Shabbat part 19

The Talmud urges a nap on Shabbat afternoon as a way of adding further delight to this day of delights. This is not a law, and many choose instead to study Torah, or to go visiting neighbors and friends. In Israel, where there is a six day work week (although this is changing), this time is ideal to catch up either on sleep, or other forms of quiet recreation. Most Jewish communities have programs for children, giving Mom and Dad a chance to have some quality alone time. In Ashkenazi communities, where synagogue services end around noon, it is usually impossible to have time for a nap or visiting, except during the Summer, when days are long. Sepharadim generally get home around 10 am, and will have time to "catch forty winks" even in the Winter. ARI z"l urges sleeping at this time, not only as a delight, but as this time is very auspicious, and one who is worthy will get messages from Heaven in their dreams. Leisure time is such a rare commodity in our modern world. When one does have such time, it is usually dominated by TV, Facebook, or other distractions that keep us from true peace. On Shabbat, it is as though those things do not exist. We are alone with loved ones, ourselves, and G-d. Upon awakening, most people take a short walk, greeting neighbors with Shabbat Shalom, or Gut Shabbos along the way. Soon, it is time to return to the Synagogue for afternoon services (Minhah). Whereas the mood of Friday night was quiet and Feminine, Shabbat morning exuberant and Masculine, Shabbat Afternoon is the combination of the two; similar to the peaceful joyous, loving feeling of husband and wife, after they have been joined in a romantic interlude. The Minhah service of Shabbat is one of longing; longing to keep the feeling of closeness with G-d, longing for a future era of great peace. There is a short Torah reading at Minhah, taken from the opening of the next week's Torah portion. We realize that the delights are coming soon to an end, but another Shabbat is on the horizon. Now comes the culmination of Shabbat; Se'udah Slishit (Third Meal) German Jews call it "Shalosh Seudos" (Three Meals), as the other two are now combined into one. In Yiddish speaking circles, this is often (incorrectly) coalesced into "Shalehshudis". Most people go home for this meal. In other circles, it is celebrated at the synagogue itself. It is usually a smaller meal than the others; usually just bread and some fish. But the time is most unique. The melodies are haunting and piercing. Hasidic Rebbes deliver their main addresses to their followers at this time. On the other hand, some Hasidic Rebbes have their meal sequestered all alone, contemplating the significance of Shabbat, Seudah Shlishit, life, death, eternity...and G-d. Although the meal begins before sundown, it often continues late into the night. Some groups remain in the dark; listening to their rabbis expound on spiritual concepts, giving them time to introspect. I have seen groups where sobbing can be heard coming from the people struggling with their emotions in the dark. It is like an exercise in dying.  A few groups continue the experience until midnight. Some consider the time so sacred, that they refuse to spend it eating. However, the third meal is a halachic obligation. I have seen the "arguments" that some make for neglecting it. In my opinion, these arguments hold no water. Rabbi Nachman once said "it is like little children, wanting to be fed. When the parent says alright, it's now time to eat, the children decide that they don't want to".In my next post, I will discuss what comes after Seudah Shlishit.

Shabbat part 18

We come home. The food is ready to be served. Kiddush over wine or hard liquor is recited. If kiddush was recited in synagogue, most will forgo saying it again, while others will say it (I do), a practice stemming from a careful reading of the Talmud. Others refrain, based on many alternative interpretations.  If any family members were not present at synagogue, it must be recited. Whereas in most traditional, rather than Orthodox families the Friday night meal is the central family observance of Shabbat, Orthodox Jews make the daytime meal the most lavish. Many sit around the table for two hours or more, not only eating, but also singing and sharing words of Torah. The blessing on the bread is recited, with most having fish for the first course. Here too, different fish recipes are enjoyed in different communities. Moroccans make a wonderful dish called "schenah"; fish baked in a sauce of tomatoes and peppers. Most Ashkenazim have gefilte fish. Many types of Hasidim will again have a sweet and a vinegary fish dish. After the fish, some liquor is served (Russians will have Vodka, Polish will have whiskey, Mid Eastern Jews will have Arak, essentially the same as the Greek Ouzo.) Women often will imbibe liqueurs, while many prefer not to drink alcohol in front of men because of modesty concerns. Singing ensues. Afterwards, the main course(s) are brought out. As I have mentioned before, a common feature of Jewish heresies has been the abstaining from hot food on Shabbat. Therefore, we go out of our way to partake of hot food, as a way of disassociating ourselves from those who distort the Torah. Ashkenazim have a dish called "chulent". There are numerous, fanciful explanations for the name. Actually, it comes from the Italian "Caldo", meaning "hot" (English speaking tourists in Europe often get a nasty surprise when they turn on in the shower what they believe is cold water, because it is labeled caldo). Why would Polish, Russian, Hungarian, German Jews give their Shabbat dish an Italian name? Few are aware that the origins of Ashkenazi Jewry go back to Italy before about 800 CE, when Charlemagne invited Italian Jews into Franco Germany. The dish is at least as old as that! Basically, it is a casserole of meat and beans, which has been sitting on the blech since before Shabbat. Russian Jews also put potatoes in their chulent. Hungarian Jews serve a soupy chulent. Sepharadic Jews serve a variety of dishes, called by the collective name "Hammin", also meaning "hot". (The plural ending "in" often replaces "im" in post-Biblical Hebrew). This can be dishes of meat with pasta, beans, or various kinds of grain, either left on the blech, or cooked before Shabbat, and placed on the blech that morning. The traditions of various communities that I wrote about in relation to the Friday night meal are here repeated. A difference is seen in some Hasidic communities, where a variety of dishes are served that are intended to represent the ten Sefirot; the mystical attributes of G-d. These include eggs with onions, jellied calf's foot, kugel (a pudding made from noodles, bread, or potatoes.) It may be sweet or savory, kishke (animal intestines, cleaned and stuffed with fat and flour, well seasoned). No one walks away hungry from such a meal. More singing, more talking, and it's time for a Shabbat nap.

The Twilight Zone

Please note: This is not part of the current series, but rather a response to a number of questions that have been raised. Nevertheless, it is germane to issues related to the beginning and end of Shabbat.

The Twilight Zone
It is a mistaken idea that the day in the Jewish calendar begins and ends at sundown. We need to understand that there is a separation between day, twilight, and night. However, the definitions of these divisions is a subject of much discussion and debate. Until sundown, it is day (except according to one 12th century view, which we shall ignore for purposes of this article. ) According to most rabbis in the Talmud, as well as later views, sundown begins the period called "twilight" (Bein Hashemashot). It is uncertain if twilight is considered part of the day, part of the night, or up to some point day, and then night. As a result, we apply our old rule; to be strict in a Biblical requirement, and lenient in a rabbinic requirement. If a Biblical requirement needs to be performed by day, it should be done before sundown. If a rabbinic requirement needs to be done by day, we can go until twilight is over. Likewise, if a Biblical requirement is for the night, we must (in most cases), perform it only after twilight; if a rabbinic requirement, from sundown is fine. RAMBAM, also basing himself on a statement in Talmud has a  different view. We divide the time between sunset and night into two. The first half is completely day, the second half is twilight. (The term "shki'ah" is usually applied to sunset, but there are so many other usages of the word, that I will avoid it). So when is night? Simple. When the stars come out. But how many stars? The Talmud says "three stars, not scattered, but close together". OK, and how long is that? "The time it takes an average person to walk three-quarters of a mil. What's a mil? It's a Roman mile, roughly equivalent to a kilometer. And how long is that? Views differ for the time it takes to walk a mil between 18 minutes and 24 minutes. So, three-quarters of that time would be 13 1/2 minutes, to 18 minutes. But wait; the sun sets, and dark comes, at different rates of speed depending on the time of year, and distance from the equator. So, if we take the 18 minute mil, night would arrive between 14 and 20 minutes after Sundown in New York, depending on the time of year. Today, we have computerized calendars, that make this calculation easy. As there is a mitzvah to add to Shabbat, most people will wait at least half an hour after sundown to conclude it. Many wait even more.Now comes the complicated part. Throughout these essays, I have usually taken the view of RAMBAM as the most authoritative. But for our Ashkenazi brethren, that position is shared with Rabbi Jacob Tam (Rabbenu Tam, 1100-1171). One encounters debates (fruitless, in my opinion) as to which one is the greatest. RAMBAM was the greatest at determining the correct tradition on the basis of sources, oral traditions, and logic. Rabbenu Tam had few oral traditions, but was a master at interpreting the Talmud as a text, demanding analysis. When there are several views in the Talmud on a given subject, RAMBAM will try to zoom in on the most logical. Rabbenu Tam will try to make an interpretation that encompasses all views, or at least as many as possible. Aside from the above interpretations of nightfall, there is another one mentioned in Talmud. This view says that the "stars coming out" is not to be interpreted literally, but as the time when visible daylight leaves the horizon. How long is that? The time it takes to walk four mil; 72 minutes. Those rabbis who were well versed in astronomy knew that this, too, must be adjusted for time of year and distance from the equator. But most rabbis were NOT versed in astronomy, and this figure was understood as a constant. In the Land of Israel, the sun is 16.1 degrees under the horizon at 72 minutes. Those who accurately keep the "Time of Rabbenu Tam", will not consider it evening, or end Shabbat, until the sun is 16.1 degrees under the horizon locally, However, Rabbenu Tam didn't stop there. What about the other view, the main view in the Talmud that twilight lasts for 13 1/2 minutes? Rabbenu Tam, combining these views, worked out the following: Sundown is meaningless. For 58 1/2 minutes after sundown, it is actually DAY. At 58 1/2 minutes, starts twilight, becoming night at 72. This became standard in most places for the next six centuries, primarily because of the stature of Rabbenu Tam. In the eighteenth century, a number of rabbis, especially  Elijah of Vilna, showed this view to have no connection with any observable astronomical facts, and it largely fell by the wayside. However, in many Hasidic circles (and ever some Yeshivish circles), it remains standard until this day. Some keep it as a stringency. But many will pray the afternoon service (minhah) until almost an hour after sundown. Many (including yours truly) consider this a gross mistake. Those who end Shabbat at straight 72 minutes, are fooling themselves. That is NOT the "time of Rabbenu Tam".

Shabbat part 17

We have discussed the major methods of warming food on Shabbat, in accordance with Sepharadic and Yemenite traditions. How, and why, do the Ashkenazim differ? Primarily, it is over concerns of somehow causing some traces of food to actually cook on Shabbat, sometimes over terms not sufficiently defined in classical sources. The Ashkenazi, like the other groups, will make use of a blech over the stove, or an electric hotplate. Unlike his Eastern brothers, he will not have anything on a timer, as this might constitute causation (grama) of cooking. Whereas Sepharadim consider Grama to be permissible in any case of need, Ashkenazim only resort to it in cases of great necessity. All food meant to be served by day must stay on the heat all night. Usually, he will be careful that all food be fully cooked. Nevertheless, he will treat it as though it hasn't been, just in case a portion of the food has not been cooked sufficiently. Some braver souls WILL put up food that is not fully cooked, under one of two conditions. Either it must be sufficiently cooked, albeit very rare, so that a person might eat it in an emergency. The other alternative is that the food, or at least part of it, be completely raw at the start of Shabbat, so that he will take his mind off of it until the daytime meal; not stirring it or doing anything else that could hasten cooking. The food for Friday night was, of course, fully cooked in advance, and just kept warm on the blech. Upon returning from synagogue after the morning prayers, those pots containing only food that is for now, rather than those that will be eaten later, can be removed from the heat, and served normally, although no stirring will be allowed while the pot is on the heat. (Sepharadim would not hesitate to stir, as long as the food is fully cooked). In the event that we will want to replace the pot for later, the pot will be removed from the heat, while taking care to continue holding it by the handle. If the pot is put down, it may not be returned to the heat anymore. (Some permit returning it as long as it is still very hot, at least in an emergency, when no other warm food will be available). Food is removed with a ladle or serving utensils. If the food was left out sufficient time that it was no longer "yad soledet" (hot enough to make the hand recoil), it can no longer be put back onto the heat. In many families, even Friday night they will serve from the same pots, using this same procedure. Once on the plate, it is no problem to eat it together with other foods; condiments, vegetables, and the like. However, if the food is in large chunks (davar gush), it will be given time to cool a little first, as most Ashkenazim consider a solid piece of food as holding heat, to be considered as though it is still on the fire. (Sepharadim and Yemenites have no such concept). Now, what about something to drink? Tea or coffee? Hot water has been left either on the heat, or in an electric urn. According to most opinions, pouring boiling water directly over uncooked food, constitutes a type of cooking, at least by rabbinic law. We call the vessel that had been over the fire "Kli Rishon" (first vessel). A Kli Rishon will cook uncooked foods inside of it, or that have the hot water poured directly onto them. None of the groups will put anything into it, so as not to give the appearance of cooking. Once the water has been poured into a second vessel (Kli Sheni), Sepharadim and Yemenites will put anything into it; coffee, tea, consomme, etc. Some will avoid putting into a Kli Sheni thin leaves (such as tea or mint), as perhaps they will cook even in a kli sheni, so the water is poured into a third vessel, a kli shlishi. Many Ashkenazim will prepare nothing in a kli sheni. Most Sepharadim and Yemenites will prepare anything in a kli sheni. Sepharadim will pour boiling water over coffee, since it has been previously roasted. Ashkenazim consider boiling after roasting to be a problem, so they will go to a kli shlishi. Many Ashkenazim see the brewing of tea as too close to cooking in any case, and will make a "sens" (essence) of concentrated tea before Shabbat, mixing it with hot water in a kli shlishi. There are many more details, that one picks up over time, but few are concerns for Sepharadim and Yemenites. I have been Sepharadi for thirty-one years, and some of this was hard to remember. All this talk is making me hungry. Let's eat!