Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 249 - Laws That Apply on Friday

Pri Megadim (Eshel Avraham 249:1) discusses whether this distance is granted only from the beginning of the day and thus if one does not set out immediately, he may travel only a shorter distance, or whether a wayfarer is granted this distance even when he starts his journey later in the day. See also Badei HaShulchan 69:2.

See subsection 3 regarding traveling by horse or modes of transportation other than by foot, and subsection 4 regarding contemporary application of this law. See also footnote 9.

A parsa is a Persian mile, equal to four mil, approximately four kilometers (about 2 ½ miles) in contemporary measure.

See also Badei HaShulchan 69:3 which speaks about a traveling salesman whose conditions of employment require him to travel on Friday.

Sukkos 44b.

On this basis, there is presently more room for leniency, since one can communicate with the members of his household by phone or by other means and notify them of his Friday arrival early enough for them to prepare his Shabbos needs. In any case, the custom today is to be lenient, as explained in subsection 4.

Badei HaShulchan 69:4 states that if a person is bringing cooked food with him, he may travel further distances because his Shabbos needs are already prepared. See also footnote 13.

This subsection was very relevant in previous eras, when business travelers carried money and/or property, and the safety of both their persons and property was a concern. Unfortunately, even at present, such concerns prevail in certain locales.

In this context, two points must be clarified:

a) Although a person has license to travel more than three parsaos out of concern for his safety, he is not obligated to do so (see Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 11, p. 64, note 15).

b) This law applies to traveling on Friday. On Shabbos itself, if there is no imminent danger, just a general feeling of uncertainty, one is not even permitted to walk beyond a town’s Shabbos limits, i.e., one mil (2,000 cubits).

Certainly this also applies to modern means of transportation like cars and planes. Nevertheless, one must also take into consideration mechanical problems that may arise: traffic jams, airport delays, and the like. See Badei HaShulchan 69:5, which advises that preferably one should not travel on Friday on a trip that takes a few hours, and not continue traveling after midday.

I.e., four hours and 48 minutes. In certain contexts (see footnote 22 below) the Rabbis speak of shaos zemanios, seasonal hours. Here, the hour referred to is a simple 60-minute period.

As mentioned, a parsa is four mil. Thus the Alter Rebbe is stating that a person’s ordinary pace is to walk a mil in 24 minutes. In sec. 459:10, the Alter Rebbe explains that there are two opinions regarding the amount of time it takes a person to walk a mil: 18 minutes and 24 minutes. There, he explains that, fundamentally, the measure should be interpreted as 24 minutes. Nevertheless, unless a major loss is involved, one should be stringent and follow the opinion of 18 minutes. See also sec. 261:5. In Seder Hachnasas Shabbos in the Alter Rebbe’s Siddur, the measure of 24 minutes is used.

I.e., the Ashkenazic communities of Eastern Europe.

And thus will have ample food for an unexpected guest.

Badei HaShulchan, op. cit., however, cautions that arriving at a hotel or even at home unexpectedly and shortly before Shabbos can cause the proprietors or one’s family to make extra preparations that would entail desecration of the Shabbos. As mentioned in footnote 6, these days, it is usually possible for a person to notify his family or prospective hosts of his arrival.

Badei HaShulchan 69:11 defines this as partaking of at least an egg-sized portion of bread.

Gittin 38b. As clarified in the following subsection, the restriction mentioned does not apply with regard to feasts associated with a mitzvah, which must be observed on Friday.

E.g., a feast associated with the siyyum (conclusion) of a tractate of the Talmudor the like, which could be observed on another day.

See also sec. 444:15 for more particulars regarding the feasts permitted.

In the Talmudicera, the estab- lishment of a bond between a husband and his wife was a two-stage process beginning with erusin, the consecration of a woman, at which time she becomes forbidden to all other men, followed by nisuin, after which the couple begin living together as a married couple. At present, both stages are performed in direct sequence, one after the other.

See a different ruling where this rationale is mentioned, Moed Kattan 15b.

See the end of the Kuntreis Acharon, sec. 248, note 1; see also Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 3, p. 761ff.

I.e., to begin before three-quarters of the time from sunrise to sunset has passed, before 3 PM on a day on which the sun rises at 6 AM and sets at 6 PM, and thus an hour consists of exactly sixty minutes. On days when there are more or less than twelve hours of daylight, the hours should be calculated accordingly. Thus, the length of a seasonal hour — a shaah zmanis — is sometimes more and sometimes less than sixty minutes.

See subsection 9.

From Kuntreis Acharon (note 1), it appears that this refers to any relatives whose relation is close enough that they would be disqualified as witnesses, e.g., parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews.

The person who performs the circumcision and the one who holds the baby on his lap while the circumcision is being performed.

In his Kuntreis Acharon (note 1), the Alter Rebbe cites a narrative related by Rav Yeshayahu Horowitz, the author of the Shelah (in his tractate Shabbos). Rav Yeshayahu’steacherwas once honored to serve as the sandek at a bris held on Friday. He did not partake of the meal since there was a quorum of others without him. Rav Yeshayahu suggested to his teacher that he should participate in the meal, for as sandek, he was considered one of the honored parties of the celebration. In his reply, Rav Yeshayahu’steacher compared the situation to a circumcision held during the nine days of Av, when only an exact quorum should partake of meat. Although Rav Yeshayahu ultimately accepted his teacher’s reply, Magen Avraham 249:6 explains that a sandek should partake of such a meal, even where there is a quorum without him, because the day is considered as a personal festival for him.

The close relatives and the kohen performing the ceremony (who is comparable to the mohel) may also partake of the feast.

Needless to say, this law also applies if one willfully delayed his son’s redemption.

As indicated by the following note, there is a question whether the subject of the pronoun is the mitzvah or the celebration.

The present version of the main text can be explained on the basis of the Alter Rebbe’s statements in his Siddur, Dinei Pidyon HaBein, that the father violates a positive commandment every day that passes without him redeeming his son. Therefore, he should redeem him on Friday and hold the feast later. Nevertheless, Mareh Mekomos U’Tziyunim cites Rav Shneur Zalman Gorelik, who suggests that a printing error crept into the text and it should read: “And he should not redeem him without a feast.” See Pidyon HaBen K’Hilchaso, p. 373ff. In practice, in the event a pidyon haben was not performed at the prescribed time and the earliest time to perform the mitzvah is a Friday, a Rav must be consulted regarding the course of action to take.

The wedding ceremony.

Although the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro discusses this matter in sec. 640:6, the Alter Rebbe discusses this matter in sec. 639:10.

Badei HaShulchan 69:7 explains that the Alter Rebbe is speaking about a situation where a wedding feast was not held earlier. If, however, a wedding feast was held earlier, even though all the shevah berachos meals are considered as feasts associated with a mitzvah, they are not of sufficient importance to supersede the mitzvah to enter Shabbos with an appetite.

See Pesachim 99b, which states that one is allowed to eat throughout the day on Friday.

In his Kuntreis Acharon (note 2), the Alter Rebbe notes that Maggid Mishneh (in his gloss to Hilchos Shabbos 30:4) quotes commentaries who state that license to partake of such a meal is granted only “on occasion.” These commentaries differentiate between partaking of such a meal “on occasion” and doing so as an ongoing practice. The basis for this distinction is a passage in Gittin 38b, which prohibits sitting down to a meal on Friday. These authorities maintain that the passage in Gittin describes the ongoing practice, while the passage in Pesachim describes a leniency granted only “on occasion.”

The Alter Rebbe explains, however, that the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro, Rama, the Taz, and Magen Avraham make a different distinction, differentiating between a meal which one is accustomed to partake of during the week (the subject discussed in Pesachim) and a more elaborate feast (the subject referred to in Gittin). Accordingly, there is no basis for a distinction between the ongoing rule and a leniency granted on occasion to differentiate between “constantly” and “on occasion.”

See footnote 22.

Even an ordinary meal, i.e., more than just a snack.

From sunset onward, however, it is forbidden to taste anything until one recites Kiddush, as stated in that source. See the following subsection.

In that source, the Alter Rebbe states that more stringent rules apply on the day before Pesach, so that one will eat matzah with an appetite.

For license is granted to accept Shabbos early, as stated in sec. 267:2.

Before reciting Kiddush, it is absolutely forbidden to partake of food or drink, as stated in sec. 271:9.

In his Kuntreis Acharon (note 3), the Alter Rebbe discusses this ruling, noting that Darchei Moshe 249:4cites a difference of opinion whether or not it is permitted to partake of other foods before partaking of bread. The Alter Rebbe explains the basis for the stringent view and states that it applies even when one accepts Shabbos while it is still day, if he will also be eating the meal when it is still day.

As will be explained in the notes to that section, according to some opinions, one may fulfill his obligation to eat a meal with pastry and the like.

See subsection 9. In his Kuntreis Acharon (note 4), the Alter Rebbe states that he added this parenthetic statement because it was common practice for people to eat pastries, sweets, and the like after reciting Kiddush on wine, but before the Shabbos meal, and distinguished Rabbis did not admonish them for doing so. Magen Avraham raises a number of objections regarding this practice, among them:

a) since the other foods could be eaten as part of the meal, eating them beforehand results in the recitation of unnecessary blessings, and

b) the blessing over bread should be recited first.

The Alter Rebbe resolves those questions, explaining that since these foods are usually not eaten in the midst of a meal, but rather beforehand, reciting the blessing over them is not considered as reciting an unnecessary blessing. They are not being eaten as part of the meal and, at the time one partakes of them, he does not desire to partake of the meal. For that same reason, the fact that he does not recite the blessing over bread first does not present a difficulty, because at that moment, he does not yet want to partake of bread.

In the midst of the discussion, the Alter Rebbe mentions that one of the reasons that one might desire to partake of the pastry before the meal (and similarly, to set aside fruits and eat them after the meal,) is to fulfill his obligation of reciting 100 blessings a day (see sec. 46:1). He explains that the obligation of reciting 100 blessings takes precedence over the obligation to enter Shabbos with an appetite, and hence — although he doesn’t mention it in the main body of the text — there is justification for the practice of first eating these foods outside the context of a meal. See also the following subsection and sec. 290.

In which instance, he is obligated to recite a blessing before partaking of that food and afterwards, as stated in Seder Birkas HaNehenin 1:17, 4:13.

Depending on the situation, one might also be exempt from reciting a blessing before partaking of the food if one partakes of it during a meal. He is, however, certainly exempt from the blessing after partaking of the food. Therefore, by eating it before the meal, he will be able to recite an additional blessing.

See Kuntreis Acharon (note 4), where the Alter Rebbe elaborates in support of the ruling of the Shelah, who explains that, in this instance, the blessing is not considered as an unnecessary blessing. Indeed, that concept is reflected in the Alter Rebbe’s ruling, sec. 215:5, which states:

#indent#Therefore, if fruits are brought to a person in the midst of a meal, it is preferable for him to put them aside until after Grace, so that he will be required to recite the berachah acharonah that is specific to them instead of having them covered by Grace, which is not specific to them. They are covered by Grace only because they are considered as part of the meal, since they were served before the people dining withdrew entirely from partaking of bread…. In particular, this applies on Shabbos and festivals. In order to fulfill the obligation of 100 blessings, one should put aside the fruits until after Grace, so that he may fulfill [his quota of blessings] in this manner.

See also Seder Birchas HaNehenin 3:14.

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See Rama 211:5; Magen Avraham 211:9; and the Alter Rebbe’s Seder Birkas HaNehenin 10:14.

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See Rama, op. cit. See the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, sec. 168:2.

As an initial preference, he should make a stipulation when accepting the fast the preceding day. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 562:3, in particular, the end of the subsection). See also Magen Avraham 562:5.

Talmud Yerushalmi, Taanis 2:12, as explained by Magen Avraham 249:7.

This section is not extant in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro, sec. 580:2. Chabad custom, based on the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, is not to mark the yahr­zeits of the righteous with fasts. See Sefer HaSichos 5749, p. 184, quoted in Shulchan Menachem 5:318. Also see Minchas Yitzchak 6:135.

In his Kuntreis Acharon (note 5), the Alter Rebbe elaborates in support of his ruling in the main text. Initially, he explains that the source for his ruling, Pri Chadash 686:2, cites a Talmudicpassage, Pesachim 68b, which relates that the Sage, Mar, the son of Ravina, would fast the entire year — including Fridays — except for three days: Shavuos, Purim, and Erev Yom Kippur. That, the Alter Rebbe explains, is a debatable source for this ruling, since Mar, the son of Ravina, would fast on Shabbos as well. Nevertheless, Eruvin 40b-41a states that the students of Rav’s house of study would fast on Fridays. Tosafos (Eruvin 41a) interprets this as referring to an optional fast, and thus it is apparent that such a fast may be observed on a Friday.

Nevertheless, a question can be raised, for there are several instances when fasts are not observed on Friday so as not to enter Shabbos amidst discomfort. For example, if Purim is celebrated on Saturday night and Sunday, the fast of Esther is not observed on Friday as an act of respect for Shabbos. Since it is forbidden to fast on the date the fast is usually observed, for it is Shabbos, the fast is scheduled for Thursday instead of Friday (see the commentaries to Orach Chayim 686).The same question can be asked regarding the custom of the Anshei Maamad, the righteous men who were chosen to be the representatives of the Israelites at the offering of the communal sacrifices. Although they would fast the entire week and thus were allowed to fast on Friday as well, in practice, they chose not do so as an act of respect for Shabbos (see Taanis 4:3).

In resolution, the Alter Rebbe explains that when it is possible to hold a fast on another day, it should not be scheduled for a Friday. Nevertheless, the prohibition against entering Shabbos while distressed is mild in nature and can be superseded when rescheduling the fast is not possible. He explains that the students of Rav’s house of study had accepted the practice of fasting an entire week. Hence, it is considered as if they could not reschedule the fast and, hence, were permitted to fast on Friday. From the outset, by contrast, the Anshei Maamad chose not to fast on Friday, because they did not want to supersede the prohibition against entering Shabbos in a state of discomfort.

I.e., nightfall.

See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 562:6).

See sec. 267:2 which states that one may accept Shabbos early and recite the Evening Service while it is still day.

Even when one did not personally accept the fast after reciting the Shemoneh Esreh in the Afternoon Service of the previous day. See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro (Orach Chayim 562:5, 6) regarding a fast undertaken by an individual. See ibid. 550:4 regarding the Ninth of Av. Also see ibid. 562:12 regarding fasts decreed by the community.

The term “communal fast” can refer to two categories of fasts:

a) a fast decreed by the community to arouse Divine mercy in times of difficulty — e.g., earthquakes, plagues, or attack by non-Jews.

b) the five commemorative fasts observed by our people. Although these fasts are generally not observed on Fridays, an exception is made with regard to the Tenth of Teves, which sometimes does fall on Friday.

See sec. 288 for an explanation of such a fast.

Although traditionally, it was the Jewish custom to fast on these days, since the beginning of the chassidic movement, and particularly according to Lubavitch thought and practice, the emphasis has been on elevating the physical realm and spreading joy. As a result, Lubavitch practice is not to fast on these days. See Sefer HaSichos 5749, p. 184; Tanya, Iggeres HaTeshuvah, ch. 3.

See sec. 597:1.

Magen Avraham 580:9 states that the twentieth of Sivan is accepted as a public fast by the entire Jewish community of Poland. On that day, terrible tragedies befell the Jews of Europe and the Vaad Arbaah Aratzos designated the day as a fast day for all time (Megilas Aifah; Eliyah Zuta 566:4). Nevertheless, even when he lived in Poland, the Rebbe Rayatz did not fast on this day (see Sefer HaSichos 5751, p. 611). See footnote 57.

See footnote 49 above.

See footnote 49 above. See the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro, Orach Chayim 568:7-9, which speaks of this practice.

See the Shulchan Aruch of Rav Yosef Caro, Yoreh Deah 214:1.