Big Questions (to think about as you study these sources):
1. How do our Friday Night rituals enhance our experience of Shabbat?
2. What do these practices suggest about the meaning and significance of our Shabbat meals?
A. Shalom Aleichem
תניא ר' יוסי בר יהודה אומר: שני מלאכי השרת מלוין לו לאדם בע"ש מבית הכנסת לביתו, אחד טוב ואחד רע.
וכשבא לביתו ומצא נר דלוק ושלחן ערוך ומטתו מוצעת, מלאך טוב אומר: "יהי רצון שתהא לשבת אחרת כך", ומלאך רע עונה "אמן" בעל כרחו.
ואם לאו, מלאך רע אומר: "יהי רצון שתהא לשבת אחרת כך", ומלאך טוב עונה "אמן" בעל כרחו.
Translation
Questions:
1. Translate the source.
2. What messages regarding Shabbat can we take away from this passage?
The above passage is the source for the following song, which many sing before Kiddush on Friday night:
(א) שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
(ב) מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
(ג) בּוֹאֲכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
(ד) מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
(ה) בָּרְכוּנִי לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאָכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
(ו) מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
(ז) צֵאתְכֶם לְשָׁלוֹם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם מַלְאָכֵי עֶלְיוֹן
(ח) מִמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
(1) Peace be with you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,
(2) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
(3) Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
(4) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
(5) Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
(6) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
(7) Go in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
(8) Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.
B. Lechem Mishneh--Holding Two Challot
(כב) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁ֗י לָֽקְט֥וּ לֶ֙חֶם֙ מִשְׁנֶ֔ה שְׁנֵ֥י הָעֹ֖מֶר לָאֶחָ֑ד וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ כָּל־נְשִׂיאֵ֣י הָֽעֵדָ֔ה וַיַּגִּ֖ידוּ לְמֹשֶֽׁה׃ (כג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם ה֚וּא אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה שַׁבָּת֧וֹן שַׁבַּת־קֹ֛דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָ֖ה מָחָ֑ר אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאפ֞וּ אֵפ֗וּ וְאֵ֤ת אֲשֶֽׁר־תְּבַשְּׁלוּ֙ בַּשֵּׁ֔לוּ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־הָ֣עֹדֵ֔ף הַנִּ֧יחוּ לָכֶ֛ם לְמִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת עַד־הַבֹּֽקֶר׃
(22) On the sixth day they gathered double the amount of food, two omers for each; and when all the chieftains of the community came and told Moses, (23) he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy sabbath of the LORD. Bake what you would bake and boil what you would boil; and all that is left put aside to be kept until morning.”
אמר ר' אבא: בשבת חייב אדם לבצוע על שתי ככרות, דכתיב "לחם משנה."
אמר רב אשי: חזינא ליה לרב כהנא דנקט תרתי ובצע חדא; אמר: "לקטו" כתיב.
Translation
Questions:
1. Translate the above passage. The following source, Rashi, will help you translate and understand it.
2. How does Rabbi Abba derive the practice of holding two challot from the Torah?
3. How does Rav Kahana derive the idea of eating only one of the two challot?
4. Why would we derive this Shabbat practice from the Manna?
You do not have to translate Rashi's commentary below. However, you are encouraged to use it to help you understand the previous source.
לבצוע - ברכת המוציא:
נקיט תרתי - אוחזן בידו:
לקטו כתיב - דמשמע אחיזה, אבל בציעה לא כתיב "משנה":
C. Covering the Challot
(ט) צָרִיךְ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה מַפָּה עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן תַּחַת הַפַּת וּמַפָּה אַחֶרֶת פְּרוּסָה עַל גַּבָּיו.
There must be a cover on the table underneath the bread and another cover covering it on top...
The following two sources each give an explanation for this practice:
ויש מפרש זכר למן שלא היה יורד בשבתות וי"ט והיה טל מלמעלה ומלמטה והמן בינתים:
Translation
Questions:
1. Translate the passage.
2. According to this explanation, what should the challah parallel?
Rosh stands for Rabbeinu Asher, who was a talmudic commentator living in the middle ages. He quotes the following explanation from the Jerusalem Talmud:
ובירושלמי... כדי שלא יראה הפת בושתו שהוא מוקדם ...
ודין הוא שיקדים בברכה, ומקדימין ברכת היין.
Translation
Questions:
1. Translate the source.
2. What is his explanation as to why the challah would be embarrassed?
3. Which of the two explanations do you prefer? Why?
D. Salting the Challah
(13) You shall season your every offering of meal with salt; you shall not omit from your meal offering the salt of your covenant with God; with all your offerings you must offer salt.
R. Johanan and R. Eleazar both say : So long as the Temple was in existence, the altar used to atone for Israel, but now a man's table atones for him.
After studying the previous two sources, we can better understand the following source.
The source comes from Rabbi Moshe Isserlis. The Shulchan Arukh was written in the 1500's by Rabbi Yosef Karo, and it became the most widely accepted book of Jewish law. However, Rabbi Karo was of Sephardic origin, and privileged Sephardic rabbinical authorities. Rabbi Isserlis, who lived around the same time, wrote notes on the Shulchan Arukh to mark when Ashkenazic practice differed from the laws mentioned in the Shulchan Arukh.
The context of the following source is not Shabbat, but rather the general laws of eating bread. Although the message really applies to eating bread during the week, many Jews are more careful about dipping bread in salt on Shabbat than during the week.
הַגָּה: וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם מִצְוָה לְהַנִּיחַ עַל כָּל שֻׁלְחָן מֶלַח קֹדֶם שֶׁיִּבְצַע, כִּי הַשֻּׁלְחָן דּוֹמֶה לְמִזְבֵּחַ וְהָאֲכִילָה לְקָרְבָּן, וְנֶאֱמַר: "עַל כָּל קָרְבָּנְךְ תַּקְרִיב מֶלַח" (וַיִּקְרָא ב, יג).
Translation
Questions:
1. Translate the above source (you do not have to translate the citation).
2. Why would the table be compared to an altar? What would that suggest about eating?
3. What would this practice suggest about our Shabbat meals?