All About Shovavim and Shovavim Tat

Shemos. Va’eira. Bo. Beshalach. Yisro. Mishpatim. These are the first six sedras in sefer Shemos (the book of Exodus), which are read in the winter months, between Chanukah and Purim. In Hebrew, their initial letters spell the word “shovavim,” which is the name by which this period is known.

“Shovavim” is a word found twice in sefer Yirmiyahu (the book of Jeremiah) chapter 3 – in verses 14 and 22, as part of the phrase shuvu banim shovavim. This is typically translated as “return, backsliding children,” though the meaning is really more along the lines of “wayward” or “troublemaking.” In any event, the implication is clear: the navi is telling us that we’re not acting as we should and that we should repent. Accordingly, the Shovavim period is one of intensified teshuvah (repentance) and tikkun (rectification) for personal shortcomings, particularly those of a sexual nature. This can range from such matters as unclean thoughts to laxity in the laws of family purity.

There are a number of reasons why the Shovavim period is appropriate for increased teshuvah. One is related to the theme of the Torah portions read over the course of these weeks. We read about how the Jews were exiled in Egypt, where they became entrenched in immorality and sank to the lowest depths of impurity. Nevertheless, they were able to be redeemed and ended up traveling to Sinai, where they received the Torah. It’s an inspiring message of bouncing back from impurity to spiritual heights.

Another explanation is because Shovavim falls after the winter solstice, which is when the days start to get longer. This relates to a story recounted in Avodah Zara 8a: after Adam sinned, he observed that the days were getting shorter and feared that his disobedience to God had brought about the end of the world. Once the winter solstice passed, he saw the days getting longer again and was relieved. (Such is the natural order of the world, but it is also symbolic of his repentance being accepted.) Accordingly, the period of increasing daylight is seen as an auspicious time.

You won’t find Shovavim discussed in Talmud, Midrash, Shulchan Aruch or Mishneh Torah; the earliest reference is in the fifteenth-century work Leket Yosher. There, a proto-Shovavim practice is discussed: fasting on the Thursdays of these weeks in a leap year. (Actually, it discusses fasting for eight weeks rather than six, for reasons we’ll get to shortly.) It was the Kabbalists who expanded Shovavim to its current form – fasting Mondays and Thursdays during this period, every year. Because of their origins, the practices we are about to discuss are more prevalent in Sefardic and Chasidic communities than they are among Ashkenazim.

The first practice, as mentioned, is to fast from dawn to dusk on the Mondays and Thursdays of this period. These are the days of the year with the fewest daylight hours, with the result that these fasts are not among the more onerous ones.

Another practice observed at this time is to undertake a taanis dibbur – a fast from speaking. Typically observed on Shabbos (when regular fasting is prohibited), one obligates himself to refrain from talking, except for words of prayer.

On Shabbos during a taanis dibbur, there are those who recite sefer Tehillim – all 150 Psalms – three times, for a total of 450 Psalms! This, of course, is a very large time commitment.

During Shovavim, some people recite Selichos and various Kabbalistic prayers appropriate for the period. Others give extra tzedakah at this time.

In a Hebrew leap year, the Shovavim period is extended another two weeks, through the sedras of Terumah and Tetzaveh. This eight-week period is known as “Shovavim Tat.” (“Tat” in Hebrew is a form of the verb “to give” and it appears more than a dozen times in Tanach – see, for example Genesis 4:12, I Kings 5:17, Psalms 78:20, et al.) If there’s any significance to the phrase “Shovavim Tat” beyond serving as an acronym, your current author hasn’t found it.

None of the aforementioned practices are obligatory during Shovavim or Shovavim Tat; one need not fast or refrain from speaking, nor must one recite Tehillim or Selichos. Sure, one must do teshuvah, but that’s a general obligation and is binding at all times. Nevertheless, one would be well advised to use this auspicious time to reflect upon one’s personal failings and work to rectify them.