DVAR HALACHA 24

DVAR HALACHA 24

The Shulchan Aruch in siman reish samech gimmel rules that a person who has already accepted Shabbos may ask a non-Jew, or even another Jew who has not yet accepted Shabbos, to perform melachah on his behalf.

The Cheivas Da'as, however, writes that this does not apply to one's own children. The Torah says, "Lo sa'aseh kol melachah, atah u'vincha..." From here he understands that a father may not have his children perform melachah for him once he himself has accepted Shabbos.

The Shevet HaLevi disagrees. He explains that this pasuk teaches a parent's obligation to ensure that his children keep Shabbos. However, that obligation begins only once it is actually Shabbos for the children. As long as they have not yet accepted Shabbos themselves, a father who has already accepted Shabbos may ask them to perform melachah for him.

Rav Moshe Feinstein points out that the Torah states, "Vayinofash ben amasecha," from which Chazal derive that a wife may not perform melachah on behalf of her husband after he has accepted Shabbos, even if she herself has not yet accepted Shabbos.

This raises another practical question. If a husband attends an early-Shabbos minyan, must the rest of the household accept Shabbos together with him?

Rav Moshe explains that this depends on the circumstances. If there is only one minyan in town, then when the community accepts Shabbos, everyone is drawn after the tzibbur. Likewise, even in a city with multiple minyanim, if the purpose of the early minyan is to increase Tosefes Shabbos, the household is drawn after the husband's acceptance of Shabbos.

However, Rav Moshe writes that where the purpose of the early minyan is simply to enable families to eat the Friday night seudah earlier, as is the case in most communities today, the rest of the household is not automatically required to accept Shabbos when the husband does.

The poskim discuss when the wife should light the Shabbos candles in such a case. Some maintain that she should light when her husband accepts Shabbos in shul, while others hold that she may delay lighting as long as she does so before her husband returns home from shul.

Several readers asked about last week's discussion regarding the Aruch HaShulchan.

Although Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky suggested that the Aruch HaShulchan's concern may no longer apply now that we say “Kabbolas Shabbos” before ma'ariv, the majority of contemporary poskim understand the Aruch HaShulchan at face value. They explain that he deliberately encouraged davening ma'ariv before shkiyah on erev Shabbos in order to prevent any possibility of chillul Shabbos. Accordingly, they understand that the Aruch HaShulchan disagrees with the Biur Halachah on this point and continues to rely upon the approach of the Magen Avraham.

Good Shabbos,

Rabbi Reuven Eidlitz

Yeshiva Eitz Chaim, Monsey NY  

This dvar halacha is l’zchus refuah sheleima for Avraham ben Chaya Leah and Shmuel Avigdor ben Rivka b’soch sha’ar choley Yisroel