The Laws of Shabbos - Rabbi Binyomin Cohen shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to the “Lema’an Yishme’u” podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 In the Kiddush we make on Shabbos, there’s a difference between the nighttime Kiddush and the daytime Kiddush. The nighttime Kiddush has a blessing for Kiddush itself. Besides the blessing of Borei Pri Hagafen, there’s the blessing of Mekadesh HaShabbos. The morning Kiddush has only verses, “A Psalm of David,” and so on, but no blessing for Kiddush itself—only Borei Pri Hagafen. That’s why the daytime Kiddush is called “Kiddusha Rabba” in the Gemara. In Aramaic, Kiddusha Rabba means “the great Kiddush”—“great” in quotation marks, said ironically, because it’s actually a small Kiddush. It has only verses and Borei Pri Hagafen. It’s called “the great Kiddush” because the nighttime Kiddush also has the blessing of Mekadesh HaShabbos. So what happens if, for some reason, a person didn’t make Kiddush on Friday night? Let’s say he had no wine. Perhaps he was in the army, on a base, or in a hospital, and had no wine; or he fell asleep and didn’t make Kiddush, and in the morning someone brought him wine. Since he didn’t make Kiddush at night, he says the nighttime Kiddush in the morning—the Kiddush he should have said at night, he says during the day. He leaves out the section beginning “And it was evening on the sixth day,” followed by “The heavens and the earth were completed.” He doesn’t say that during the day; it’s said as Shabbos begins. But he says the entire Kiddush text, including the blessing of Mekadesh HaShabbos, during the day to make up for what he didn’t say at night. Another point: In Kiddush, we say “Savri maranan.” What does that mean? What do those listening think—is the wine good? It’s as though the person making Kiddush is asking them, “Savri maranan—what do you think of the wine?” What if someone makes Kiddush for himself? He’s alone; there’s no one else with him. Does he need to say “Savri maranan,” or would he perhaps

02:46 Speaker 2 say, “Who am I saying ‘Savri maranan’ to? There’s no one here. Am I supposed to say it to myself?” There’s a letter from the Rebbe saying that since this is the wording, he must say “Savri maranan” even when he makes Kiddush only for himself and no one else is present. Even when he makes Kiddush alone, he says “Savri maranan.” The same applies if someone makes Kiddush over bread. Does he say “Savri maranan” over bread too? After all, it isn’t wine. With wine, we say “Savri maranan”: How did the wine turn out? Is it good? Does it taste good? Is it sweet wine, dry wine, or semi-dry? But here it’s bread. So it would seem there’s no reason to say “Savri maranan.” The Rebbe says no: that is the wording, and one must say “Savri maranan” even when making Kiddush over bread. If, for some reason, someone washed his hands before Kiddush—he forgot that Kiddush comes first, washed his hands, and said the blessing for washing—what should he do now? He needs to make Kiddush, so he makes Kiddush over bread. That is, after he has washed his hands and said, “Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the washing of hands,” if we’re talking about Friday night, he takes two challahs and begins the text: “And it was evening on the sixth day. The heavens and the earth and all their hosts were completed.” When he reaches “Savri maranan,” he doesn’t say Borei Pri Hagafen. He says, “Savri maranan. Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth,” and continues the Kiddush text through Mekadesh HaShabbos. That’s what he does if he washed his hands by mistake. Some people follow this practice from the outset. The Rema writes in the Shulchan Aruch that the custom is to wash one’s hands before Kiddush, even when making Kiddush over wine. In that case, the Kiddush is over wine, not bread, but they wash their hands before Kiddush. Nowadays, almost no one follows

04:48 Speaker 2 that practice. Even those who follow the Rema generally make Kiddush over wine first and then wash their hands for bread. But if someone mistakenly washed his hands before Kiddush, he can make Kiddush this way, as the Rema describes, over bread after washing his hands. There’s no problem, and he doesn’t need to say “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever,” make Kiddush, and then wash his hands again. Instead, he makes Kiddush over bread and thereby fulfills his obligation of Kiddush. Another point mentioned in halacha is that if someone is brought a different kind of wine, “different” can mean a difference in taste—one is sweet and another is dry or semi-dry, or grape juice—or a difference in color: white wine, red wine, or rosé. Either a change in appearance or a change in taste. Halacha says that when changing wines, one says the blessing Hatov Vehameitiv. In other words, after someone has made Kiddush and said Borei Pri Hagafen over the Kiddush wine, if he is brought a different kind of wine during the meal, he takes the wine, says, “Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who is good and does good,” and drinks it. He can say this blessing five or six times, once for each different kind of wine, provided all the kinds weren’t brought out at once. If they were all brought out together, the first blessing already covers them. But if he wants to say several blessings—for instance, to reach one hundred blessings on Shabbos—he can make Kiddush over sweet red wine, then have dry red wine brought out and say Hatov Vehameitiv over it. Then, if he is brought semi-dry red wine, he says Hatov Vehameitiv again. Then they bring him dry white wine,

06:59 Speaker 2 and again he says Hatov Vehameitiv; semi-dry white wine, and again Hatov Vehameitiv; sweet white wine, and again Hatov Vehameitiv. He can say Hatov Vehameitiv several times, once for each wine, but only on the condition we mentioned: the wines must be brought out one after another, not all at once, so that when he says Hatov Vehameitiv, the other kinds of wine are not yet before him. If the other kinds are already before him, one blessing of Hatov Vehameitiv covers them all. They have to be brought out one after another. Another point: Someone makes Kiddush and says Borei Pri Hagafen. Those listening fulfill their obligation; they don’t say Borei Pri Hagafen themselves. They heard the blessing from the person making Kiddush and fulfilled their obligation. In the middle of the meal, they want to drink wine—the same wine, not a different kind. Do they need to say a blessing, or does the wine blessing they heard during Kiddush cover the wine they’ll drink during the meal? Here it makes a difference whether they tasted the Kiddush wine. One can fulfill the obligation of Kiddush even without tasting the wine. For example, someone hears Kiddush but doesn’t want to taste the wine because, say, he’s particular and doesn’t want to drink after someone else. The person making Kiddush drank from the cup himself. The listener can still fulfill his obligation by listening and answering amen to the blessing, even if he didn’t taste the Kiddush wine. Or perhaps he isn’t completely confident about that wine’s kosher certification and doesn’t want to drink it, so he only answers amen. He has fulfilled the obligation of Kiddush even without tasting the wine. But if he wants to drink wine in the middle of the meal, he will need to say Borei Pri Hagafen. The Kiddush covers the drinking—the blessing over wine in the middle of the meal

09:08 Speaker 2 Only if we tasted the wine over which the person making Kiddush recited Kiddush. If we did not taste that wine, then even though we fulfilled our obligation to hear Kiddush and answered amen to the blessing, if we want to drink wine during the meal, we must say Borei Pri Hagafen, because we did not taste the Kiddush wine. In other words, tasting the Kiddush wine exempts wine drunk during the meal from a separate blessing. If we did not taste it, we will have to say Borei Pri Hagafen over any wine we want to drink during the meal. Suppose someone wants to break bread over two loaves and suddenly sees that he does not have two whole loaves. He has only one, but he has frozen rolls or pitas in the freezer. They cannot be eaten as they are now; they are frozen. Can he take a frozen pita or roll just to put it together with the other challah, so that he has lechem mishneh? The answer is yes. Since it is needed for lechem mishneh, to have two challahs or two rolls, he may take it out of the freezer and use it. Although those rolls or pitas cannot be eaten in their present frozen state, they serve as lechem mishneh. It is important to know that lechem mishneh applies only on Shabbos and Yom Tov, not at celebrations or other events. I have seen people at weddings sit down at the table, take a roll and then take a second roll, put them together, and say Hamotzi. Why are you doing that? “Like on Shabbos,” they say. No, that is not the reason. Manna did not fall on Shabbos. We know that manna fell for the Jewish people every day when our ancestors were in the desert. You could not keep manna from one day to the next. If someone kept it, it spoiled. When Dasan and Aviram

11:33 Speaker 2 kept some, the verse says, “Some people left some over,” and “it bred worms and stank.” It spoiled and smelled bad. But on Friday, a double portion fell, including enough for Shabbos. That is why on Shabbos and Yom Tov we break bread over two loaves. But at an ordinary event—a wedding, bar mitzvah, bris, pidyon haben, and so on—there is no reason to take two loaves, only one. It is only because of lechem mishneh, the double portion that fell before Shabbos and before Yom Tov, that we take two loaves on Shabbos. On a weekday, we take one loaf; there is no need for two. Kiddush on Friday night must be made over wine or bread. It cannot be made over chamar medinah, an important beverage. During the day, you can make Kiddush over chamar medinah. An important beverage would be an alcoholic drink. In the United States and in cold countries, in Russia and Poland, people would always make daytime Kiddush over liquor as their first choice. It warmed the body. They would make daytime Kiddush over vodka or whiskey. Of course, you have to remember that the blessing is Shehakol Nihyeh Bidvaro, not Borei Pri Hagafen. But Friday-night Kiddush must be over wine. Why? The verse says, “Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it.” What does “remember” mean? Our Sages say that remembrance is associated with wine. There are two verses in Tanach showing this. One is in Shir Hashirim: “We will remember your love more than wine; the upright love you.” “We will remember your love more than wine”—remembrance is associated with wine. There is another verse that we say in the haftorah of Shabbos Shuvah: “Their remembrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” Again, remembrance and wine: “their remembrance,” “the wine of Lebanon.” Remembrance is associated with wine. So how do we remember Shabbos? By making Kiddush. If a person is wealthy and eats fish, meat, and delicacies throughout the week as well, how will he distinguish a Shabbos meal

14:00 Speaker 2 from a weekday meal? Kiddush is what distinguishes it. There is no Kiddush on a weekday. Even if he wants to drink wine, he will drink it during the meal; there is no Kiddush before the meal. Kiddush before the meal is only on Shabbos and, of course, on Yom Tov. That is why we make Kiddush over wine, specifically wine, on Friday night. If there is no wine, it can be made over bread, but not over another important beverage. During the day, it can be made over an important beverage. The same applies to Havdalah. Havdalah can even be made over beer. If someone has no wine, or does not want to drink wine, he can make it over beer. He can even make it over milk if he has not eaten meat, or if six hours have passed since a meat meal. According to Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, a”h, Havdalah can even be made over Coca-Cola. Nowadays, that too is considered an important beverage. But Kiddush, as we said, must specifically be over wine. There is a well-known custom among some people not to make Kiddush on Friday night during the seventh hour. Let us talk about what that means, where the custom comes from, and what the seventh hour actually is. People commonly say it is from twenty to six until twenty to seven. That is not precise. The exact time is from 5:37 to 6:37, and it does not change. The calculation follows Egyptian time, and it is fixed: from 5:37 to 6:37. In the summer it is not relevant, because Shabbos begins after that hour. It is relevant in the winter, when Shabbos begins early and we may return from shul during that interval, between 5:37 and 6:37. First, we should know that the Alter Rebbe presents this halachah as follows: “There are those who have the custom not to make Kiddush during the seventh hour.” In other words,

16:09 Speaker 2 the Alter Rebbe does not present it as a binding halachah that must not be changed. Some have that custom; those who do not, do not. And indeed, in some places it was not the custom. Someone comes home from shul and makes Kiddush right away, seventh hour or not. But since the Alter Rebbe does mention that some have the custom not to make Kiddush during the seventh hour, in Chabad we are careful not to do so. That means making Kiddush either before 5:37 or waiting until 6:37. First, it is important to know that this applies only to Kiddush itself. You can say Shalom Aleichem and Eishes Chayil. It is not that you have to start Shalom Aleichem at 6:37. Shalom Aleichem, Eishes Chayil, and the blessings for the children can all be done before 6:37. Kiddush itself, beginning with “Yom Hashishi,” starts only after 6:37. Even so, there are circumstances in which one may make Kiddush during that hour. For example, a man has young children and sees that their eyes are closing. If he makes Kiddush now, they will hear it. If he waits another hour, he may end up sitting at Kiddush only with his wife—and even that is uncertain, because she may have to take care of the children. In such a situation, one may be lenient and make Kiddush even during the seventh hour. In that case, it is advisable to make Kiddush over white wine. Rabbi Bistritzky, a”h, the father of Rabbi Bistritzky, may he live and be well, wrote at the time that there is no problem making Kiddush over white wine even during the seventh hour. The whole concern about making Kiddush during the seventh hour is that the planet Mars rules at that time, so it is connected with red wine. White wine is not a problem. In general,

18:15 Speaker 2 There is a question whether one may make Kiddush over white wine. The Ramban—with a nun—holds that white wine is altogether invalid for Kiddush. In practice, the halachah does not follow the Ramban. The Beis Yosef, the Shulchan Aruch, Maran the Shulchan Aruch, and the Alter Rebbe all rule that white wine is valid for Kiddush. So since there are opinions that there is no problem making Kiddush over white wine even in the seventh hour, as Rabbi Bistritzky, a"h, says, someone who is concerned that the children will fall asleep and not hear Kiddush can, in that situation, make Kiddush over white wine. For example, someone has invited guests for Shabbos who are not particularly observant. He invited them: Come and see what Kiddush looks like, what Shabbos looks like in the home of an observant Jewish chossid. “Taste and see that Hashem is good.” They went to shul with him and davened, and now they come home and—oh, it’s 5:37. No, everyone, we have to wait another hour. What do you mean, wait an hour? True, you can share some words of Torah in the meantime, but hungry people want to eat. You’re leaving them waiting for a whole hour. So in a situation like that, too, one may be lenient and make Kiddush during the seventh hour. Of course, it is preferable to use white wine. I remember that when I studied in the yeshivah in Kfar Chabad, there was a custom there: on one of the days of Chanukah, a group of soldiers would come and sit in the zal, the yeshivah hall, and study Gemara with the bochurim. Each bochur would sit with one or two soldiers and study a page of Gemara. One year, the person who coordinated the dates with the army did not realize that he had arranged for them to come on Nittel. We do not study on Nittel, but the army schedules things by the secular calendar. They told him November 24—December 24—and he did not realize that it fell on Nittel. They made the arrangements, and only afterward did they discover it was Nittel. On Nittel we do not

20:31 Speaker 2 study. What should we do now? Four soldiers are coming. Should we sit and play chess with them? Is that why they came to the yeshivah in Kfar Chabad? They can play chess on the base; they do not need to come to Kfar Chabad for that. So what do we do? Rabbi Katz, a"h, the rosh yeshivah, said to ask Rabbi Ashkenazi, a"h, who was the rav of Kfar Chabad. They asked Rabbi Ashkenazi, and he said that in a situation like this, when soldiers are coming to study, we should study with them even on Nittel. Since this is an unusual case—they come once a year to study, and someone made a mistake and overlooked the date—we may study with them even on Nittel. So the same applies here: when there are guests and you cannot leave them waiting a whole hour before starting Kiddush, you may make Kiddush during the seventh hour. Especially since the Alter Rebbe writes only, “There are those who have the custom.” He does not present it as an absolute ruling, but as “There are those who have the custom.” So in certain situations one may be lenient, especially if Kiddush is made over white wine. According to Rabbi Bistritzky[?], as we said, there is no problem making Kiddush over white wine in the seventh hour even as a first choice. Now, we mentioned earlier the Ramban’s view that white wine is altogether invalid for Kiddush, regardless of the seventh hour. The halachah does not follow the Ramban, and one may indeed make Kiddush over white wine. All this applies to other Shabbosos and holidays throughout the year, apart from Seder night. On Seder night, Kiddush should be made over red wine, in remembrance of the miracle of the Ten Plagues and the plague of blood, and of Pharaoh bathing in the blood of Jewish infants. So on Seder night one should be particular to use red wine. But what does “red wine” mean? It does not have to be wine that is actually red in the bottle. Someone who likes white wine can take white

22:45 Speaker 2 wine and add a few drops of red wine to it. The main thing is the color. It will turn red, because white wine is like water in this respect—it is like adding raspberry syrup. Put in a few red drops and it will be red. The taste will not change much; it will still taste like white wine, since ninety-something percent—ninety-nine percent—of the cup is white wine. If someone likes dry white wine and has sweet red wine, he can add a few drops, and that is fine on Seder night too. But throughout the rest of the year, there is no problem. One may use white wine as a first choice, because the halachah rules that white wine is valid for Kiddush. Only the Ramban holds that white wine is invalid for Kiddush. According to the Rambam—with a mem—cooked wine is invalid for Kiddush. Cooked wine means wine that has been heated, and there is a question here too: does it require actual boiling at one hundred degrees, when you can see bubbles, or is pasteurization at eighty-five degrees enough? According to most opinions—and this is also the position of the Badatz of the Eidah Hachareidis and Rabbi Ashkenazi, a"h—pasteurization has the status of cooking. Rabbi Landau, a"h, is stringent and says pasteurization is not cooking. Cooking means cooking: one hundred degrees, boiling. In any event, according to the Rambam, cooked wine is invalid for Kiddush. Again, this presents a problem. What do we do? Especially in Chabad Houses, or when people invite those they are bringing closer to Yiddishkeit—and particularly in Chabad Houses—sometimes someone comes whose partner may or may not be Jewish. If you look at the wine and it is not cooked, that creates a problem with the wine. In practice, the halachah does not follow the Rambam: cooked wine is valid for Kiddush. And especially if it is pasteurized, which we also treat as cooked, it is valid for Kiddush. Rabbi Landau, a"h, was particular in his own home to make Kiddush over wine that was not cooked. Fine; presumably, his guests were all Shabbos-observant and he did not have this problem. But Chabad Houses that face this issue with guests can use cooked or pasteurized wine. The halachah does not follow the Rambam; cooked wine is valid for Kiddush. The reason the Rambam considers cooked wine invalid for Kiddush is that it is not fit to be poured as a libation on the altar. The wine poured on the altar had to be uncooked, and since cooked wine is invalid for the altar, the same rule is applied to Kiddush. But that is the Rambam’s view, and in most situations where there is a greater need to use cooked or pasteurized wine, one can rely on the majority of opinions that it is valid for Kiddush. Kiddush may be made over pasteurized or cooked wine. You should know that grape juice is always pasteurized. Grape juice that has not been pasteurized will simply turn sour. There is no such thing as unpasteurized grape juice. Wine can be cooked or uncooked. Generally, the simpler wines are cooked or pasteurized. The more prestigious, more expensive wines are usually uncooked, and the label says that the wine is not cooked. Why? Because these wines sell for a high price, and for people who appreciate the taste of wine, heating it slightly diminishes its flavor. Someone who specifically wants that particular expensive wine also does not want it cooked or pasteurized. Grape juice, as we said, has to be pasteurized. So there is no need to check whether grape juice says it is pasteurized or unpasteurized, because there is no unpasteurized grape juice. Grape juice is therefore treated as cooked wine in every respect. Regarding Kiddush on Friday night, the Rebbe always mentioned—and there are also replies in letters in which the Rebbe told people—to try to make Kiddush over wine rather than grape juice on Friday night. During the day on Shabbos, there is no problem if one can make it over

25:07 Speaker 2 Shabbos-observant people, so he did not have that problem. But Chabad Houses that have this issue with guests can use cooked or pasteurized wine. The halachah does not follow the Rambam’s opinion; cooked wine is valid for Kiddush. The reason the Rambam considers cooked wine invalid for Kiddush is that it is not fit to be poured on the altar. The wine poured on the altar had to be uncooked, so cooked wine was invalid for the altar, and he applies that to Kiddush as well. But that is the Rambam’s opinion, and in most situations where there is a need to use cooked or pasteurized wine, one can rely on the majority of opinions that this wine is valid for Kiddush. Kiddush can be made on both pasteurized and cooked wine. It’s important to know that grape juice is always pasteurized. Grape juice that has not been pasteurized will simply turn sour. There is no unpasteurized grape juice. Wine can be cooked or uncooked. Generally, the simpler wines are cooked or pasteurized. The more prestigious, more expensive wines are generally uncooked, and the label says that the wine is uncooked. Why? Because these wines sell for a high price, and for people who understand the taste of wine, cooking somewhat diminishes its flavor. So someone who specifically wants that particular expensive wine also does not want it cooked or pasteurized. Grape juice, as we said, has to be pasteurized, so there is no need to check whether it says “pasteurized” or “unpasteurized.” There is no unpasteurized grape juice, and grape juice is therefore treated as cooked wine in every respect. Regarding Kiddush on Friday night, the Rebbe always mentioned—and there are also replies in letters in which the Rebbe told people—to try to make Kiddush on wine rather than grape juice on Friday night. During the day on Shabbos, there is no problem if one can make it on

27:16 Speaker 2 Chamar medinah—you can make Kiddush over liquor or vodka, and you can certainly make it over grape juice as well. The same applies to Havdalah. If you can make Havdalah over beer, you can also make it over grape juice. But on Friday night, it is preferable to use wine, unless wine is harmful to someone, or a woman is making Kiddush for herself and cannot drink wine, or finds it difficult to drink. In those cases, grape juice may also be used. According to halachah, grape juice has the same status as wine in every respect, but there is an added merit in making Kiddush over wine for someone who can, of course, do so. Several people wrote to the Rebbe about vision problems and various medical problems, and the Rebbe told them to make Kiddush over wine on Friday night. They did so, and the problem was resolved. So we see that there is a reason to make Kiddush over wine, but as we mentioned, that applies only on Friday night. On Shabbos day, and certainly for Havdalah, grape juice may be used from the outset; it does not have to be wine specifically. We will now learn a few details relating to honoring Shabbos and the prohibition against preparing on Shabbos for a weekday. On Shabbos, you may not do something that is not needed for Shabbos, even if the act itself is not prohibited. Take, for example, washing dishes after the Shabbos daytime meal, when those dishes will not be used again on Shabbos. They will be used after Shabbos, or even the following Shabbos, but not during this Shabbos. At night, however, you may wash the plates and glasses used for the evening meal, because they can be used for the daytime meal the next day. That is preparing on Shabbos for the same Shabbos, and it is permitted. This is true even if a person has plenty of dishes, plenty of plates and glasses. We do not tell him: Don’t

29:31 Speaker 2 wash the dishes you used in the evening, because you have other dishes for the daytime meal. No, he does not have to stand there after Shabbos washing dozens of plates from both the evening and daytime meals. He may wash the dishes used at night, since they are fit for use during the day. Even if he ends up taking different plates for the daytime meal, he is not obligated to use the washed ones. But they could be used during the day, so he may wash the Kiddush cup, the plates, the glasses, and the cutlery, since they are available for use on Shabbos. But after the last Shabbos meal—whether that is the daytime meal or, for someone who has one, the third meal—it is forbidden to wash the dishes, because they will no longer be needed for Shabbos. You may not prepare on Shabbos for a weekday. What is permitted is preparing for guests. For example, a person lives in a city where his relatives—his sons, daughters, and sons-in-law—also live. They tell their parents, “We might drop by on Shabbos afternoon.” It is not certain they will come. They said they might drop by, but the likelihood is that they will—more than fifty percent—because they usually do. On Shabbos, he may slice fruit, say a watermelon or melon, so that it will be ready when they arrive, rather than starting to cut and prepare the fruit only after they come. This is permitted even though they might not come. They did not say, “We are definitely coming,” but since there is a reasonable chance that they will, he may prepare things on Shabbos even for guests who might arrive. Not only that: halachah says that one may also prepare something for the sake of showing honor. What does that mean? Suppose a person knows that his son or daughter

31:58 Speaker 2 is coming, and he wants to cut them some cake, watermelon, or melon. He knows they will not eat more than one slice, but it would not be respectful to serve them a plate with just one slice. It would look as though he were being stingy, as though he wanted to give them only one slice. So he wants to fill the plate with slices, even though it is clear they will not eat everything he serves. Nevertheless, it is permitted, because this is preparation for the sake of honoring the guests. He serves them a plate with several slices rather than a single slice, even though he knows in advance that not all the slices will be eaten on Shabbos and some will be left for after Shabbos. But since serving a full plate is a matter of showing honor to a guest or guests, it is considered necessary for that purpose and may be done on Shabbos. The question is, what about pots? We said that plates and cutlery can be used at the next meal. But what about pots? Say it is the cholent pot on Shabbos morning. They finished the meal and ate all the cholent. They will not use that pot again on Shabbos, but if they leave it as it is, the cholent residue will stick to the sides and be harder to scrub off after Shabbos. Right now it is still soft and can be cleaned. May they clean the pot, even though it is not needed for Shabbos? The halachah is that one may preserve the existing state. What does that mean? Right now, after we have served the cholent onto the plates, the residue stuck to the sides of the pot is still soft. So we may fill the pot with water. Not wash it or clean it—just fill it with water and leave it in the sink, so the residue will not harden and become harder to clean and scrub after Shabbos. That is

34:25 Speaker 2 to say, although we will not use this pot again because we do not cook on Shabbos, we may keep it in its current state so that we will not face difficult work after Shabbos. Right now the residue can be washed off easily. Putting water in the pot will keep it from hardening, and after Shabbos we will be able to wash the pot as easily as if we had washed it immediately on Shabbos, after serving the food onto the plates. The same applies to a soup pot from Friday night, a fish pot, a chicken pot—any pot. One may preserve its current state by adding water. We do not wash it; we only prevent the residue from sticking to the pot. That is permitted on Shabbos, but other actions that are not needed for Shabbos are not permitted, because this is a matter of honoring Shabbos. We know that on Shabbos we need to increase the number of blessings we say in order to reach one hundred blessings. On a weekday, we reach one hundred fairly easily. We have the Shemoneh Esrei prayer three times, and after the nineteenth blessing, “And for slanderers, let there be no hope,” was added, there are nineteen blessings. Nineteen times three is fifty-seven. Add all the morning blessings—“Who opens the eyes of the blind,” “Who frees the bound,” and so on—as well as Baruch She’amar, Yishtabach, and the blessings before and after the Shema in Maariv, including “Who, by His word, brings on evenings,” and the blessings before the morning Shema, including “Who forms light and creates darkness.” We easily reach one hundred blessings, even before counting the meals. And if a person goes to the bathroom and says Asher Yatzar, or eats fruit or drinks water and says a blessing beforehand and Borei Nefashos afterward, it is easy to reach one hundred blessings. On Shabbos we do not have the Shemoneh Esrei prayer. We don’t. People mistakenly call the Shabbos prayer “Shemoneh Esrei.” That is

36:50 Speaker 2 It isn’t correct to say that. It’s the Shabbos Amidah, not Shemoneh Esrei. Shemoneh Esrei is only on weekdays, with eighteen blessings—nineteen. But calling it “the Shabbos Shemoneh Esrei” is simply a mistake. Say “the Shabbos Amidah,” “the Amidah prayer.” The Shabbos Amidah consists of seven blessings: the first three, through HaKel HaKadosh; the last three, Retzei, Modim, and Sim Shalom; and one blessing in the middle that ends with the words “Who sanctifies Shabbos.” Its beginning varies. On Shabbos morning, it begins Yismach Moshe b’matnas chelko. At Shabbos Minchah, Atah Echad v’shimcha echad. On Friday night, Atah Kidashta. But the ending is the same: “Who sanctifies Shabbos.” So we have seven. Seven times three is twenty-one. We have twenty-one instead of fifty-seven, so we’re missing a lot of blessings to reach one hundred. What do we do? It says that a person should make blessings over fruit. A person should make blessings over fragrant plants: take something fragrant and make a blessing. And here we need to know that each type of fragrant plant has its own blessing, even though at Havdalah we say Borei minei vesamim. This is stated in halachah: because not everyone knows which things are classified as trees, which as herbs, and which as other kinds, they instituted the blessing minei vesamim for Havdalah, so a person says something with which he is certain to fulfill his obligation. Fragrant plants aren’t like fruits and vegetables, over which we say Borei pri ha’eitz and Borei pri ha’adamah. If someone said ha’adamah over something that grows on a tree, he has fulfilled his obligation, because a tree also grows from the ground. If a person took an apple and mistakenly said Borei pri ha’adamah over it, he has fulfilled his obligation. The apple grows from the ground. The tree doesn’t grow in the air; its roots are in the ground. If he said Borei pri ha’eitz over a tomato or cucumber, he has not fulfilled his obligation, because they don’t grow on trees. But the other way around, if he said

38:54 Speaker 2 Borei pri ha’adamah over something that grows on a tree, he has fulfilled his obligation. With fragrant plants, it isn’t like that. If a person says the blessing for herbs over something woody, he has not fulfilled his obligation, because it is a tree, not an herb. Borei atzei vesamim is said over something woody, such as a myrtle branch—myrtles grow like trees—or over something fragrant that grows on a tree. There is the night-blooming flower, which produces its flowers at night in the autumn; that, too, is classified as woody. It’s a tree. Herbs are low-growing plants, such as mint. If a person takes mint, he says Borei isvei vesamim over it. If a person takes a mixture of several spices, such as cloves and ginger and so on, he says Borei minei vesamim. So each thing has its own blessing. A person who wants to complete one hundred blessings on Shabbos can take a myrtle branch and say Borei atzei vesamim over it. Then he can take mint and say Borei isvei vesamim. He can take cloves and say Borei minei vesamim. He can take a lemon and smell it, or another citrus fruit with a pleasant fragrance, and say Asher nasan reiach tov b’peiros—“Who gave a pleasant fragrance to fruits.” That is how the Alter Rebbe rules, following the Rif: to say Asher nasan reiach tov b’peiros. Some say Hanosein reiach tov b’peiros, but the Rif writes that one should say Asher nasan reiach tov b’peiros, and that is how the Alter Rebbe rules. So we already have four blessings: atzei vesamim, isvei vesamim, minei vesamim, and Asher nasan reiach tov b’peiros. Four blessings. He can take a fruit and say Borei pri ha’eitz over it, and afterward Borei nefashos. He can take a vegetable and make a blessing over it, and in this way complete the one hundred blessings. So we need to pay attention, as we said regarding fragrant plants: each thing has its own blessing. We don’t say the blessing for herbs over something woody, or the blessing for trees over an herb,

41:00 Speaker 2 but rather the appropriate blessing over each one. If a person doesn’t know, he should say Borei minei vesamim; that is a general blessing. Regarding Havdalah, we need to know that besides the Chabad custom of saying Havdalah while standing, some Sephardim have the custom of saying it while seated. But we need to know that the Ben Ish Chai writes that Havdalah should be said while standing. So it isn’t right to make a blanket statement and say, “No, Sephardim say it while seated.” Not all of them do. Those who follow the Shulchan Aruch say it while seated; those who follow the Ben Ish Chai say it while standing, even if they otherwise follow Sephardic custom, because the Ben Ish Chai writes that Havdalah should be said while standing. And according to Chabad custom, Havdalah is said standing in any case. But we should also know that according to Kabbalah, as the Ben Ish Chai writes, the blessing of Havdalah should be recited while standing. Another thing to pay attention to: someone making Havdalah should not forget to say the after-blessing over the wine afterward, Al Hagefen Ve’al Pri Hagefen. At Kiddush, we don’t say Al Hagefen Ve’al Pri Hagefen. Why? Because Kiddush is the opening of the meal. Kiddush must be made in the place where the meal is eaten. A person makes Kiddush, whether on Friday night or on Shabbos day, and immediately afterward sits down to the meal. That is why we don’t say an after-blessing over the Kiddush wine: the meal continues the Kiddush. Havdalah is different. Even if a person eats melaveh malkah on Motzaei Shabbos—and it is very important to be careful to eat melaveh malkah—it doesn’t have to be right after Havdalah. A person can make Havdalah when Shabbos ends at a certain time, for example, and eat melaveh malkah an hour later, two hours later. Especially in winter, when Shabbos begins and ends early. This coming Shabbos begins at four-thirty-something

43:12 Speaker 2 and ends at five-forty. So a person can make Havdalah at five-forty. He doesn’t want to eat; he’s still full. He doesn’t have to eat melaveh malkah immediately after Havdalah, so he must say an after-blessing over the Havdalah wine. Whether he eats the meal immediately or not, even if he eats it right away, he still has to say the after-blessing, because Havdalah does not require the meal to follow immediately. Kiddush does require the meal to follow immediately, so Kiddush and the meal go together. Havdalah does not require melaveh malkah to accompany it. Therefore, even if a person does eat melaveh malkah immediately after Havdalah, he doesn’t—he does have to say the after-blessing over the wine, Al Hagefen Ve’al Pri Hagefen, because it is not necessarily connected to melaveh malkah. It is something on its own, and therefore requires an after-blessing.