Shabbos Preparation - Responsibility

QUESTION: Is each member of a household required to prepare for Shabbos or is it sufficient to delegate the responsibility to another?

ANSWER: The Talmud makes the well-known statement, Mitzvah bo yoser mibishlucho - It is preferable to do a mitzvah oneself rather than fulfill it through an agent. For this reason, Amoraim (the great Rabbinic scholars of the Talmudic era) prepared for Shabbos themselves, even though they could have easily delegated the mitzvah to their servants. For example, Rav Safra prepared the meat and Rava salted the fish.

One should not view preparing for Shabbos as a degrading activity. To the contrary, it is an honor to be personally involved. Sefer Chassidim (siman 149) writes that one should feel privileged to prepare for Shabbos, just as people enthusiastically prepare their home and meals for distinguished guests.

One manner of preparation is to taste the food before Shabbos to be certain that all the dishes are tasty. (Mishnah Berura 250:2 and Shaar Hatzion 250:8)

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.