Preparations for Shabbos
[A] (halacha 951)
The Ramak wrote in his siddur Tefillah LeMoshe1: 'And prior to this one should prepare the house itself and purify it from cobwebs and the like, which stand opposite the "outer forces," as it says "the spider (semamis) you may grasp with the hands," which is the outer force, and it is written "spiders' webs they weave," and clean it of all this'.
And his student, the author of the Reishis Chochmah, brought it in Totzaos Chaim2: 'My teacher, may his soul rest in Eden, wrote that one should clear cobwebs from the house, for the hinted secret. And he should prepare the house with lit candles and a made bed'.
And the Shelah wrote3: 'And I go about as a talebearer to reveal its secret, you already know, if you have merited to behold the pleasantness of Hashem, the hint of the pasuk4 "in all My house he is trusted," for Malchus is called "house" as is explained in the books of Kabbalah5. And behold it is well known6 that of it is said7 "like a rose among the thorns," for "round about the wicked walk"8, and this is the secret of the kelipos, whose desire is to prevent "peace of the home," and they are the spider that one must clear from the house, which is the secret of removing idols from "the earth," which is the supernal earth. Especially on the holy Shabbos day, which is the secret of the attribute of Malchus, for which reason Shabbos is called "the queen" (Shabbos Malkesa)9, and it is also called "bride" corresponding to the last attribute which is composed of all the supernal luminaries that shine toward her face10. To this the Shabbos candles allude, which correspond to "Remember" and "Guard," as is stated in the Bahir11, "Remember" for the masculine and "Guard" for the feminine, which is the secret of the union of the supernal luminaries in the secret of "and I will grant peace in the land"12, as the Mekubalim wrote13 that it alludes to the attributes of Yesod and Malchus; therefore the candles are called "peace of the home" (shalom bayis)14. And the matters are well explained to one who has merited to enjoy the radiance of the splendor of the wisdom of Kabbalah. And from this it emerges for us, that it is very sweet to adhere to this practice of removing idols from the house, and to prepare it with candles and a made bed, which is the bed of Shlomo HaMelech as is explained at length in the Recanati, Parashas Vayechi15.
And there are those who wrote this in the name of the writings of the Arizal, as is written in the sefer Yosef Ometz16 who wrote: 'It is written in the writings of the Ari Zal17 that one should clear cobwebs from the house close to Shabbos, for a known secret'.
[The holy Rav, author of the Minchas Elazar, elaborated in his works18 to explain the secret of clearing cobwebs on erev Shabbos, and we will copy here a small excerpt from his words in Divrei Torah: 'For behold this alludes to the kelipah of Esav, which is the fourth exile, the exile of Edom, this dark and long one before the complete redemption, may it come speedily, and the ministering angel of Esav is the one who impedes and delays the redemption, in our great sins .. and its legs [of the semamis - the spider] are seven, in the secret of "this opposite that God made" (the kelipah of Malchus, which is the seventh attribute, which is the kingdom of Esav who is Edom, and it corresponds to the seventh day, the holy Shabbos) .. and therefore the Arizal wrote well that the semamis corresponds to the holy Shabbos in holiness, the seventh day, as is understood].
The Magen Avraham19 brought the matter as halacha: 'One should clear cobwebs from the house (Reishis Chochmah, os 75)'.
The Alter Rebbe20, added that this is on account of the honor of Shabbos: 'It is good to clear cobwebs from the house while it is still day, to clean the house in honor of Shabbos'.
And so wrote the Mishnah Berurah21: 'And one should clear cobwebs, which are called "shpinneveben," from the house on erev Shabbos [Eliyah Rabbah], and all the more so must one sweep the house of the dust and dirt while it is still day, and this is all included in the honor of Shabbos, and let him imagine in his mind as if a flesh-and-blood king were coming to lodge with him, how much he would honor the house and make up the beds, and all the more so Shabbos Malkesa [Chayei Adam]'. And in the Shaar HaTziyun22 he added: 'This is included in what the Rambam wrote (chapter 30, halacha 5), one must set his house in order while it is still day on account of the honor of Shabbos'.
> Question: When is the appropriate time to clear them?
Answer: The Kaf HaChaim (Palagi) wrote23: 'The Chemdas Yamim further wrote in chapter 2 of Shabbos, os 73, that one should be careful on erev Shabbos to clear all cobwebs in order to drive away the kelipah called semamis, and the initial letters of Sh'emamis B'yadayim T'sapes ["the spider you may grasp with the hands"] spell ShaBaS, to allude that the time of its removal is on erev Shabbos .. And I heard from the mouth of a tzaddik, our teacher the elder Rav, author of the Avodas Masa, may his memory be for a blessing, that the great Rav, author of the Yad Aharon, of blessed memory, who was close to our camp in the generation before us, would warn the members of his household that since after midday the holiness of Shabbos enters, one should not clear the cobwebs unless it be before midday, and he derived it from the aforementioned hint, that it is ShaBaS, and they leave it. This is the content of his words. And this very thing is done as a segulah in order to catch the semamis itself, for they say "Shabbos" and it does not move from its place, and many say that it is tested and proven'.
And the Ben Ish Chai brought it24: 'It is good to clear the cobwebs that are in the house every erev Shabbos kodesh, in order to drive away the kelipah. And the Rav Kaf HaChaim, of blessed memory, wrote from the received tradition, that it is proper to clear this specifically before midday'.
And in the Kaf HaChaim (Sofer)25 he wrote: 'And one should be careful to clear it before the fifth hour, because from the fifth hour onward the illumination of Shabbos enters as is written in the Shaar HaKavvanos daf 62, os 1, and so that when the illumination of Shabbos enters it will already be cleared of the spider that alludes to the aspect of the kelipos as mentioned'.
> Thus we have seen that there is a great matter in removing cobwebs from the house on erev Shabbos26, and there are those who were particular to do this before midday, and even more so, even before the fifth hour.
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Notes:
1 שער י סי' ב דף קצא ↩
2 אות צ ↩
3 מסכת שבת פרק נר מצוה ↩
4 במדבר יב, ז ↩
5 זח"ב קכ, א ↩
6 זח"א א, א ↩
7 שה"ש ב, ב ↩
8 תהלים יב, ט ↩
9 שבת קיט, א ↩
10 רמב"ן ריש פרשת חיי שרה ↩
11 מהדורת מרגליות אות קפב ↩
12 ויקרא כו, ו ↩
13 פע"ח שער הסליחות פ"י ↩
14 שבת כג ב ↩
15 עח, ד ↩
16 ח"א דיני ערב שבת סי' תקפ ↩
17 אמנם יש כת"י שבמקום 'כתבי האריז"ל' כתוב 'בתוצאות חיים' ↩
18 ראה חמשה מאמרות מאמר תורת שבת אות ג - ד. דברי תורה מהדורה תשיעאה אות צט ↩
19 סי' רסב בהקדמה ↩
20 שו"ע או"ח סי' רסב ס"ב ↩
21 סי' רנ ס"ק ג ↩
22 ס"ק י ↩
23 סי' כז אות לד ↩
24 ש"ב פרשת לך לך סי"ג ↩
25 סי' רנ ס"ק י ↩
26 וראה מ"ש אדמו"ר המהר"ש בסה"מ תרל"ב ח"א ע' קנא ↩
[A] (halacha 963)
Question: From when on Friday must one begin preparing for Shabbos?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Shabbos1 says: 'Rav Chisda said: A person should always rise early [on erev Shabbos to exert himself and to prepare. Rashi] for the outlay of Shabbos, as it says2 "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare what they will bring" - immediately'3.
And Rashi wrote: 'And they shall prepare what they will bring immediately - at the time of bringing; the preparation and bringing are done early in the morning, as it is written "and they gathered it morning by morning"'.
And so wrote the Tur4: 'And he should rise early in the morning on Friday to prepare the needs of Shabbos, as it is written "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare," which implies preparation in the morning, similar to the bringing, as it is written "and they shall prepare what they will bring"5, and the bringing was in the morning, immediately'.
However the Ran6 wrote: 'As it says "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare," immediately. Explanation: from what is written "and it shall be," he derives precisely, for it implies that when the sixth day arrives, immediately "and they shall prepare". And if you say, if so, even from the eve it should apply - "day" is written, and moreover the mahn was not gathered at night'.
And in this manner the Shibolei HaLeket7 wrote in the name of the Tanchuma: 'Tanchuma: Rav Chisdai said, from where do we know that anyone who makes an expenditure for Shabbos, it is a mitzvah that he rise early and take it out from the morning? As it says "and it shall be on the sixth day," and the Sages expounded, "and it shall be" always means immediately, as it says "and it shall be when the Pelishti arose"'.
The Beis Yosef8, and the Taz9 brought the Shibolei HaLeket. And the Pri Megadim10 wondered: 'And I do not know why they abandoned what the Tur wrote, brought by the Levush, "and they shall prepare what they will bring," similar to the bringing which was in the morning, as it is written "and they gathered it in the morning." And it is possible that "morning" is four hours, and "and it shall be" immediately - it is a mitzvah on Friday immediately if possible, provided that he recite Krias Shema and tefillah in their time; see Eliyah Rabbah [se'if katan] 1'.
And in the Seder HaYom he wrote: 'On Friday morning, after he says his tefillah properly, he should not set a fixed study session as on the other days, in order to hasten to go prepare the needs of Shabbos, as the Sages of blessed memory expounded "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare" etc., that one must hasten in the morning to prepare; and they derived the matter from the extra wording of the pasuk, for it should have said "and it shall be on the sixth, and they shall prepare" - why did it state "on the day"? Rather, when the day arrives, and it is in the morning, one must prepare; and likewise wherever it says "on such-and-such a day," we have its mitzvah in the morning, and "the zealous are early for mitzvos" .. And this is what Scripture says "and it shall be on the sixth day," and "and it shall be" means only a language of being and endurance, that so it must be and it is not proper to change; and even though the Sages of blessed memory said that from Thursday one launders in honor of Shabbos and likewise gets a haircut and other matters, and it is called honor of Shabbos, that is for matters that are not among the needs of eating and the preparation for the day itself, but rather things to prepare ourselves for the day, and this is not comparable to that; and on the contrary, the preparation of the body was placed earlier so as to leave room for the preparation of the day on Friday itself'.
And as halacha the Mechaber11 wrote: 'He should rise early in the morning on Friday to prepare the needs of Shabbos'.
And these are the words of the Alter Rebbe12: 'A person should always rise early to exert himself and prepare the needs of Shabbos on erev Shabbos in the morning, and the hint for the matter is that it says "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare what they will bring," implying immediately, that when they bring they should prepare, and the bringing was in the morning, as it says "and they gathered it morning by morning"'.
The Bnei Yissaschar13 wrote a novel point that this halacha applies even on an erev Shabbos that falls on Yom Tov: 'And incidentally I have come to inform you of what appears to me as to the halacha from the language of Rav Chisda, who said "a person should always rise early" etc., his saying "always," meaning even if Yom Tov falls on erev Shabbos, and it appears that he derives it from the pasuk "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare" etc.; behold the word "and it shall be" is superfluous, for it should have said "and on the sixth day" etc., and he said "and it shall be," a language of joy, to teach that even if a time of joy occurs on the sixth day, that is Yom Tov, this does not push aside the mitzvah of rising early for the outlay of Shabbos; so it appears to me'.
★ ★ ★
An additional halacha was brought in the Shibolei HaLeket there: 'Rabbi Zeira said, even though a person takes out for Shabbos from the morning, it is a mitzvah that he pursue it at twilight (bein hashemashos)14 as it says "and it shall be double"'.
And the Magen Avraham brought it15: 'And even though he prepared early, it is a mitzvah that he add also at twilight, as it says "and it shall be double" etc.'.
And so wrote the Alter Rebbe there: 'And even though he prepared early, it is a mitzvah that he add also at twilight, and the hint for the matter is that it says "and it shall be double" (meaning that they should prepare a second time)'.
> Thus one must strive to prepare the Shabbos foods on Friday morning, and despite the preparation in the morning it is a mitzvah to add something in the preparation before the entry of Shabbos.
Notes:
1 קיז, ב ↩
2 שמות טז, כא ↩
3 כתב הבני יששכר (מאמרי השבתות מ"ב תוספת שבת אות ט): 'ולי נראה דלמד לה מן יביאו ששורשו 'בוא' והוא לשון מהירות כשארז"ל ביבמות (מח, ב) מפני מה הגרים מעונים בעולם הזה על שאיחרו ליכנס תחת כנפי השכינה כדכתיב ישלם ד' פעלך וכו' אשר באת לחסות תחת כנפיו (רות ב, יב) עיי"ש ברש"י ותוספות לשון ביאה היא במהירות והקדמה, ממילא לפי"ז מדכתיב והכינו את אשר יביאו, במהירות ובזריזות והיא השכמה תיכף יכינו, יהיה איך שיהיה הנה הוא נלמד מבנין א"ב, כי הוא נלמד מאבינו הראשון וישכם אברהם בבקר, וע"י מדת בנין אב מתעוררים מדת וחנון, וכתיב וחנותי את אשר אחון אעפ"י וכו' (ברכות ז, א)' ↩
4 או"ח סי' רנ ↩
5 וראה פרישה שם אות א ↩
6 שם קיז, ב ↩
7 ענין שבת סי' נה ↩
8 או"ח שם ↩
9 או"ח שם ס"ק א ↩
10 או"ח שם משב"ז ס"ק א ↩
11 שו"ע שם ס"א ↩
12 שו"ע שם ס"א ↩
13 מאמרי השבתות מאמר ב - תוספת שבת ↩
14 כלומר לפני השקיעה ↩
15 או"ח שם ↩
[B] (halacha 975)
We learned in the previous halacha [number 962] that one must prepare for Shabbos on Friday morning.
Question: Is it permitted, or is one required, to reduce a little in Torah study for the sake of the preparations for Shabbos?
Answer: The Shiltei Giborim wrote1 and the Rema brought it in the Darkei Moshe2: The language of the Ria"z: and in the Yerushalmi of Eretz Yisrael it is found in chapter 1 of Taanis that it is forbidden to betroth a woman on erev Shabbos, and likewise for words of Torah, and it appears that one reduces in words of Torah so that he may occupy himself with the needs of Shabbos'.
And on this basis the Rema wrote in the Shulchan Aruch3: 'And a person should reduce a little in his study on erev Shabbos, in order that he prepare the needs of Shabbos'4.
In the Seder HaYom5 he wrote: 'On Friday morning, after he says his tefillah properly, he should not set a fixed study session as on the other days, in order to hasten to go prepare the needs of Shabbos, as the Sages of blessed memory expounded "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare" etc., that one must hasten in the morning to prepare; and they derived the matter from the extra wording of the pasuk, for it should have said "and it shall be on the sixth, and they shall prepare" - why did it state "on the day"? Rather, when the day arrives, and it is in the morning, one must prepare; and likewise wherever it says "on such-and-such a day," we have its mitzvah in the morning, and "the zealous are early for mitzvos." And even though one who is occupied with a mitzvah is exempt from the mitzvah, especially the mitzvah of Torah study which is weighed against all the mitzvos together, even so, this is not its place; it is proper for it to be set aside one hour on account of the honor of Shabbos, because it is a passing mitzvah and it is set aside on account of the study, and it cannot be done by others, for every person is obligated to honor Shabbos himself and to honor it according to his ability; and even if he has ever so many servants and attendants, it is his honor to himself honor the Shabbos day and to prepare its needs, if not all of them then some of them, as we find with the early Sages, that each one of them designated for himself a task to do himself; and even though they had many attendants and household members who could prepare, they did not slacken on that account, but rather girded their loins like a mighty man, each one to do his task, as is explained in Shabbos in the chapter "Kol Kisvei"; and if so, it is not proper to occupy oneself in Torah study and cause this matter to be forgotten from him, for it is a great mitzvah which the Torah itself was particular about, and what benefit is there in Torah study while nullifying its intent - one should not act piously in this regard .. And if perhaps he prepared the needs of Shabbos from Thursday and there does not remain to him anything to prepare on Friday, he may sit and study as he wishes; but it appears to me that since Scripture was particular about the preparation on Friday, it appears that the essence of the mitzvah and the effort must be on Friday, and one who prepares from Thursday has not fulfilled the mitzvah of preparation properly ..'.
And the Magen Avraham6 wrote in his name: 'And if he prepared on Thursday, he may study as is his way'.
And in the Shiyarei Knesses HaGedolah7 he wrote: 'And a person should reduce a little from his study on erev Shabbos in order that he prepare the needs of Shabbos. Sefer HaMapah. And it appears that this is specifically one who has no one to prepare the needs of Shabbos, but one who has someone to prepare for him the needs of Shabbos by means of an attendant, need not reduce from his study, and it is proper that he instruct the attendant to prepare for him the needs of Shabbos'.
And on this basis the Alter Rebbe wrote8: 'And a person should reduce a little in his study on erev Shabbos, and all the more so in his other affairs, so that he be free to prepare the needs of Shabbos, unless he already prepared on Thursday, or he has someone to prepare for him'9.
And regarding the reason that one nullifies a little Torah study for the sake of preparing the needs of Shabbos, it is explained in Maseches Shabbos10 that the Amoraim exerted themselves in honor of Shabbos: 'Rav Safra would singe the head [singe the head of the animal], Rava salted a fish (shibuta), Rav Huna kindled lamps, Rav Papa braided wicks, Rav Chisda cut beets, Rabbah and Rav Yosef split wood, Rabbi Zeira kindled small pieces of kindling [lit the fire with small pieces of wood], Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak would shoulder [loads] in and shoulder out [he would exert himself and clear out from the house the weekday vessels, and bring in the Shabbos articles], he said: If Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi were to visit me, would I not shoulder [loads] before them? And some say: Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi themselves would shoulder in and shoulder out, they said: If Rabbi Yochanan were to visit us, would we not shoulder before him?'.
And likewise it is brought in Kiddushin11: 'Rav Yosef said: A mitzvah performed by oneself is greater than by one's agent; as in this case where Rav Safra would singe the head, Rava salted a fish'.
And this matter requires explanation, for these Amoraim - their Torah was their occupation, and how did they nullify Torah for the sake of the preparation for Shabbos?
And the Alter Rebbe explained12 that the mitzvah of honoring Shabbos is an obligation of the body (chovas haguf), that every person is obligated to occupy himself with his body (at least in some one thing) in honor of Shabbos: 'And furthermore, anyone whose Torah is his occupation and who studies it by day and by night, like these Amoraim, cannot at all fulfill the added distinction of this mitzvah of "a mitzvah performed by oneself is greater than by one's agent," for it is forbidden to him to nullify his Torah to perform a mitzvah that can be performed by others, as is written in Yoreh Deah siman 240; and even so all these Amoraim nullified their Torah every single Shabbos, from which it follows that it is an obligation of the body to occupy oneself specifically by oneself, because this is the honor of Shabbos, as the Rambam wrote. And since the reason is on account of the honor of Shabbos, one thing alone suffices, as the Tur and Shulchan Aruch wrote, for through this its honor is recognizable'.
> Thus we have seen that one reduces a little in Torah study for the sake of the preparation of the needs of Shabbos; in the next halacha we will see further details in this halacha.
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Notes:
1 שבת מד, א ↩
2 או"ח סי' רנא ס"ק א ↩
3 או"ח סי' רנא ס"ב בהג"ה ↩
4 המשנ"ב בביאור הלכה סי' רנא שם ד"ה ויש לאדם, העיר על מקור הדין: 'נרשם בירושלמי ובאמת המעיין שם היטב וכן במדרש המובא בדרכי משה יראה להדיא דאיירי בשבת ולא בערב שבת וצ"ל במדרש אלא מן המנחה ולמעלה וכמו שכתבו המפרשים. *ומ"מ הדין של הרמ"א הוא אמת כדאיתא בגמרא שאמוראים בעצמם היו מבטלים מלמודם כדי להכין צרכי שבת* ↩
5 הנהגת והכנת יום הששי לכבוד השבת ↩
6 סי' רנא ס"ק ו ↩
7 הגה"ט או"ח סי' רנ ס"ק א ↩
8 שו"ע או"ח סי' רנ ס"ב ↩
9 אמנם גם בכזה מקרה חייב לטרוח בעצמו להכין לפחות דבר אחד לכבוד שבת כמבואר בסעיף ד ובקו"א שם ↩
10 קיט, א ↩
11 מא, א ↩
12 סי' רן בקו"א ס"ק ב ↩
[C] (halacha 989)
In the previous halacha [number 975] we learned that one reduces a little from Torah study for the sake of preparing the needs of Shabbos.
Question: One who has a fixed study session, or a beis midrash, what should he do?
Answer: In the Seder HaYom1 he wrote: 'But if the study is a matter that has a fixed limit, and he will not be delayed in it, he may give a portion to this, and also from this he should not withdraw his hand, for certainly it is a great thing to set a fixed study session after tefillah as we explained, since it says "they go from strength to strength," except that not all hours are equal - there is a time to set fixed study and a time to nullify what is fixed. But if he sets study with the many (rabbim), certainly it is not proper to nullify the study of the many, for it is exceedingly important and no passing mitzvah is more important than it, especially in a matter that does not pass entirely, for if he does not go now to prepare he will go afterward, and if it will not be all of it, it will be part of it, and this and that will be fulfilled. And likewise one who is accustomed to read the parashah "twice Scripture and once Targum" immediately after tefillah may read it and not be delayed, for it is among the needs of the day and it is a mitzvah in his hand to read it before eating on Friday, and it is possible that if this hour is nullified from reading, he will afterward occupy himself with other matters and nullify its reading; therefore it is good to read it - the Scripture and the Targum alone with the Haftarah - and afterward occupy himself with its commentaries as he wishes'.
> It is explained in his words that although we learned that one nullifies from study in order to prepare the needs of Shabbos, nevertheless if the study is fixed-limited, and likewise "twice Scripture," or fixed study for the many, he should not nullify it.
And the Knesses HaGedolah wrote2: 'I have already written in siman 249 .. in the gloss of the Beis Yosef, of blessed memory3 that in Constantinople they had the practice not to establish a yeshiva session on erev Shabbos. And it appears to me the reason: even though it is study of the many, nevertheless it is study that has no fixed limit, for perhaps through the give-and-take of the pilpul the study will be prolonged and they will not purchase the needs of Shabbos. And here in Tiria they had the practice to study Rashi's commentary on the weekly parashah. And it appears their reason: since they do not conduct give-and-take in his words, they will not come to be drawn on'.
> That is, according to the opinion of the Knesses HaGedolah, even study of the many, if it is a "yeshiva," since it is in the manner of pilpul and give-and-take, is study that has no fixed limit, and therefore they had the practice to nullify it.
The Magen Avraham4 brought their words, and wrote: 'Therefore they do not establish a yeshiva session in Constantinople on erev Shabbos (Knesses HaGedolah). And in the Seder HaYom it is written that if he is accustomed to study something that has a fixed limit, or that he studies with the many, he should not nullify it, and the study of the yeshiva is called something that has no fixed limit since they are accustomed to conduct pilpul, unless it is Rashi's commentary on the sidra, which is permitted'.
And the Alter Rebbe wrote5: 'And in some places they have the practice not to establish a yeshiva session on erev Shabbos, because the study of the yeshiva is something that has no fixed limit, since they are accustomed to conduct pilpul, and perhaps they will be drawn out much in their pilpul and afterward they will not have leisure to prepare the needs of Shabbos; but one who studies something that has a fixed limit, if he is accustomed to study it every day, should not nullify it on erev Shabbos; and even something he is not accustomed to study every day, nevertheless if he studies with the many he should not nullify it; and even when he studies alone, if it is something that it is customary to study on erev Shabbos, such as Rashi's commentary on the weekly parashah, as will be explained in siman 285, he may study as is his way'.
> That is, the Alter Rebbe explains, based on the language of the Magen Avraham, that what the Seder HaYom permitted as study for the many is specifically something that has a fixed limit [and therefore there is no contradiction in this to what the Knesses HaGedolah wrote, that one nullifies the study of a yeshiva], and in this it is permitted even what he is not accustomed to study every day; however an individual is permitted to study only something he is accustomed to every day, or at least that it is customary to study every erev Shabbos, such as "twice Scripture".
In the Kuntres Acharon6 he proved his words: 'Accustomed etc. So is the implication of the language of the Seder HaYom - that is in the Magen Avraham7. And what he [=the Magen Avraham] wrote afterward "or that he studies" etc. means even if he is not accustomed to it every day8. For one cannot say that it means even something that has no fixed limit9, for if so, why did he forbid the study of the yeshiva - it is study with the many10. And it is forced to say that "studies with the many" means teaching the many, and "the study of the yeshiva" means the yeshiva that he studies in a group (chavrusa)11, and they need not prepare12, for if so, why do they not establish a yeshiva session in Constantinople13. And it is forced to say that the Knesses HaGedolah and the Seder HaYom disagree with one another'14.
And to note from the Sefer HaMaamarim 569115 regarding the conduct of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek: 'And on that Shabbos there was Chassidus three times, meaning one time was on erev Shabbos kodesh, as was the way of his holy honor, my grandfather the holy Rav, who would say Divrei Elokim Chaim sometimes on erev Shabbos kodesh after Shacharis tefillah, and sometimes after Minchah'.
> Thus, in practice, one nullifies study that has no fixed limit for the sake of the preparations for Shabbos, but one should not nullify something that has a fixed limit in the case that: 1) he is accustomed to study it every day, 2) or that he studies with the many16, 3) or that it is customary to study this on erev Shabbos.
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Notes:
1 הנהגת והכנת יום השישי לכבוד השבת ↩
2 הגה"ט או"ח סי' רנ ס"ק ד ↩
3 ס"ק ב ↩
4 סי' רנא ס"ק ו ↩
5 או"ח סי' רנ ס"ג ↩
6 ס"ק א ↩
7 כלומר אמנם מהלשון של סדר היום עצמו ניתן להבין שדבר שיש לו קצבה מותר גם באופן שהוא לא רגיל ללמוד את זה כל יום, אך מהלשון שלו כפי שהובא במג"א מובן שזה בתנאי שרגיל ללמוד בכל יום ↩
8 כלומר החידוש של לימוד עם רבים על יחיד, הוא שברבים מותר ללמוד גם דבר שאינו רגיל בו ↩
9 כלומר אל תדחה ותאמר שהחידוש הוא לא ביחס לדבר שאינו רגיל בו, אלא החידוש הוא שברבים מותר גם דבר שאין לו קצבה ↩
10 כיון שאם החידוש שברבים מותר גם דבר שאין לו קצבה, אז למה כתב המג"א: 'ולימוד הישיבה מקרי דבר שאין לו קצבה', הרי לימוד הישיבה זה לימוד של רבים? אלא מוכח שגם בלימוד של רבים אסור דבר שאין לו קצבה, והחידוש הוא שמותר ברבים גם דבר שאין רגיל בו ↩
11 דוחק לפרש שהמג"א התכוון לחלק בין לימוד לרבים לישיבה, שלימוד לרבים שמותר היינו המלמד לרבים - ראש הישיבה, משא"כ לימוד בישיבה שאסור היינו לימוד בחבורה ↩
12 כלומר (ראה כנישתא דבי רב בתוספת ביאור הערה ה, ושוע"ר עם דובר שלום בביאור על הקונט"א אות מא) קטע זה מוסב על הלימוד לרבים, שהתרנו לראש הישיבה ללמד לרבים, אך מנין יהיו לו תלמידים? ועל כן נצטרך לומר שיש כאלו שאינם צריכים להכין כגון בחורי ישיבה שמכינים להם את צרכם בבית, ולכן רשאים לשבת להקשיב לשיעורים ↩
13 הרי ראש הישיבה יכל ללמד לרבים [גם דבר שאין לו קצבה] ↩
14 כלומר דוחק לומר שבעל כנסת הגדולה אוסר בכלל לימוד לרבים, ואה"נ לפי סדר היום לא היו צריכים לבטל את הישיבה בקושטאנדי"א. [ובפרט שכנה"ג הביא את דברי בעל סדר היום] ↩
15 ע' 246-7 ↩
16 המשנ"ב סי' רנ בשעה"צ ס"ק א כתב: 'ומש"כ המג"א אח"כ ולימוד הישיבה, אין ר"ל שע"כ צריך לבטל, דא"כ סותר את עצמו, גם זה ליתא בסדר היום, דשם מוכח בהדיא דאפילו בשביל מצוה עוברת אין לבטל תלמוד תורה דרבים, אלא הכוונה דהבעה"ב שרוצה ליכנס בתוך הישיבה ואין לו בביתו מי שיכין עבורו, אין לו ליכנס, דהוי ליה דבר שאין לו קצבה, אבל להרב הלומד עמהם לא שייך זה'. אמנם ברביד השלחן (איינהארן) סי' רנ השיג עליו: 'ולכאורה הבין המשנ"ב שהסדר היום חולק על הכנה"ג וסובר דלימוד דרבים אל יבטלנו אע"פ שאין לו קצבה. אמנם לפי הנראה לא הי' לפני המשנ"ב ספר כנה"ג והי' סבור שזהו מדברי המג"א, אבל באמת הוא מדברי הכנה"ג עצמו שכתב להדיא שלכן לא קבעו ישיבה בקוסטנטינא מפני שלימוד הישיבה הוא דבר שאין לו קצבה וצ"ע' ↩
[C] (halacha 1005)
Question: May one, on erev Shabbos, make the preparations before reciting Krias Shema and tefillah?
Answer: In the Seder HaYom1 he wrote: 'And if they are accustomed to sell before the time of tefillah, and after tefillah nothing is found, it appears to me that it is proper to purchase the needs of Shabbos before he prays, for this is a Rabbinic mitzvah and this is a Torah mitzvah, and this one's time passes and this one's time does not pass, provided that he recite Krias Shema before its time arrives; and if the congregation is praying, an individual should not act piously more than they, but rather he should pray with them and afterward do what he will do - what the congregation does - for whatever the congregation does, the Holy One Blessed be He desires them, and there is no comparison for an individual who performs a mitzvah on his own to when he performs it with the congregation, for he is elevated to a very great level indeed'.
And the Magen Avraham brought it2: 'And in the Seder HaYom it is written .. and if he will not find afterward to purchase, then he should not fix the study in the morning; and if he will not find to purchase after tefillah, then he should purchase and afterward pray, for this is a passing mitzvah, and it is also of the Torah, provided that he recite Krias Shema first; and if the congregation is praying he should not separate from them; and if he prepared on Thursday he may study as is his way; end quote'.
The Pri Chadash3 brought a source for giving precedence to the needs of Shabbos over tefillah from the words of the Gemara: 'And furthermore we say in Maseches Megillah4 that on Yom Tov one comes late and leaves early, and Rashi wrote: on Yom Tov one comes late to the synagogue because one must exert himself for the Yom Tov meal; end quote. And from here there is support for the practice of some people to purchase the needs of Shabbos in the morning before tefillah, and further from what we say in the chapter "Hayah Korei"5 that it is forbidden to attend to one's affairs before he prays, implying that specifically his own affairs are forbidden, but the affairs of Heaven and Torah study are included as permitted .. and thus we hold'.
> From their words it is understood that on Friday morning, ideally one should pray and afterward purchase the needs of Shabbos, but in the case that after tefillah there will not remain items to purchase, he is permitted to give precedence to the purchases over tefillah, but he should recite Krias Shema first.
[However there are those who wrote that as a matter of the halacha, the purchases for Shabbos take precedence over tefillah, and by way of introduction:
In halacha 962 we saw that there are two reasons why one must hasten and prepare the needs of Shabbos early; the Tur and the Alter Rebbe wrote the reason of Rashi, 'a person should always rise early to exert himself and prepare the needs of Shabbos on erev Shabbos in the morning, and the hint for the matter is that it says "and it shall be on the sixth day, and they shall prepare what they will bring," implying immediately, that when they bring they should prepare, and the bringing was in the morning, as it says "and they gathered it morning by morning"'. However the Taz brought only the second reason, brought in the name of the Tanchuma: 'He should rise early in the morning. As it says "and it shall be on the sixth day," "and it shall be" means only immediately, as it says "and it shall be when the Pelishti arose"'.
And the Pri Megadim wrote6 to explain that there is a practical difference between the reasons, for according to Rashi's reason the essence is that the preparation be in the morning, and morning is until four hours of the day, and therefore tefillah takes precedence; but according to the Tanchuma's reason one must strive to prepare immediately, and therefore it precedes tefillah, and these are his words: See the Taz. See the Beis Yosef, Tanchuma, and I do not know why they abandoned what the Tur wrote, brought by the Levush, "and they shall prepare what they will bring," similar to the bringing which was in the morning, as it is written "and they gathered it in the morning." And it is possible that "morning" is four hours, and "and it shall be" immediately - it is a mitzvah on Friday immediately if possible, provided that he recite Krias Shema and tefillah in their time .. And even though his own affairs are forbidden to attend to before he prays .. the needs of Shabbos are a mitzvah and it is permitted before he prays ..'.
However the Mishnah Berurah in the Biur Halacha7 remarked on his words: 'And behold we copied in the Mishnah Berurah after Krias Shema and tefillah specifically, because the world did not have the practice like the Pri Megadim [but this can be rejected, for it is possible that each one relies on his household members who prepare immediately when they arise for the needs of Shabbos; but when he has no one to prepare for him, it is possible that indeed he must rise early before Krias Shema and tefillah for the outlay of Shabbos] .. And behold, although we could resolve the reasoning of the Pri Megadim, who holds that according to the Tanchuma who derives from "and it shall be" that "and it shall be" means only immediately, the Torah revealed to us that here it is different, nevertheless in practice one should not rely on this at all, for it is possible that even according to the Tanchuma, since the Torah then commanded the preparation immediately when it was the sixth day, there is no proof at all for our times, for it is known that Shabbos was given to them at Marah before the giving of the Torah and the mitzvah of Krias Shema was not yet upon them then, and therefore the mitzvah of preparation applied to them on the sixth day immediately when he arose from his bed; whereas afterward, when they were commanded regarding Krias Shema at the time of arising, and it is a frequent mitzvah every day, it takes precedence. And what Rav Chisda said, that one should rise early for the outlay of Shabbos and derives it from the pasuk "and it shall be," means that one must give precedence to whatever he can, and therefore even after the giving of the Torah, when we were commanded regarding frequent mitzvos every day, which is the mitzvah of Krias Shema, he should hasten himself to this immediately after he fulfills Krias Shema [and also tefillah, which according to the Rambam is of the Torah, and also on account of joining redemption to tefillah], for the time of Krias Shema too is called rising early, as it is written "and the Pelishti drew near morning and evening," and the Sages of blessed memory said, in order to nullify them from Krias Shema of the morning and the evening; this shows that three hours into the day is still included in rising early, and consequently what he exerts himself immediately after this for the outlay of Shabbos does not depart from this category [and also, for it appears that this derivation of Rav Chisda is a mere asmachta [and the Pri Megadim already remarked on this at the end of siman 251, that from "three meals" several poskim hold that it is Rabbinic] for behold the Rambam wrote that the essence of oneg Shabbos is from Divrei Kabbalah, and how can the preparation for it be of the Torah on erev Shabbos in the morning; but in truth all of it can be rejected, for even though oneg is from Divrei Kabbalah, nevertheless at least the meal on Shabbos and the preparation for it while it is still day is of the Torah according to several poskim, see Beitzah 2b in Rashi and the Bartenura, and if so it is possible that also rising early for it in the morning is from the Torah]'.
And as halacha the Alter Rebbe8 ruled like the words of the Seder HaYom and the Magen Avraham, and these are his words: 'And if he will not find to purchase after tefillah, then he should purchase first and afterward pray, provided that he recite Krias Shema beforehand, lest its time pass before he purchases; but tefillah, its time extends longer, and although there is concern lest the time of tefillah too pass, nevertheless this mitzvah of the preparation of the Shabbos meals passes with certainty9, for afterward he will not find to purchase; and nevertheless if the congregation is praying he should not separate from them'10.
> Thus we have seen that the order is: first to recite Krias Shema and to pray, unless after tefillah the needs of Shabbos will not remain, in which case he should recite Krias Shema, purchase the needs of Shabbos, and afterward pray, [and regarding tefillah with a minyan, see the note11].
Notes:
1 הנהגת והכנת יום הששי לכבוד השבת ↩
2 סי' רנא ס"ק ו ↩
3 או"ח סי' פט ס"ו ↩
4 כג, א ↩
5 ברכות יד, א ↩
6 משב"ז ס"ק א ↩
7 סי' רנ ד"ה ישכים בבוקר ↩
8 או"ח סי' רנ ס"ג ↩
9 אדמו"ר הזקן לא הזכיר את הטעם שזו מצוה דאורייתא. ובאמת הפמ"ג בא"א סי' רנא ס"ק ו כאן העיר שלדעת המג"א סי' רמח ס"ק ו חיוב ג' סעודות הוא מדרבנן והדרשא אסמכתא, וכן דעת אדמו"ר הזקן (ראה לקו"ש חל"ו ע' 70 הערה 8) שכתב בסי' רסז ס"ג 'דכיון שג' סעודות אלו *למדו חכמים* ממה שנאמר ג' פעמים היום אצל אכילת המן בשבת'. וראה ג"כ סי' רעד ס"א שהדרשה היא *רמז* ↩
10 המשנ"ב בביאור הלכה שם העיר על דין זה: 'וגם מש"כ בסדר היום דאם הצבור מתפללין לא יפרוש מן הצבור פליאה היא איך ידחה לדבריו תפלה בצבור דרבנן את מצות הכנה שהיא דאורייתא וגם אם נימא דהוא רק אסמכתא ג"כ נראה דמוטב להתפלל אח"כ ביחידי משיתפלל בצבור ולא ימצא אח"כ מה לקנות לצרכי שבת .. לכן לא העתקתי דין זה'. אמנם בקצות השלחן סי' ע אות יא כתב לבאר: 'ואפ"ל שגם הסדה"י לא קאמר שאם יפסיד תפלה בצבור לא יקנה צרכי שבת, דצרכי שבת קודמים לתפלה בצבור, אלא דמיירי באופן שיש חשש שיעבור זמן תפלה, דהותר לקנות צרכי שבת לפי שעוברת בודאי וכמו שפי' דבריו אדמו"ר ז"ל וע"כ אם הצבור מתפללין דבזה תפלה בצבור עוברת ג"כ בודאי, ונוסף לזה אפשר שכל הזמן של התפלה יעבור, איכא בזה תרתי לגריעותא, ע"כ יתפלל עם הצבור, אבל אם יודע שלא יעבור זמן התפלה, רק תפלה בצבור מודה שיקנה מקודם'. [אך לכאורה אדמו"ר הזקן לא הזכיר אודות המנין שיעבור זמן תפילה, אולי כוונתו שאכן תפילת הצבור קודמת בכל מקרה (וכפי שראינו בהלכות האחרונות את חשיבות המנין בדעת אדמו"ר הזקן) 'ואח"כ יעשה הוא מה שיעשה המנין' כפי שסיים בסדר היום] ↩
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