Dear Rabbis, Professors, Relatives, and Friends,
This year Pourim day falls out on Friday March 21, 2008.
Pourim day has fallen out on Friday 13 times only from 1900–2005.
Pourim day will fall out on Friday only 11 times from 2008–2103.
This is a rare occurrence that I first wrote about in 2001. I revised it in
2005 and now I have significantly revised and expanded it for 2008. A Friday
Pourim will not happen again until 2021.
I will attempt to answer the following questions: What is correct and why?
What is the halakhah based upon? What sources do we have to rely upon? What
should be done this year and how?
This essay will be broken down into 6 Sections.
1) Proper time for Se’oudat Pourim
2) Having a Se’oudah on ‘Ereb Shabbat
3) Pores Mappah
4) Reason and benefits of having a late day Se’oudah
5) Conclusion
6) Suggested schedule
Section 1….Proper time for Se’oudat Pourim
Maran Ribbi Yosef Qaro in his Shoulhan ‘Aroukh siman 695 discusses the laws of Se’oudat Pourim. He himself mentions nothing about Pourim on ‘Ereb Shabbat, but Mouram Ribbi Mosheh Isserles says in Seif 2 that in such a case the Se’oudah should be in the morning due to the honor of Shabbat. It seams that his only source for this is Sefer HaMinhagim of Ribbi Yisshaq Tirna.
Shoulhan ‘Aroukh first printed in 1564, Rabbi Yosef Qaro (1488-1575)
Hagah first printed in 1578, Rabbi Mosheh Isserles (1525-1572)
Sefer HaMinhagim first printed in 1566, Rabbi Yisshaq Tirna (c.1420)
Now comes along a great Hakham whom I will term "our Sefaradi Hagah", his name is Ribbi Yaaqob Qastro, better known as Mahariqash. He lived from 1523-1610 but his book of hagahot, ‘Erekh Lehem was not published until 1718.
In it he writes, that when Pourim fall out on ‘Ereb Shabbat, you make Se’oudat Pourim while it is still day and when night begins you make Qidoush and continue to eat. Then he also mentions that there are those who make their Se’oudah in the morning and everyone should follow their minhag.
The prolific writer and genius Ribbi Haim Yosef David Azoulai (1724-1806) who wrote so much on every subject does not seem to have mentioned a word about this situation. I have checked all his halakhah books and have come up empty handed, maybe I’ve missed something, let me know.
Rabbi Haim Palacci (1787-1868) who was Chief Rabbi of Turkey wrote in his Mo’ed Lekol Hai (1861) chapter 31 item 45 that on a Friday Pourim the most correct time is to have the Se’oudah in the morning after Shahrit or at the very least prior to Hassot (mid-day). He also is of the opinion that the Se’oudah should always be in the morning no matter what day of the week it is.
Nehar Missrayim (1908) by Hakham Refael Aharon Ben Shimon (1847-1928) who was chief rabbi of Egypt from 1891-1921 wrote regarding the time of Se’oudat Pourim. There are those who make it early and those who do it late, but most God fearing people make the Se’oudah after hassot closer to the evening. That is the time that the poor stop making their rounds for charity and no one makes the Se’oudah in the morning. He then goes on to quote HaRaMBaM Hilkhot Megilah Pereq 2 Halakhah 17 who stresses the importance of spending the earlier and better part of the day engaged in Matanot LaEbyonim and Mishloah Manot. He then continues that when Pourim falls on ‘Ereb Shabbat the nice and pleasant minhag is to make the Se’oudah after Minhah when it is almost night (before sunset). In the middle of the meal (once it becomes Shabbat) you should spread a clean tablecloth say Qidoush and resume eating, what is now your Se’oudat Shabbat. For this he quotes Mahariqash. Then once the meal is complete you say Birkat Hamazon with ‘Al HaNisim (and Resseh VeHaHalissenou). Then you should pray ‘Arbit of Shabbat. And this way is the most correct and straightforward path! This is how we conduct ourselves and such is the custom of many who awe God.
Now I recently found in a book I’ve had for a number of years, a teshoubah on this exact subject. The book is entitled VaYa’an Shemouel and printed in Jerusalem in 1959. The author is Rabbi Shemouel Marciano who was originally from Dabdou, Morocco and in 1959 he was in Lod, Israel. There is a picture of him in the book in which he looks very old and "holy". The Haskamot by very prominent Rabbis of the day also refer to him as the great saintly and old from a great line of rabbis etc…. In any case on page 18 siman 29 he discusses the situation at hand and first he quotes the Baer Heteb (by Rabbi Yehoudah Ashkenazi) siman 695 Seif qatan 6 "and I found written in the Mordekhi, that he would eat Se’oudat Pourim on ‘Ereb Shabbat , pray ‘Arbit,
spread a tablecloth, make Qidoush, and say ‘Al HaNisim in Birkat Hamazon." He then continues and says that others wrote, that no he did not pray ‘Arbit at that point, for if he did, he would not be able to say ‘Al HaNisim in Birkat Hamazon. Maharil wrote therefore it seems to me that he should say Birkat Hamazon first then pray ‘Arbit in order that he shouldn’t run into any problems. Now Maran in siman 271 Seif 4 writes that it is forbidden to even taste anything even water before Qidoush, if he began prior to Shabbat he must stop, spread a tablecloth and say Qidoush. There the Baer Heteb in Seif qatan 5 writes that obviously he need not pray ‘Arbit yet since he is spreading the cloth and saying Qidoush, because he has begun with something permissible. Maran also writes in the same place that if they were drinking wine before hand they must still make Qidoush but not Birkat hayayin (bore feri hagefen) and then say Birkat hamossi. And see Baer Heteb Seif qatan 7 on that. From all he wrote in this teshoubah it would seem that he also agrees with Nehar Missrayim and Mahariqash to make Se’oudat Pourim close to Se’oudat Shabbat, saying Qidoush in the middle of the meal , saying Birkat Hamazon with both ‘Al HaNisim and Resseh, and praying ‘Arbit after Birkat Hamazon is over.
I’ve been looking high and low for any posqim who discuss this issue of Se’oudat Pourim when Pourim falls out on ‘Ereb Shabbat. Thank God I just found two more sources and they both seem to concur with the idea as originally laid down by Mahariqash (Hakham Yaaqob Qastro).
They are:
1) Hakham David Cohen Saqli (1862-1949) he was Ab Bet Din and Chief of all Rabbis in Oran, Algeria for over 40 years. His She-elot ouTshoubot entitled Qiryat Hannah David was published in 2 volumes in Jerusalem in 1935 & 1936. It carries the Haskamot of the Rishon Lession Hakham Yaaqob Meir as well as the leading rabbis of North Africa and that of the Chief Rabbi of Paris Dov Halevi Englander.
In Volume 2 siman 90 he writes about our case and says "sarikh" you have to start the Se’oudah prior to Shabbat and when Shabbat arrives Pores Mappah and make Qidoush, etc… Continue eating, say Birkat Hamazon with ‘Al HaNisim and Resseh then pray ‘Arbit. He also mentions that since both hagefen and hamossi were recited prior to Shabbat while it was only Pourim, since it’s all one big meal, to not say Birkat hagefen in Qidoush or to say hamossi afterwards. Just make Qidoush and continue eating, etc.
2) Hakham Baroukh Abraham Toledano who was born in Meqnes, Morocco (1890) and was Rosh Ab Bet Din there for well over 30 years, he passed in 1981. His son Rabbi Pinhas Toledano who is a Dayan in London has begun publishing his fathers works and in his responsa Sha-alou LeBaroukh (Jerusalem 1993) he writes in siman 76 concerning the minhag when Pourim falls on Friday when is the proper time to eat the Se’oudah. He says that the custom of "the rishonim" was to start the meal prior to Shabbat and once Shabbat arrives to spread a cloth, say Qidoush and continue with the meal. In Birkat Hamazon say ‘Al HaNisim and Resseh then pray ‘Arbit. And this is what I saw my fathers do and it seems to me to be the correct way to practice.
So far if we just say majority rules it would seem that the above mentioned system is in the lead as stated by ‘Erekh Lehem, Nehar Missrayim, VaYa’an Shemouel, Qiryat Hannah David, and Sha-alou LeBaroukh.
Before I continue, please allow me to share a scenario with you.
This is very common if not the norm for most people that I know.
Here we are Friday morning of Pourim. You get up to join a minyan for Shaharit, sefer torah, megilah, etc… You finally finish the prayers and it’s later than usual. You have to go running off to work. It’s a Friday of course so for many people it’s a very busy day. As it is it’s ‘Ereb Shabbat and that doesn’t leave you much time to dilly dally, either to get to work late or have a long lunch, or to leave earlier than you would normally have to on a short Friday.
Some may suggest getting together with friends at a restaurant for a longer than usual festive lunch, the only problem is, that better restaurants in Brooklyn or Manhattan are closed on Friday.
If you plan on having the Se’oudah in the morning while drinking wine you may be better off not getting on the road. Or for that matter for driving all around town with Mishloah Manot.
If you have time to get together with your family for a late morning meal or an early afternoon lunch then you’re probably off from work and all of this doesn’t make much difference to you.
As a side note, when Pourim does not fall out on Friday, I do not work on Pourim day and I do my best to convince others not to as well, it’s not a day for working. When it’s Friday it’s a whole different issue. I have no choice but to work and so do many others who have deadlines to complete projects before the weekend.
The only feasible plan would seem to be:
Get a minyan together at someone’s home, pray Minhah about 1 hour before sunset then begin Se’oudat Pourim (recall that on a "normal" year most of us begin our Pourim Se’oudah about 1 hour before sunset), before sunset light candles, at sunset "pores mappah" and make Qidoush, then continue the meal.
At the meals end say Birkat Hamazon with ‘Al HaNisim and Resseh VeHaHalissenou then pray ‘Arbit shel Shabbat.
One small question here is:
When Qabalat Shabbat (which includes bameh madliqin) should be recited…
a) Before candle lighting?
b) Before Qidoush?
c) After Birkat Hamazon before ‘Arbit?
Now, it should be remembered that the whole custom of Qabalat Shabbat was begun by the AR"I HaQadosh, and only gradually spread out from Safed to other communities.
Thus, it is very possible that Mahariqash did not have this problem.
Incidentally, the custom of having a leisurely late-Friday-afternoon meal, then "perisat mappah" followed by Qidoush etc. and only finally Shabbat prayers — seems to have been the normal custom every week in 15th century Alexandria, as related by Rabenou Obadiah MeBertinoro in his accounts of his travel to Eress Yisrael!
Finally I have just had the opportunity to do more research on this subject and lo and behold look what turns up. Rabbi Obadiah Yosef in his Yehaveh Da’at (1st edition, Jerusalem 1980) volume 3, siman 55, page 171 in the footnotes;
He cites Rabbenou HaMe-Iri, on Ketoubot 8a, who writes:
"It is our custom, and that of our fathers, that when Pourim falls on Friday, we begin the Se’oudat Pourim in the late afternoon, and when the day becomes sanctified [= i.e., Shabbat begins] we spread a mappah, and make Qidoush, and complete our Se’oudah, and say Birkat ha-mazon and mention therein "’Al ha-Nissim".
So, this custom known to Mahariqash is actually a custom of the Rishonim.
From the context, it seems that Rabbi Obadiah Yosef may agree with this, although he is quoting it in the context of another issue under discussion. For some reason though, Hakham Obadiah Yosef seems to favor following the meqoubalim on the issue of Se’oudat Pourim. In fact he states in his Hazon Obadiah on Pourim which was just released in 2003 on pages 179-180 that no matter what day of the week, the Se’oudah should be held in the morning.
This is exactly the same as the opinion of Rabbi Haim Palacci which I
mentioned earlier.
Section 2………………..Having a Se’oudah on ‘Ereb Shabbat (Friday)
The question now arises; can one have a meal on Friday?
1)Maran in his Shoulhan ‘Aroukh, Orah Haim, 249:2 says: It is forbidden to establish on Friday a festive meal that one is not accustomed to during the week….BECAUSE OF THE HONOR OF SHABBAT, THAT ONE SHOULD ENTER THE SHABBAT WITH A HEARTY APPETITE. This prohibition applies to the entire day.
2) At this point Mouram adds: And a meal, whose fixed time happens to fall out on Friday such as a Berit milah or Pidyon Haben, is permitted. So it seems to me and such is the custom.
3)Maran then continues and says: And to eat and to drink, without establishing a meal, even a meal that one is accustomed to during the week, is permissible the ENTIRE DAY according to the LAW. But it is meritorious to desist from such a meal from the end of the ninth hour and on.
We see from this and from closely reading Shoulhan ‘Aroukh, Orah Haim, 271:4, 5, 6. That having a Se’oudah that one is accustomed to or that falls out on Friday is permissible any time on Friday even close to Shabbat.
The point that Mouram made in his glosses about a meal whose fixed time falls out on Friday seems to have been accepted by Sepharadim as well as brought down in the works of Sephardic Hakhamim. In fact Mahariqash in his glosses on Shoulhan ‘Aroukh says the following: When Se’oudat Pourim falls on Friday even though this is not a Se’oudah that we are accustomed to we do in fact permit it! And such is the law for any Se’oudah whose fixed time falls out on Friday such as Berit Milah.
In 1991 a very important 3 volume work on Hilkhot Shabbat was issued by Rabbi Moshe Levi of Bene Beraq (Bnai Brak).(It has since been reprinted at least 4 times). In fact it was the only work written by a Sepharadi to ever receive the Bnai Brak prize for Rabbinic Literature, and it carries the approbations of Rabbi Obadiah Yosef, Rabbi Shemouel HaLevi Wozner, and Rabbi Meir Mazouz!
In volume 1 page 26 he states: Se’oudat Missvah whose fixed time falls out on Friday, such as: Berit Milah, Pidyon HaBen, and Se’oudat Pourim, it is permitted to have this meal on Friday even after the 10th hour, even though it is a large meal that one is not accustomed to during the week!!
Based upon all of the above it is clear that the law is not to have a large meal on Friday in order that you should enter the Shabbat with a hearty appetite and be able to partake of the Shabbat meal properly. Since in our scenario your intention is to begin the meal prior to Shabbat and carry it into Shabbat there is no problem at all.
Section 3…………..Pores Mappah
What exactly is Perisat Mappah?
Three classical reasons are offered for covering the bread:
1) Reminiscent of the MANN, which was covered by dew.
2) "Not to embarrass the bread." i.e., according to the principles of priority in berakhot, the bread is supposed to be partaken of first; having wine before bread in the bread’s presence would be slight to the bread’s due kabod.
3) To emphasize that one may not eat or drink food on Shabbat without first pronouncing its sanctity over wine.
Depending upon which reason we accept will determine how we practice "Pores Mappah":
According to #1, only bread must be covered.
According to #2, all grain products must be covered since they all have berakhah priority over wine.
According to #3, all food must be covered.
Each one of these opinions can be found in the posqim but what clearly stands out as the underlying logic is that a distinction must be made between the pre-Shabbat meals to that point when Qidoush is recited at the arrival of Shabbat.
Section 4………..Reasoning and benefits for having the Se’oudah late in the day
As we stated far above HaRaMBaM says in Hilkhot Megilah 2:17: That it is better for a person to spend the day giving money and gifts to the poor than spending the day eating and giving food to your friends! In other words as our custom is every year we spend the better part of the day giving charity and only then do we take care of ourselves towards the end of the day. That is when we always have Se’oudat Pourim and Friday is no different, in fact it may be more important to give charity the earlier part of the day so the poor will have what to eat for both Pourim as well as Shabbat! Of course the basic "common-sense" reasons for making the Pourim Se’oudah in the afternoon even when Pourim occurs on Friday have been alluded to already. For many people, rushing around in the morning to deliver charity and Mishloah Manot while also rushing to prepare and consume a large feast
and then rushing about in the afternoon to prepare for Shabbat and also to prepare another large feast (for which one is unlikely to have any appetite at all by the time it is served) are likely to detract from both Pourim and Shabbat. On the other hand, spending Friday delivering Mishloah Manot and charity, preparing for Shabbat more-or-less as usual, and then sitting down to a single feast at approximately the regular hour, by which time one has fulfilled all the other Pourim and Shabbat obligations and presumably has an appetite, might make it possible to accomplish everything with less pressure and to show more respect both to Pourim and to Shabbat–as well as preventing "akhilah gassa".
Another reason could also be so people would not have to spend too much money, which is another form of charity. After all, preparing one Se’oudah, even if one makes it as festive and as elaborate as one can afford, is still likely to be much less of a financial expense than making two. This should enable every household that adopts this practice to increase its Matanot LaEbyonim considerably.
It’s very possible in fact probable that our great rabbis of old had these very reasons in mind when they established the custom of having a late day Se’oudah that would go right into Shabbat!!
Section 5…….Conclusion
Based upon all of the above which stems from the Gemara to the Rishonim and the Aharonim, It would seem that having one meal late in the day, being pores Mappah, etc… would be the most halakhicly sound.
Minhah is said before the meal. Se’oudat Pourim is begun early enough so that a significant portion of it can be eaten before sunset. Once sunset arrives, you stop eating and drinking. The two loaves to be used for Shabbat should be brought out if they are not already on the table and be covered. Qidoush should then be made over a full cup of wine. If wine was already consumed earlier in the meal, Bore Feri HaGefen should not be said as part of Qidoush. Assuming bread was eaten earlier; hands need not be washed
again. The bread should be uncovered and then distributed to those present without saying Hamossi. People can then resume eating. At the conclusion of the meal, Birkat HaMazon is recited with ‘Al HaNisim and Resseh. ‘Arbit then follows.
Section 6……….Suggested Schedule
In my humble opinion it would be wonderful if this old tradition caught on and was embraced not only by certain families but by entire congregations as well. It would really help if minyanim for Minhah (pre-Se’oudah) and ‘Arbit Shel Shabbat (post-Se’oudah) could be arranged.
This suggested schedule is based upon the times for Brooklyn, New York only:
1) Pray Minhah anytime from 1:40PM on
2) Begin Se’oudat Pourim with Bread, Wine, Meat, etc… at 6:00PM enjoy your soup, salads, appetizers, etc…
3)6:49PM…Candle Lighting
4)7:00PM…Qabalat Shabbat at the table
5)7:09PM…Pores Mappah then Qidoush without Birkat hagefen if you are already drinking wine, which you should be doing because of Se’oudat Pourim.
6) Continue with the meal, eating, drinking, singing, etc…
7) Birkat Hamazon with both ‘Al HaNisim and Resseh VeHaHalissenou
8) Pray ‘Arbit Shel Shabbat at about 8:30PM or any other time that you have arranged for a minyan. (I just wonder on a non Friday Pourim how many people actually pray ‘arbit with a minyan).
Have I missed anything??
I’d love your feedback, comments, etc…
Joseph Mosseri
joseph.mosseri@verizon.net
