Partaking of Twelve Challos and other Shabbos Customs

Many summers ago, when I was single and studying in Paris at the Sorbonne, I decided to spend Shabbos Mevarchim in Strasbourg in the south of France. I stayed at Rue Charles Appel 22 which served as the Lubavitch Center in that city. One can imagine my shock when after Kiddush and HaMotzie following the Shabbos davening, the hostess, Rebbetzin Samama brought in a pie of pizza and placed it in the center of the table to be divided among the guests.

“You serve Milichigs for Shabbos lunch,” I blurted out in shock? “I never heard of eating Pizza on Shabbos,” I said quite alarmed, having been raised in Boro Park with Ay mit zviebel (eggs with onions), chopped liver and chulent.

“Don’t worry, this pizza has no cheese,” the Tunisian born Rebbetzin answered me smiling. “ We are eating anchovies (fish) on pizza. It is actually parve and we will be eating Chamin (chulent) afterwards”, she explained.

Chantel Samama, who came from a traditional Tunisian family had become attracted to Lubavitch during her studies at the University in Paris. After learning much about Yiddishkeit she became a dynamic Rebbetzin and gifted speaker. It was from her I learned a very valuable lesson, that there are many different ways to observe Shabbos. The Shabbos that I had grown up with was not celebrated the same way by all Jews.

The following article will be devoted to the origins of different customs affiliated with Shabbos.

After returning home from Shul Friday night, it is a custom  among some Sefaradim as well as Ashkenazim for fathers to place their hands over the heads of their sons and recite the Brocha Yesimcha Hashem K’efrayim Vekemenashe, in the same manner Yaakov Avinu blessed Yosef’s sons. Fathers also place their hands over their daughters’ heads and recite the blessing for girls “Yesimech keSarah Rivkah Rachel VeLeah.” These blessings are followed by the Priestly blessing “Yivarechecha Hashem Veyishmarecha, Yaer Hashem Panecha…”

The children are usually blessed in order of their birth, beginning with the oldest. Once blessed, the child kisses the father’s hand.

The mothers in some families of German Jews (Yekkes)  make the same blessings over their children as well.

Rabbi Yaakov Emden also known as the Yaavetz writes in his Siddur that it is a Minhag Yisroel to bless the children by placing both hands on the child’s head. In the Vilna Gaon’s Siddur however, it states one should only place the right hand.

In his Sefer “Maavar Yabok” (published in Italy in 1626) Rabbi Aharon Brechia of Modena writes, “One should place his hand on the head of a child who is being blessed, especially on Friday night. Based on the secret of the Shabbos Queen and the Neshama Yeseirah that we have on Shabbos, the blessings will take effect on the one who is doing the blessing and the one who receives it, because Satan and evil do not have any influence on Shabbos.. There is a holy need to bless the children on Shabbos.”

Most of us are used to the conventional two challos on the table, These two Challahs are reminicent of the double portion of Manna that our forefathers received in the desert on Friday in order not to have to carry and prepare the Manna on Shabbos. It is interesting to note that these two challahs are usually each braided with six braids. These twelve braids altogether, are symbolic of the twelve Challahs of the Lechem HaPanim (shew bread) that were eaten in the Bais HaMikdash by the Kohanim (Vayikra 24: 5-9) The Talmud relates that Hashem Himself braided Chavah’s hair in preparation for her wedding to Adam (Brachot 61a). And the six braids of the Challah signify the six days of the week leading up to Shabbos, the Challah. Chavah was called the Challah of the earth. The twelve Challahs signify twice the six days of creation, both the earthly and the spiritual.

The Gaon of Vilna maintained that there are 2 Challahs at every meal (6 total) that are each cut in half, making 12 halves. There are many breakaway Challahs that contain twelve pieces, also symbolizing the Lechem Hapanim.

The Minhag of the Ari Zal (Shaarei Teshuva 174:1) was to have twelve individual loaves or rolls at each meal. Many Hassidic Rebbes adhere to the Ari Zal’s custom of having twelve loaves. Rabbi Yitzchok Luria notes that in the verse from the Zohar , “This is the table that is before Hashem,” the word zeh (“this”) zayin (7) and Heh (5) equals 12 in gematria – in other words, “12 is the table that is before Hashem” Twelve loaves ensured that Hashem would be present at that gathering. Some Hasidim don’t actually serve 12 loaves, but bake large challahs made of twelves parts known as yudbeisniks,

In the book “rescuing the Rebbe of Belz,” an interesting story is related concerning one of the twelve challahs of the founder of the Belz dynasty. The Sar Shalom, as he was known had given as shirayim one of his twelve Challahs to Rav Asher Stoliner which the latter had kept as a memento of the Rebbe. Eighty years later, in 1928, the granddaughter of Rav Asher of Stoliner married the younger brother of Rav Ahrele of Belz, Rav Shalom of Apta. When the Stoliner Rebbe met the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Ahrele at the chasuneh he related that he had in his possession this challah from the Sar Sholom. Because he had another similar shirayim, challah from Rebbe Meir Premishlaner, the family could not distinguish between the two. When Reb Ahrele was shown these near identical challahs, Yosef Israel writes, he clasped one with both hands and murmured excitedly, “This is from der heilige elter Zeide, the Maharash!”

The Maiden of Ludmir, the only female Chassidish Rebbe in history, was described by one of her Chassidim in Jerusalem where she settled at the end of her life, as having given shirayim from the twelve Challos she had prepared for Shalosh Seudos.

Why do people not use bechers made of gold to enhance the Shabbos Kiddush? Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer (1870-1939) the author of the Sefer Kaf Hachaim who was born in Baghdad and settled in Jerusalem claimed that silver is symbolic of Chesed while gold symbolizes the middah of Din. The gematria of the word Kos (86) is equal to the Gematria of “Elokim” which name of Hashem symbolizes justice. In order to sweeten the din of the kos we use a silver becher and not gold.

There are many Hassidic Rebbes however who would not use a becher made out of silver, but rather made out of glass. These rebbes, such as the Ropshitz and Kotzker believed that it was important to highlight the beauty of the wine and by using glasses, the wine could be showcased.

It is fascinating to note that a company on the web, by the name of Ahava Glass, makes Kiddush cups and other Judaica items from the glass broken under the Chuppah at a Jewish wedding.

According to the famous German Posek, Rabbi Yair Chaim Bachrach, also known as the Chavos Yair, one should use a silver becher. However if the color of the wine is exceptionally beautiful, one could use a glass. There is a special mitzvah to look at the beauty of the wine.

For Kabbalistic reasons , it is a custom to hold the becher in the palm of the hand. This is derived from Breishis 40:11 “Va’eten es Hakos al Kaf Pharoh.” the verse spoken in jail by the Sar Hamashkim to Yosef Hatzaddik. For this reason many bechers don’t contain stems.

There is also what is called the “Ruzhiner becher”, with leaf-shaped attachments to the stem so it can be held in the kabbalistically-preferred manner; see attached picture of Becher.

Another custom among Hassidim was to melt down special silver coins they received from their Rebbes which were served as amulets and called shmires into a silver becher for Kiddush. The becher show in the picture has the words “Zeh HaKesef Shel Tzadikim” engraved on it to referring to the coins.

IV.  Dressing Up for Shabbos

    Some Wear Black, Some Wear White

Dressing in different clothing for Shabbos is not a new phenomena; in fact the Talmud Yerushalmi (19b) discusses how the ox gets confused on Shabbos when it sees people it is accustomed to, wearing their Shabbos finery and goes wild not recognizing them. Based on psukim in Shemos (21:28-29) “Ki yigach shor,… the Torah differentiates between laws governing a “tam”, an ox which gores only periodically, and a “Muad,” one confirmed to a habitual gorer. The Mishnah in Bava Kamma (4:2) rules that an animal that has gored repeatedly – but only on Shabbos – is considered to be a “mu’ad” with respect to its actions on Shabbos but a “tam” regarding damages it may cause during the week.The Tosfot commentary on the Talmud Bavli (Bava Kama 37A) states that the reason for this is that on Shabbos the ox doesn’t recognize its surroundings.

The Rogochover Rav was once able to help a nursing mother whose baby refused to nurse on Shabbos based on this Tosefot commentary. The nursing mother complained to the Rogochover Gaon that her newborn was nursing well from Motzaei Shabbos to Friday evening but for some reason, refused to nurse on Shabbos and was losing weight. Her doctor could not figure out how to get the baby to nurse. The Rogochover Rav advised her not to change into Shabbos clothing and leave her weekday clothing on. Lo and behold the baby nursed on Shabbos. When the Rav was asked how he knew this solution would work, he explained that the baby did not recognize its mother dressed in her Shabbos clothing. (For readers who may claim the baby should have recognized the mother because of the latter’s smell, one could assume that the sense of smell of this baby was compromised.)

In the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society published by Rabbi Jacob Joseph School (Spring 2013) Rabbi Wallace Green, Ph.d., Managing Director of Adolph Schreiber Hebrew Academy of Rockland (AHSAR) contributed a fascinating twelve page article entitled “Casual Saturday? Dressing Down for Shabbat.” He laments the fact that we are experiencing more and more of a relaxation of standards of societal comportment. One area of concern is how we dress on Shabbos. He quotes the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 262:3) one should wear nice clothing at the onset of Shabbat in the manner that one does on formal occasions [greeting a king] and at a wedding. In a footnote he states Rabbi Herschel Schacter quotes in the Sefer Mipninei Harav (From the Pearls of the Rav) that Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik was insistent that one wear “Shabbosdig” clothing whenever one is in public to the extent that he chastised someone who left his jacket in shul during a heat wave.

In his discussion of the Halachic obligation to dress up on Shabbos Rabbi Dr. Greene cites the Tshuva of the Tzitz Eliezer 14:34 regarding the requirement to have special Shabbos shoes. He writes that if one could not afford special clothing the Rama suggested that on Shabbos one should roll down his sleeves and cuffs, with the assumption that when one works during the week, the sleeves and cuffs are up.

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Torah scholars in the Babylonian community of Pumbedita wore black clothing on Shabbos (Bavli Shabbos 147) Today most Jewish men wear black suits on Shabbos, The Ben Ish Chai however writes that according to Kabbala, one should not wear black but preferably wear white clothing. According to the Arizal, the color of the garments one wears on Shabbos in this world determines the “color” of the spiritual garments that the neshamah will wear in the World of Souls. He instructed that at least one of a person’s four primary Shabbat garments should be white.

The Baal Shem Tov and his followers wore white clothes on Shabbos; many entire communities, particularly those of Sephardic Kabbalists and Chassidim would wear only white on Shabbat. Although this custom eventually fell into disuse, a few Chassidic Rebbes continued to do so, Many Chassidic women wear until today special white aprons for Shabbos as well as white tichels.

A story is related about two Rebbes who were good friends, Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Kossov and Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Ziditchov . Once, two prominent Kossover hasidim visited Ziditchov to spend Shabbos with the Ziditchover Rebbe. After greeting the Rebbe, they returned to their inn. The Rebbe then sent his gabbai with white garments for the two hasidim to wear on Shabbat– as was the custom in Ziditchov– but they refused to accept them.

When they went to daven Kabbalos Shabbos with the Rebbe, the Zidichoiver Rebbe asked them why they had refused to wear the clothing he had sent them. They answered that they believed they weren’t worthy enough to wear white. Had they been worthy, they claimed, their own Rebbe would have given them such clothes to wear every Shabbos.

“Kossov is on the level of kingship,” replied the Rebbe, “and about kingship it is written: ‘do not glorify yourself in the king’s presence and do not stand in the place of the great’ (Prov.25:6). But I’m on the level of a prophecy, and it says: ‘Oh, would that all the people of G-d were Were Prophets!”

Almost two thousand years ago, a Roman emperor asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania, “Why do the foods Jews eat on Shabbos give off a truly wonderful fragrance?” The rabbi asnwered the emperor “ We have a special spice called ‘Shabbos.’” The emperor wanted to have some of this special spice. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah advised: “ It will not work for anyone who does not keep the Shabbos!” (Shabbos 116A).

The Mitzvah of Oneg Shabbos, eating delicious foods is derived from a Pasuk in Yishayahu (58:13) “Vekarata Lashabbat Oneg” According to the Gemorrah in Shabbos 118A, the more one increase Shabbat pleasures the more one’s desires will be fulfilled.

Hashem blessed three things at their creation. The fish on the fifth day, man on the sixth day, and Shabbos. When people eat fish on Shabbos it brings  these three blessings together The gematriah of Dag is 4 plus 3 equaling seven which  refers to the seventh day of the week, Shabbos.

Gefilte fish means “stuffed fish.” in Yiddish. Since the laws of Shabbos prohibit removing bones from fish, boneless fish is served. The flesh of the fish used to be removed from the skin and the fish was ground up with other ingredients such as eggs, onions, carrots and matzah meal and stuffed back into the fish. Eventually instead of being stuffed into the fish it was served as balls but the name “gefilte” remained. Eating fish on Shabbos represents the feast which will take place in Olam Haba in which the Leviathan fish will be served.

Ptcha or galareta, also knowns as calf’s foot jelly is often referred to as the food of the Rebbes and Tzaddikim. The Nadvorna Rebbe would ascribe the eating of these feet to the desire for the feet of Mashiach to come. Another reason attributed to eating it on Shabbos is that “Sheker Ein Lo Raglayim’ (Lies don’t have feet). Shabbos is wholly “Emes” and the truth has feet.

In Eastern Europe, Jews would served p’tcha with chopped eggs on Sabbath. It used to be served as an appetizer at Jewish weddings during the last century.

The pudding or casserole dish made of potatoes or noodles is called Kugel. In German, the word means sphere or ball referring to the round shape of the Kugel. The Hebrew word “Ke’ugal” (like a circle) similarly refers to the circular food, the Mann which the Jews ate in the desert. Over time, the Hebrew word Ke’ugal morphed into Kugel.

A popular Yiddish expression referring to Kugel was: “A shabbos uhn kigil iz vie a feigel uhn a fliegel” (A Shabbos without Kugel is like a bird without a wing,)

It was said that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Rimanov once took a walk with the Ropshitzer Rebbea nd they spoke for three hours on the secrets hidden in the Shabbos Kugel.

According to Kabbalah, the Shabbos foods signify the ten holy Sefirot and the Kugel according to Rabbi Israel of Ruzhin symbolizes the Sefirah of Yesod, the Divine attribute that channels all of the Divine activities into the material existence. The chulent signifies Malchus.

Rabbi Zerachiah ben Isaac Halevi Gerondi of 12th century Provence claimed in his Sefer HaMaor that it was so important to eat Chulent that “anyone who does not eat chamin on Shabbat must be examined as to whether he is an apostate, and if he dies, non-Jews will handle his burial, and every believer must cook and keep [the food] in the oven, to make Shabbat enjoyable and to get fat, and he will be rewarded at the End of Days”.

Ashkenazim call it chulent, while Sefardim use the appelation Chamin from the Hebrew word for warm or hot“Cham.” Some claim that the word chulent comes from the Hebrew “Shelan” that it rested (over night). It also may be derived from “Chalant,” the present participle of the French verb “Chaloir” to heat up. There is also the view that the word is derived from the Spanish “Escallento” (warm).

Whatever the source of the name, Chulent is a food that remains heated overnight on a blech, in an oven or a crock pot.

The Ohr Zarua, Rabbi Yitzchak of Vienna writes that he saw chulent at the home of his teacher in France (at the end of the twelfth century).

The Ashkenazi version of chulent contains beans, meat and potatoes while the Sefardim replace the beans with rice or chickpeas and often include chicken. The Sefardim also add to their Chamin raw eggs in their shells which cook slowly absorbing the taste of the Chamin, The eggs are supposed to symbolize the continuous mourning of the Beis HaMikdash. The Moroccans who call chulent Dafina often have special sweet dumplings made with nuts and chopped meat added to it

Bakashot literally “requests” are special liturgical poems praising Hashem that have been sung in Sephardic communities for the last few centuries from midnight Friday until Shabbos dawn. They are sung for about four hours, usually in the winter between Sukkos and Pesach when the nights are much longer.

The singing was customary in Morroco, Tunisia, Algeria, Yugoslavia, Greece , Syria and Eygypt. It was spread from Tzefas by the followers of the Ari. At one time it was even practiced in Italy and Amsterdam and London in Sephardi Congregations there.

Among the songs sung are Rabbi Luria’s “Yom Zeh Leyisrael,” “Koh Rebon Olam” by Yisrael Najarah, Yedid Nefesh by Rabbi Elazar Azkari. the Ibn Ezras’s “Ki Eshemrah Shabbat.”

David Betesh, who serves as coordinator of The Sephardic Pizmonim Project, has provided the general public with recordings of the Bakashot by several Chazzanim on his website in order to preserve the tunes.

The Ades Synagogue in Nachlaot, Jerusalem was established by the Syrian community in 1901 and is considered the center for Syrian Chazzanut and Bakashot today.. It is named after Jacob Ades who immigrated from Syria in 1895 and introduced the Bakashot to the Persian and Bukharian communities.

According to Jewish tradition, we each receive an extra soul for Shabbat, which remains with us until Motzaei Shabbos when we bid the Shabbos and our extra souls good bye. We recite the Havdalah prayer and incorporate all of our five senses in the ritual. We hear the Havdalah blessing, drink wine, smell spices, see the flame of the Havdalah candle and after drinking the wine, extinguish the flame in it and touch the wine. We place these drops on our forehead as a symbol of a request to Hashem to make us smart, in our pockets to make us wealthy and on our hearts to make us good hearted. Sephardim also place drops on the napes of their necks to symbolize our desire for Techiyas HaMeisim.

After the drinking of the wine, the Sefardim have a custom to laugh in order to begin the new week in a happy mood.

The strands of the braided candle we use for the flame are to symbolize the many different Jews in the world. We take a last sip of the wine which is symbolic of the joy of Shabbos and smell the spices in order to revive us as our extra souls depart.

The flame of the Havdalah candle also symbolizes the separation between the spiritual and material worlds.

It represents the first light of Creation and renewed energy for the new week.

It is customary to sing Eliyahu HaNovi after Havdalah because (Eruvin 43b) since Eliyahu Hanovi won’t come on Friday because he won’t interfere with Shabbos preparation, and won’t come on Shabbos in order not to disturb the Shabbos Peace, Motzaei Shabbos is the first oportunity he has to come. According to Kabbalah The Gematriyah of “Vayavdel” is the same as that of “Eliyahu.”

By Pearl Herzog

Mishpacha