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I’ve heard and read articles from people who have taken it upon themselves to be ready for shabbos by chatzos on Friday. I am looking into doing this too so as to bring the bracha that they’ve seen into my home – ‘ki hi mekor haberacha’.
I have some questions though. What is considered ready? Can i give my kids baths when they come home from school? What if i accidentally forgot to do something (like set a timer or turn on an appliance..) and i only notice close to shabbos? When i take this on my self to try and be ready by chatzos, is this a kabbalah? What if i forget one week? Does this apply to yom tov too?
This is an amazing skill. My father a”h was always ready in his clothes very early. The table was always set and ready. I cannot seem to manage this, no matter when Shabbos begins I need every minute. I think the point is to welcome the Shabbos Malka in a relaxed and gracious manner and not to be anxious, rushed and frenzied when she comes. Just as you would want to greet any other guest, you would want to be dressed and have the house ready and waiting and not have them waiting for you.
My wife is a very active “chatzoser”, as they like to call themselves. Chatzos is a wonderful tool to use in helping yourself be goal oriented in time management.
Chatzos is not meant to change the halachos of sheshes yamim taaseh melachtecha. One may NOT be mekabel Shabbos upon oneself before plag hamincha on Friday.
The story with the Chofetz Chaim that served as the catalyst for the movement, had the Chofetz Chaim giving advice to someone looking for bracha. He told that one individual person to have his table set, and Shabbos licht prepared by Chatzos. The Chofetz Chaim NEVER forbade melacha after Chatzos, as that would be k’neged halacha.
As long as Chatzos is used as a tool to promote proper planning for Shabbos, and helping alleviate the stress so often found in Jewish homes on Fridays, then it is a wonderful, admirable thing. Please do not use it to change Shulchan Aruch.
It doesn’t mean you were mekabel shabbos and are not allowed to do melacha.
My hubby and kids set the shabbos table on Thursday night.
“I think the point is to welcome the Shabbos Malka in a relaxed and gracious manner”
Aries- I couldn’t have said it better. I think the idea is to stop doing the chores that are stressful or unpleasant, have everything ready, and then do chores that are pleasant at a relaxed pace, or take a walk or even exercise on the treadmill. Anything that will bring you into shabbos with A) a happy frame of mind and B)not preoccupied-even mentally-with the mundane. A person can’t stop himself from thinking about something he was just busy with an hour ago. You need more of a buffer so that by the time shabbos comes around it’s no longer on your mind.
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