Today’s shiur is sponsored l’ilui nishmas Menachem Yitzchak ben R’ Moshe Yehuda Leib, Manny Sadwin zl, who considered Friday night Kiddush extremely important and special, and was careful with all of its halachos. May the learning be an ilui for his neshama.
The current series, which will cover Maariv on Friday night and Kiddush, is available for sponsorship. Please contact Rabbi Reingold for more information.
We are beginning the next Klal in hilchos Shabbos, discussing maariv and kiddush. The Chayei Adam begins with maariv. He writes that the general halachos of maariv are discussed earlier, in Klal 34. Here, he will discuss the appropriate time to daven.
The most appropriate time to daven is after tzeis hakochavim. If a person davens before that time, he gets into a machlokes Rebbi Yehuda and Chachamim regarding the appropriate time to daven. The Chayei Adam writes that in Klal 34 siman 8, he clarified that even those who are careful throughout the week to daven after tzeis, can daven on Friday night from any time after plag hamincha, if they are hungry, for shalom bayis, or for any other concerns. Although there is clearly a halachic hiddur by davening after tzeis, it does not create a neder which would prohibit one from davening earlier.
The Chayei Adam seems to only allow davening early if one is davening with the tzibbur, and it would appear that if one is davening alone they may not be able to daven early.
The Chayei Adam continues, and writes that one can make kiddush and begin their seudah after plag hamincha as well. The mitzvah of tosefes Shabbos includes that one can fulfill kiddush and begin their seudah from after that time. There is an opinion that although one may begin as early as plag, they must eat a kezayis after tzeis.
The Chayei Adam continues, and writes that making early Shabbos does not preclude a person from the requirement to recite kriyas shema after tzeis. There is a halacha that one cannot begin a meal within a half hour of the zman kriyas shema. If so, if one gets home from shul on Friday night and tzeis is within 30 minutes, they should not be allowed to begin their meal until reciting kriyas shema. The issur stems from the concept that if one has a mitzvah in front of them, they cannot begin eating until they perform the mitzvah. Additionally, even when the mitzvah is to be performed in the near future (30 minutes), one cannot begin a meal. Thus, the Chayei Adam points out that beginning the seudah early does not preclude one from the chiyuv of kriyas shema, and this halacha about not beginning with 30 minutes of tzeis will apply. Therefore, one must be careful to begin the seudah more than 30 minutes before tzeis. We will learn more about this halacha, including a possible leniency, in the next shiur, be’ezras Hashem.
Summary
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Generally, the most appropriate time to daven maariv is after tzeis. However, on Friday night, if one wishes to daven from after plag hamincha, they may do so. Davening during the week after tzeis does not create a neder to preclude them from davening early on Friday night.
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Similarly, one may begin their seudah after plag hamincha
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Kriyas shema must still be recited after tzeis. Additionally, one cannot begin a seudah within 30 minutes of tzeis, and lechatchilla, this applies on Shabbos as well.
