Preparing our Homes for Shabbos
Q. What are the Halachic guidelines for how we should prepare our homes for Shabbos?
The Accompanying Angels
The Gemara[1] records a well-known teaching of Rabbi Yossi bar Yehuda, describing how each person is escorted by two angels as they return home from Shul on Friday evening. One angel is described as a good angel and the other, a bad one.
If the home is prepared properly for Shabbos, with candles lit, the table set and beds arranged, the good angel gives a blessing that it should be just the same next Shabbos. The bad angel is forced to answer amen. If the house is not prepared for Shabbos, the bad angel wishes that it should be the same next week and the good angel is forced to answer amen.
These are the angels that we greet when saying the Piyut (liturgical poem) Shalom Aleichem Malachei Hashareis before Kiddush at the start of the Shabbos meal.
In his commentary to the Talmud, the Maharsha explains that every Mitzvah in the Torah is associated with two angels. The angel at our right side, the side associated with holiness, is a good angel. In the merit of the Mitzvah that we fulfil, this angel serves as our defender. The angel on the left side, the side associated with negativity, serves as a prosecuting angel when we fail to keep that Mitzvah.
The Perisha[2] presents a different explanation of these angels, asserting that there is no such thing as a bad angel. Rather, the two angels in the Gemara reflect the two Kochos (forces) within a person; the intellectual dimension which is connected to the spirit and the dimension of desire which is connected to the physicality of the body.
He describes these using terminology found in the works of Jewish philosophy, Tzurah and Chomer – literally form and matter. Tzurah refers to the spiritual dimension and Chomer refers to the physical. Our sages refer to these two dimensions as they exist within us as the Yetzer Tov and Yetzer Hara.
When a person resolves to serve Hashem and remembers the special Mitzvah of Shabbos that is equated to all of the Mitzvos of the Torah, the Yetzer Hara too starts to become accustomed to appreciating holiness. The Yetzer Tov becomes strengthened and prevails over the Yetzer Hara, which itself becomes weaker, ultimately answering amen and conceding to the will of the Yetzer Tov. When we fail to elevate the honour of Shabbos, the opposite occurs.
Preparing and Cleaning for Shabbos
Aside from its spiritual insight, this Aggadic teaching is also applied in Halacha. The Shulchan Aruch[3] rules that a person should prepare their table, spread their beds and prepare all of the things in their home, so that they are ready when they come home from Shul.
In Shulchan Aruch Harav[4], the Alter Rebbe explains that this is part of the Mitzvah of Kovod Shabbos - honouring Shabbos.
The beds mentioned in the Gemara and Shulchan Aruch, refer to the couches on which one sits[5]. Other Acharonim (later Halachic authorities) explain that it also includes beds which are used for sleeping, teaching that they too should be made in honour of Shabbos[6].
In his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, the Magen Avraham[7] writes that one should clean the cobwebs from the home before Shabbos. By extension, this would include the general tidying and cleaning of the home before Shabbos[8].
Keeping the Floor Clean
The Magen Avraham quotes the Darkei Moshe, that on Shabbos one should be careful not to throw food or crumbs off of the table and onto the floor. He writes that doing this drives away the good angel from our home.
Even though this extra care is praiseworthy, we are not careful in this regard and instead rely on sweeping the floor after the evening meal in a manner that is permitted on Shabbos[9]. However, if one will not be sweeping the floor after the meal, extra care should be taken to avoid things falling onto the floor while eating their meal.
The same would apply to eating the Shabbos day meal and sweeping afterwards[10].
This Darkei Moshe suggests that the two angels do not leave on Friday night, but remain for the duration of Shabbos. The work Tosefes Shabbos questions this understanding, because it does not fit with our text of Shalom Aleichem in which we say Tzeischem Leshalom, “may you leave in peace”, which suggests that the angels leave straight away on Friday night[11].
Machatzis Hashekel[12] answers the question of the Tosefes Shabbos, explaining that the blessing of Tzeischem Leshalom does not mean that the angels leave at this point. Rather, it is a blessing that when they will eventually leave at the end of Shabbos, they should do so in peace.
Taking a different approach, the Shem Mishmuel explains that when we say Tzeischem Leshalom, we are not addressing the Shabbos angels at all. Rather, we are bidding farewell to the weekday angels who accompany us during the week and depart when Shabbos comes in. We first greet the incoming Shabbos angels in respect of the honour of Shabbos and then we bid farewell to the weekday angels.
Tablecloths
The Gemara and Shulchan Aruch teach that the table should be prepared before Shabbos. The Poskim explain that this refers covering the table with a tablecloth.
The Ram”o adds that the table should remain covered for the entire Shabbos until after Havdalah[13]. This was the custom in Ashkenaz as recorded in the Tur[14].
It is customary to use white tablecloths. Where it is customary to eat with tablecloths during the week as well, one should have special tablecloths for Shabbos.
Magen Avraham[15] records that Maharsha”l would cover his table with two cloths, so that when he would remove the top cloth to shake out the crumbs, the table would remain covered.
Based on this, pious individuals take care that the table should not be uncovered even momentarily on Shabbos. The Chozeh of Lublin would say that an uncovered table on Shabbos is (forbidden) like the uncovered hair of a married woman.
Which Tables?
The tables in the room where one will be eating should be covered. Biur Halacha[16] quotes Elya Rabbah that it is preferable to cover the tables in other rooms as well. It is also customary to cover the tables in Shul and in the Beis Midrash.
Setting the Table Before Shabbos
In addition to the Halachic requirement to cover the table with a tablecloth before Shabbos comes in, it is preferable to also have the covered Challahs on the table from before Shabbos[17]. This also provides a Halachic benefit when the candles are lit on the table. The presence of the Challahs prevents the table from becoming Muktzah as a Bosis - a base to the Muktzah candles.
It is also praiseworthy to have the table fully set with wine, cutlery, plates, cups etc. from before Shabbos[18]. It is also customary to place flowers and fragrant plants on the table[19].
Shabbos is referred to as a Shabbos Hamalka, the Shabbos queen. We should prepare for and welcome Shabbos into our homes the same way that we would if we were hosting honoured guests. In this merit, may we greet the coming of Moshiach and the Yom Shekulo Shabbos, the day which will be like one long Shabbos.
_____________________________
[1] Shabbos 119b
[2] Orach Chaim 262
[3] Orach Chaim 262:1
[4] Orach Chaim 282:1
[5] Magen Avraham 289:1, Shulchan Aruch Harav
[6] Bach as quoted in Pri Megadim Eshel Avraham who explains that Mitos, written in plural form, refers to both beds for sitting and for sleeping.
[7] Beginning of Orach Chaim 289, based on Reishis Chochma
[8] Shulchan Aruch Harav 262:2
[9] For Halachos of sweeping on Shabbos see the article on this topic later in this work.
[10] Mishna Berura 262:1
[11] See Shaarei Teshuvah that because of this question, one Gadol wanted to remove the final stanza Tzeischem Leshalom from Shalom Aleichem.
[12] Orach Chaim 282:1 ד"ה וכתב
[13] Mishna Berura 262:4
[14] Orach Chaim 289
[15] ibid
[16] 282 ד"ה יסדר
[17] As implied by Tosfos Pesachim 100b
[18] Siddur Yaavetz, Aruch Hashulchan 262:1
[19] Siddur Yaavetz
The Accompanying Angels
The Gemara[1] records a well-known teaching of Rabbi Yossi bar Yehuda, describing how each person is escorted by two angels as they return home from Shul on Friday evening. One angel is described as a good angel and the other, a bad one.
If the home is prepared properly for Shabbos, with candles lit, the table set and beds arranged, the good angel gives a blessing that it should be just the same next Shabbos. The bad angel is forced to answer amen. If the house is not prepared for Shabbos, the bad angel wishes that it should be the same next week and the good angel is forced to answer amen.
These are the angels that we greet when saying the Piyut (liturgical poem) Shalom Aleichem Malachei Hashareis before Kiddush at the start of the Shabbos meal.
In his commentary to the Talmud, the Maharsha explains that every Mitzvah in the Torah is associated with two angels. The angel at our right side, the side associated with holiness, is a good angel. In the merit of the Mitzvah that we fulfil, this angel serves as our defender. The angel on the left side, the side associated with negativity, serves as a prosecuting angel when we fail to keep that Mitzvah.
The Perisha[2] presents a different explanation of these angels, asserting that there is no such thing as a bad angel. Rather, the two angels in the Gemara reflect the two Kochos (forces) within a person; the intellectual dimension which is connected to the spirit and the dimension of desire which is connected to the physicality of the body.
He describes these using terminology found in the works of Jewish philosophy, Tzurah and Chomer – literally form and matter. Tzurah refers to the spiritual dimension and Chomer refers to the physical. Our sages refer to these two dimensions as they exist within us as the Yetzer Tov and Yetzer Hara.
When a person resolves to serve Hashem and remembers the special Mitzvah of Shabbos that is equated to all of the Mitzvos of the Torah, the Yetzer Hara too starts to become accustomed to appreciating holiness. The Yetzer Tov becomes strengthened and prevails over the Yetzer Hara, which itself becomes weaker, ultimately answering amen and conceding to the will of the Yetzer Tov. When we fail to elevate the honour of Shabbos, the opposite occurs.
Preparing and Cleaning for Shabbos
Aside from its spiritual insight, this Aggadic teaching is also applied in Halacha. The Shulchan Aruch[3] rules that a person should prepare their table, spread their beds and prepare all of the things in their home, so that they are ready when they come home from Shul.
In Shulchan Aruch Harav[4], the Alter Rebbe explains that this is part of the Mitzvah of Kovod Shabbos - honouring Shabbos.
The beds mentioned in the Gemara and Shulchan Aruch, refer to the couches on which one sits[5]. Other Acharonim (later Halachic authorities) explain that it also includes beds which are used for sleeping, teaching that they too should be made in honour of Shabbos[6].
In his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, the Magen Avraham[7] writes that one should clean the cobwebs from the home before Shabbos. By extension, this would include the general tidying and cleaning of the home before Shabbos[8].
Keeping the Floor Clean
The Magen Avraham quotes the Darkei Moshe, that on Shabbos one should be careful not to throw food or crumbs off of the table and onto the floor. He writes that doing this drives away the good angel from our home.
Even though this extra care is praiseworthy, we are not careful in this regard and instead rely on sweeping the floor after the evening meal in a manner that is permitted on Shabbos[9]. However, if one will not be sweeping the floor after the meal, extra care should be taken to avoid things falling onto the floor while eating their meal.
The same would apply to eating the Shabbos day meal and sweeping afterwards[10].
This Darkei Moshe suggests that the two angels do not leave on Friday night, but remain for the duration of Shabbos. The work Tosefes Shabbos questions this understanding, because it does not fit with our text of Shalom Aleichem in which we say Tzeischem Leshalom, “may you leave in peace”, which suggests that the angels leave straight away on Friday night[11].
Machatzis Hashekel[12] answers the question of the Tosefes Shabbos, explaining that the blessing of Tzeischem Leshalom does not mean that the angels leave at this point. Rather, it is a blessing that when they will eventually leave at the end of Shabbos, they should do so in peace.
Taking a different approach, the Shem Mishmuel explains that when we say Tzeischem Leshalom, we are not addressing the Shabbos angels at all. Rather, we are bidding farewell to the weekday angels who accompany us during the week and depart when Shabbos comes in. We first greet the incoming Shabbos angels in respect of the honour of Shabbos and then we bid farewell to the weekday angels.
Tablecloths
The Gemara and Shulchan Aruch teach that the table should be prepared before Shabbos. The Poskim explain that this refers covering the table with a tablecloth.
The Ram”o adds that the table should remain covered for the entire Shabbos until after Havdalah[13]. This was the custom in Ashkenaz as recorded in the Tur[14].
It is customary to use white tablecloths. Where it is customary to eat with tablecloths during the week as well, one should have special tablecloths for Shabbos.
Magen Avraham[15] records that Maharsha”l would cover his table with two cloths, so that when he would remove the top cloth to shake out the crumbs, the table would remain covered.
Based on this, pious individuals take care that the table should not be uncovered even momentarily on Shabbos. The Chozeh of Lublin would say that an uncovered table on Shabbos is (forbidden) like the uncovered hair of a married woman.
Which Tables?
The tables in the room where one will be eating should be covered. Biur Halacha[16] quotes Elya Rabbah that it is preferable to cover the tables in other rooms as well. It is also customary to cover the tables in Shul and in the Beis Midrash.
Setting the Table Before Shabbos
In addition to the Halachic requirement to cover the table with a tablecloth before Shabbos comes in, it is preferable to also have the covered Challahs on the table from before Shabbos[17]. This also provides a Halachic benefit when the candles are lit on the table. The presence of the Challahs prevents the table from becoming Muktzah as a Bosis - a base to the Muktzah candles.
It is also praiseworthy to have the table fully set with wine, cutlery, plates, cups etc. from before Shabbos[18]. It is also customary to place flowers and fragrant plants on the table[19].
Shabbos is referred to as a Shabbos Hamalka, the Shabbos queen. We should prepare for and welcome Shabbos into our homes the same way that we would if we were hosting honoured guests. In this merit, may we greet the coming of Moshiach and the Yom Shekulo Shabbos, the day which will be like one long Shabbos.
_____________________________
[1] Shabbos 119b
[2] Orach Chaim 262
[3] Orach Chaim 262:1
[4] Orach Chaim 282:1
[5] Magen Avraham 289:1, Shulchan Aruch Harav
[6] Bach as quoted in Pri Megadim Eshel Avraham who explains that Mitos, written in plural form, refers to both beds for sitting and for sleeping.
[7] Beginning of Orach Chaim 289, based on Reishis Chochma
[8] Shulchan Aruch Harav 262:2
[9] For Halachos of sweeping on Shabbos see the article on this topic later in this work.
[10] Mishna Berura 262:1
[11] See Shaarei Teshuvah that because of this question, one Gadol wanted to remove the final stanza Tzeischem Leshalom from Shalom Aleichem.
[12] Orach Chaim 282:1 ד"ה וכתב
[13] Mishna Berura 262:4
[14] Orach Chaim 289
[15] ibid
[16] 282 ד"ה יסדר
[17] As implied by Tosfos Pesachim 100b
[18] Siddur Yaavetz, Aruch Hashulchan 262:1
[19] Siddur Yaavetz