Kabbalas Shabbos: A State of Mind
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ByBinyamin Casper
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Second Seder

Kabbalas Shabbos is not just Tefilla, but a state of mind:

  1. Accepting obligations and prohibitions of Shabbos
  2. Greeting Shabbos

The term "KABBALAS Shabbos" does not appear in the Mishnah or Gemara; we do find examples of acts done in preparation for Shabbos:

1. Accepting obligations and prohibitions of Shabbos:

שבת ל״ה ב:ד׳
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שֵׁשׁ תְּקִיעוֹת תּוֹקְעִין עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת. רִאשׁוֹנָה — לְהַבְטִיל אֶת הָעָם מִמְּלָאכָה שֶׁבַּשָּׂדוֹת. שְׁנִיָּה — לְהַבְטִיל עִיר וַחֲנוּיוֹת. שְׁלִישִׁית — לְהַדְלִיק אֶת הַנֵּר, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי נָתָן. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא אוֹמֵר: שְׁלִישִׁית — לַחֲלוֹץ תְּפִילִּין. וְשׁוֹהֶה כְּדֵי צְלִיַּית דָּג קָטָן אוֹ כְּדֵי לְהַדְבִּיק פַּת בַּתַּנּוּר, וְתוֹקֵעַ וּמֵרִיעַ וְתוֹקֵעַ, וְשׁוֹבֵת.
Shabbat 35b:4
The Sages taught in a baraita: They sound six blasts on Shabbat eve to announce that Shabbat is approaching. The Gemara details what each blast signifies. The first blast is in order to stop the people from work in the fields. The second blast is to stop those who are working in the city, and to inform the proprietors to close the stores. The third is to inform them to light the Shabbat light; that is the statement of Rabbi Natan. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: The third blast is to inform those who don phylacteries throughout the day to remove their phylacteries, as one does not don phylacteries on Shabbat. And he pauses after the third blast for the length of time it takes to fry a small fish or to stick bread to the sides of the oven. One who forgot to do so and needs those foods for Shabbat may do so then. And he sounds a tekia, and sounds a terua, and sounds a tekia, and he accepts Shabbat. It is then that Shabbat begins in every sense.

2. Greeting Shabbos

שבת קי״ט א:ב׳
רַבִּי חֲנִינָא מִיעֲטֵף וְקָאֵי אַפַּנְיָא דְמַעֲלֵי שַׁבְּתָא, אָמַר: ״בּוֹאוּ וְנֵצֵא לִקְרַאת שַׁבָּת הַמַּלְכָּה״. רַבִּי יַנַּאי לָבֵישׁ מָאנֵי מְעַלּוּ (שַׁבָּת) [וּמִיכַּסֵּי], וְאָמַר: ״בּוֹאִי כַלָּה, בּוֹאִי כַלָּה״. רַבָּה בַּר רַב הוּנָא אִיקְּלַע לְבֵי רַבָּה בַּר רַב נַחְמָן. קָרִיבוּ לֵיהּ תְּלָת סָאוֵי טַחְיֵי. אֲמַר לְהוּ: מִי הֲוָה יָדְעִיתוּן דְּאָתֵינָא? אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: מִי עֲדִיפַתְּ לַן מִינַּהּ?
Shabbat 119a:2
The Gemara now returns to the issue of delight in and deference to Shabbat. Rabbi Ḥanina would wrap himself in his garment and stand at nightfall on Shabbat eve, and say: Come and we will go out to greet Shabbat the queen. Rabbi Yannai put on his garment on Shabbat eve and said: Enter, O bride. Enter, O bride. The Gemara relates: Rabba bar Rav Huna happened to come to the house of Rabba bar Rav Naḥman. They brought before him three se’a of oiled biscuits. He said to them: Did you know I was coming and prepared all of this in my honor? They said to him: Are you more important to us than Shabbat? The biscuits were prepared in deference to Shabbat.

Absent in both excerpts are actual directives to perform acts of Kabbalas Shabbos.

  • This may explain why the two major Siddurim from era of the Ge’onim – Seder Rav Amram Gaon and the Siddur Rav Saadya Gaon – omit any reference to Kabbalas Shabbos.

ArtScroll Siddur states: “With the recitation of [Tehillim 92] we accept upon ourselves the holiness of Shabbos” …what is its source?

אורח חיים רס״א:ד׳
אחר עניית ברכו אע"פ שעדיין יום הוא אין מערבין ואין טומנין משום דהא קבלו לשבת עליהן ולדידן הוי אמירת מזמור שיר ליום השבת כעניית ברכו לדידהו:
Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 261:4
4. After the answering of 'Barchu', even though it is still day, one does not make an eiruv and does not insulate because they accepted Shabbat on themselves. And as far as he is concerned, where they say 'Mizmor Shir l'Yom Hashabbat' (before Barchu) it is like they said Barchu, as far as he is concerned.
  • Mishneh Brurah explains that answering ברכו signals start of Maariv, and at that moment all work must cease. [Women light candles when they are ready to accept the particulars of Shabbos, but men should really be conscious to affirmatively accept the obligations and prohibitions of Shabbos during Mizmor Shir.]
  • Saying Tehillim 92 probably began among Sefardim (based on Sefer HaMinhagim Hilchos Shabbos p. 133), and later adopted by Ashkenazim.
משנה ברורה רס״א:כ״ח

(כח) עניית ברכו - משום דהוא התחלת תפלת ערבית של שבת לכך הכל פורשין אז ממלאכה וכדלקמן בסימן רס"ג ס"י דהוא כמי שקבל עליו קדושת שבת בפירוש ואסור אז בכל הסייגים והגדרים שגדרו חז"ל לשבת כגון לכנוס למרחץ להזיע בעלמא וכ"ש ברחיצה בחמין וכה"ג בכל השבותין ובא המחבר להשמיענו דאפילו אותן דברים שהתירו בבין השמשות כגון עירובי חצרות והטמנה דהוא בודאי לצורך שבת וה"ה כל שבות שהוא לצורך מצוה אפ"ה אסור כאן והטעם דכיון דקבל עליו שבת בפירוש אף שהוא זמן הרבה קודם ביה"ש חמור מביה"ש בלי קבלה...

Siddurim today identify Kabbalas Shabbos as the chapters of Tehillim and Lecha Dodi, etc.

  • This is a relatively recent addition, which occurred after the death of the ARI.

Sources that make comparisons of Shabbos to מלכה and כלה:

משנה תורה, הלכות שבת ל׳:ב׳

אֵיזֶהוּ כָּבוֹד זֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁמִּצְוָה עַל אָדָם לִרְחֹץ פָּנָיו יָדָיו וְרַגְלָיו בְּחַמִּין בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת מִפְּנֵי כְּבוֹד הַשַּׁבָּת וּמִתְעַטֵּף בְּצִיצִית וְיוֹשֵׁב בְּכֹבֶד רֹאשׁ מְיַחֵל לְהַקְבָּלַת פְּנֵי הַשַּׁבָּת כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא יוֹצֵא לִקְרַאת הַמֶּלֶךְ. וַחֲכָמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ מְקַבְּצִין תַּלְמִידֵיהֶן בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וּמִתְעַטְּפִים וְאוֹמְרִים בּוֹאוּ וְנֵצֵא לִקְרַאת שַׁבָּת הַמֶּלֶךְ:

Mishneh Torah, Sabbath 30:2
What is meant by honor? The sages explained this by declaring that each person should wash his face, hands and feet with hot water on Friday in honor of the Sabbath, and then enwrap himself in a fringed garment and be seated with dignity in expectation of the Sabbath, receiving it as if he were coming out to meet the king. The ancient sages used to assemble their disciples on Friday, put on their best clothes, and say: "Come, let us go out to meet King Sabbath."