Tosefes Shabbos: How and When
The majority of poskim maintain that the mitzvah of mosifin mi-chol al ha-kodesh, starting Shabbos early in order to incorporate a small part of the weekday into Shabbos, is a positive commandment min ha-Torah.[1] Tosefes Shabbos is equally incumbent upon men and women.[2] Although this seems to be a relatively easy mitzvah to perform — a mitzvah which most people assume that they perform routinely and correctly — this is not necessarily the case. In order to know if we are, indeed, performing this mitzvah correctly, let us review the basics:
Question: How much time should be added as tosefes Shabbos?
Discussion: The Rishonim do not specify a particular amount of time as the minimum addition required to fulfill this mitzvah. Latter-day poskim suggest various amounts of time, ranging from a minimum of two,[3] four,[4] and five[5] minutes, up to twelve[6] or even thirteen and a half[7] minutes.
Question: What is the procedure for being mekabel tosefes Shabbos?
Discussion: There are four possible methods for a person to fulfill the mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos, presented in order of halachic preference:
- Reciting a blessing or a prayer that sanctifies the Shabbos[8] such as Kiddush, davening the Shabbos Ma’ariv, answering Borechu, reciting Mizmor shir l'yom ha-Shabbos or Bo’i b’shalom.
- Stating that he is mekabel Shabbos for the sake of the mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos.[9]
- According to some poskim, thinking that he is being mekabel Shabbos — even without actually expressing it in words.[10]
- Some add that when one ceases to do forbidden Shabbos Labors — even without actually expressing or even thinking that he is accepting Shabbos —it is considered as if one added some time on to the Shabbos day and constitutes fulfillment of the mitzvah.[11]
Women accept Shabbos—and thus fulfill the mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos—by lighting candles and reciting the appropriate blessing.[12]
Question: When, exactly, should tosefes Shabbos take place?
Discussion: L’chatchilah, tosefes Shabbos should take place before sunset, for according to our custom, Shabbos begins at sunset. Thus, in order to perform the mitzvah of adding on to the Shabbos, one must be mekabel Shabbos before sunset, for after sunset it is already Shabbos — regardless of his kabbalah.
L’chatchilah, too, tosefes Shabbos should take place after davening the Friday Minchah. This is because once Shabbos has been ushered in, the weekday Minchah service may no longer be davened.[13]
Ideally, therefore, Minchah on Friday afternoon should be scheduled to begin at least twenty to twenty-five minutes before sunset. This will allow the congregation to daven Minchah and recite Mizmor shir or at least Bo'i b'shalom before sunset. This is the custom in many yeshivos and some shuls and it is the preferred manner of fulfilling this mitzvah.[14]
B’diavad, if the minyan started late and will not be able to be mekabel Shabbos before sunset, an individual may be mekabel Shabbos upon himself after finishing the silent Shemoneh Esrei. He may still answer the Minchah Kedushah etc. although it is already Shabbos for him.[15] This solution, however, will not help the Sheliach Tzibbur who must repeat the Shemoneh Esrei.
Question: Many, if not the majority of shuls, begin davening Minchah right before sunset, and do not recite Mizmor shir before sunset. Some shuls even go so far as to begin davening Minchah after sunset. How do these congregations fulfill the Biblical mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos?
Discussion: There are a number of possible approaches that could explain how these congregations fulfill the mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos:
- As mentioned earlier, some poskim maintain that tosefes Shabbos need not be explicit — either verbally or mentally — at all; simply refraining from forbidden work before sunset is sufficient. Thus the congregations who daven Minchah late are fulfilling the mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos simply by refraining from doing forbidden work before sunset. [Davening Minchah after this type of tosefes Shabbos will not be considered a “contradiction” to Shabbos, since there was no specific Kabbolas Shabbos that officially welcomed the Shabbos.[16]]
- Some poskim maintain that one may fulfill the mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos even after sunset. This is because in halachic terms, the “day of Shabbos” does not begin until tzeis ha-cochavim, when three stars are visible. Since until that time it is still Halachically considered as Friday, one can still fulfill the mitzvah of “adding” on to the “day of Shabbos” by verbally accepting Shabbos any time before tzeis ha-cochavim.[17]
- Some poskim are of the opinion that it is permitted to daven Minchah on Friday afternoon even after an individual was mekabel Shabbos. Although Shulchan Aruch rules that once Kabbolas Shabbos has been recited in shul, Friday’s Minchah may no longer be davened (and if an individual came late to shul and answered Borechu or said Mizmor shir with the congregation, he may no longer daven Minchah),[18] this applies only to a congregational Kabbolas Shabbos. A private Kabbolas Shabbos, such as a woman lighting candles in her home or an individual man accepting the Shabbos privately, does not preclude his (or her) davening the Friday Minchah[19]
Question: Must all members of the household “accept” Shabbos when the lady of the house kindles the Shabbos lights?
Discussion: Not necessarily. The basic halachah holds that Shabbos begins with the lighting of the candles only for the lady of the house who lights the Shabbos candles. All other household members, including any girls in the house who do not light candles, are not obligated to begin observing Shabbos until before sunset, or at a designated earlier time when the entire community “accepts” Shabbos.[20]
The poskim stress, however, that it is highly praiseworthy for all members of the household to make every effort to begin Shabbos at least 20 minutes before sunset.[21] There are two reasons for this:
- There is a minority view among the Rishonim that Shabbos actually begins about fifteen minutes before[22] Although most poskim do not rule in accordance with this view, it is still advisable to attempt to satisfy this opinion as well.[23]
- Waiting until the last minute before sunset places one in great danger of “missing the deadline” and inadvertently desecrating the Shabbos.[24]
In addition, Rav M. Feinstein writes that he undertook a personal stringency not to ride in a car after candle lighting time, since it appears to some people as a desecration of Shabbos.[25]
[1] Beiur Halachah, O.C. 261:2, s.v. yesh omrim.
[2] See Kaf ha-Chayim 261:16.
[3] Eretz Tzvi 70; Igros Moshe, O.C. 1:96.
[4] Avnei Nezer 4:98.
[5] Minchas Elazar 1:23; Teshuvos Maharshag 38.
[6] Siddur Ya’avetz.
[7] Beiur Halachah 261:2 s.v. eizeh; he therefore concurs with Chayei Adam 5:2, who maintains that tosefes Shabbos together with bein ha-shemashos (which is about 14 minutes long) is almost half-an-hour long (see Mishnah Berurah 261:22).
[8] The concept that tosefes Shabbos should be accepted only through a blessing or a prayer and not through a simple statement is mentioned by several Rishonim; see Ritva to Berachos 27a, Eiruvin 40b, and Rosh Hashanah 9a. See also Chidushei ha-Ra’ah, Berachos 27b.
[9] Mishnah Berurah 261:21 (as understood by Shoneh Halachos 261:3; Shemiras Shabbos k'Hilchasah 46:2; Az Nidberu 1:1). [Possibly, just saying “Gut Shabbos” is sufficient, if by saying so one means to actually usher in the Shabbos and not merely to express a greeting; see Rav Akiva Eiger, O.C. 271:1.]
[10] Bach and Gra, quoted in Mishnah Berurah 553:2. Tehilah l'David 263:10, however, opines that this is invalid.
[11] See Aruch ha-Shulchan 261:2; Eretz Tzvi 60; Yabia Omer 7:34; Shevet ha-Levi 10:50. See Imrei Shalom 4:18.
[12] Men who light candles are not automatically mekabel Shabbos; Mishnah Berurah 263:42.
[13] Mishnah Berurah 263:43.
[14] Shemiras Shabbos K'hilchasah 46:5.
[15] Tzitz Eliezer 10:15; Yabia Omer 6:21.
[16] See Avnei Yashfei 1:56, quoting Rav Y.S. Elyashiv.
[17] See Chazon Ovadyah, Shabbos, vol. 1, pg. 264.
[18] O.C. 263:15.
[19] See Beiur Halachah 261:4, s.v. ein; Eretz Tzvi 60; Mishmeres Shalom 26:2 quoting the Minsker Gadol; Minchas Yitzchak 9:20; Tzitz Eliezer 13:42; Bris Olam, pg. 13. Preferably, one should specifically stipulate at the time of tosefes Shabbos that he is planning to daven Minchah afterwards; see Chazon Ovadyah, Shabbos, vol. 1, pg. 266.
[20] Rama O.C. 263:10.
[21] Mishnah Berurah 261:23.
[22] This is the view of Sefer Yere’im, and it is quoted as halachah by the Bach and the Magen Avraham.
[23] Sha’ar ha-Tziyun 261:21 and Beiur Halachah (s.v. m’tchilas); Igros Moshe, O.C. 4:62.
[24] Mishnah Berurah 263:16.
[25] Igros Moshe, O.C. 1:96.