt from the requirement of reciting Sh'ma, but they may (should?) voluntarily say this important 3-parsha recitation. Among other reasons, SH'MA fulfills "remembering the Exodus", which women are obligated. The Sh'ma is presented in Torah font and with TROP for those who prefer reading it that way. Even if you don't read the Sh'ma with TROP, the TROP helps by indicating pauses and which syllable of each word gets accented. And between Pesach and Shavuot, don't forget to count the Omer On Friday nights from Pesach to Shavuot, remember to count the Omer after saying the Sh'ma. Sh'ma goes first because it is TADIR (more frequent) and because it is a D'ORAITA (fulfillment of a Torah mitzva), whereas Counting the Omer is less frequent and its status as D'ORAITA or D'RABANAN in our time (without the Beit HaMikdash and the Omer & Two Loaves offerings) is disputed. Count the Omer with KAVANA, standing... BEFORE the bracha, know the count (Count even if you are no longer saying a bracha) [The Parshat Emor Homepage]
|
