B. Adding on to Shabbat (Tosefet Shabbat)
i. The Mitzva
According to the gemara Rosh Hashana 9a, there is a
mitzva to accept Shabbat even earlier than bein ha-
shemashot (as well as to extend the end of Shabbat beyond
tzeit ha-kokhavim); this is called, 'tosefet Shabbat'
(see OC 261:2). Most poskim rule that tosefet Shabbat is
a mitzva min ha-Torah, while some rule it is only de-
rabanan (Bi'ur Halakha 261:2 s.v Yesh Omrim, Eliyahu
Rabba sec. 261, and SSK, vol. 2, 46:1, note 1).
Thus, in the event that one's Mincha minyan prays so close to sheki'a that one will not be able to finish his Mincha amida and accept Shabbat before sheki'a, it is better to pray Mincha earlier be-yechidut (privately) and fulfill both the mitzva min ha-Torah of tosefet Shabbat, as well as tefillat Mincha in the proper time, than to pray the late Mincha with a minyan (SSK, vol. 2, 46:5, note 26). It goes without saying that if, in this scenario, there is also an earlier Mincha minyan, one should pray with that minyan.
[It should be noted that if one has not prayed Mincha but has already accepted Shabbat, either personally or because it is already sheki'a, he may not pray Mincha. Rather, he should make up the missed tefilla by reciting the Friday night amida twice (SSK, vol. 2, 46:5).]
The Acharonim dispute whether this mitzva devolves upon both men and women (Pri Megadim, Mishbetzot Zahav 608:1), or upon men alone (Minchat Chinukh, mitzva 313:9). The accepted halakhic ruling is that women are obligated in tosefet Shabbat (SSK, vol. 2, 46:1, note 7).
ii. Methods of Accepting "Early Shabbat"
What must one do in order to accept Shabbat earlier
than sunset? Rishonim dispute whether one must recite a
specific liturgy (e.g., kiddush, the Shabbat amida, or
the blessing for the Shabbat candles) or whether mere
acceptance of Shabbat restrictions suffices. There is
further dispute, within the latter opinion (that one can
fulfill tosefet Shabbat by mere acceptance of the
holiness of the day), regarding whether a verbal
declaration is necessary, or if even a mental declaration
is sufficient. The Mishna Berura (261:21) seems to rule
that while tosefet Shabbat should be accomplished through a
verbal declaration, a mental commitment to accept Shabbat
is also binding. [The laws of accepting Shabbat through
candle lighting will be discussed in a later section.]
In addition, there are several acts which by implication effect the acceptance of early Shabbat. For instance, besides reciting kiddush or the amida or kindling the Shabbat lights, reciting barkhu, mizmor shir le-yom ha-Shabbat, or the last stanza of lekha dodi on Friday night, also usher in the Shabbat. (See also OC 261:4.)
iii. How Much Time Must One Add?
Even if one accepts Shabbat just a few moments
before sunset, he fulfills the mitzva of tosefet shabbat
(OC 261). Nonetheless, because Rishonim dispute the
exact amount of time that one is obligated to add to
Shabbat, and because of a general debate as to the exact
time of the onset of Shabbat, Mishna Berura (261:23 and
263:15) praises one who accepts Shabbat and refrains from
melakha (work) twenty to thirty minutes before sunset.
However, the earliest one can accept Shabbat is from pelag ha-mincha, which is defined as an hour and a quarter of halakhic time (sha'ot zemaniyot) before the end of the day (Berakhot 26b). If one accepts Shabbat before this time, it is meaningless (Mishna Berura 267:4). Thus, if one accepts "early Shabbat," one should insure that the Shabbat candles are lit after pelag ha- mincha. If they are kindled prior to pelag ha-mincha, the candles must be extinguished and rekindled with a berakha (blessing) in the proper time.
[Note: Sha'ot zemaniyot (halakhic hours) are not necessarily sixty minutes long. Rather, they are units of time, each consisting of a twelfth of the day. Thus, during the winter, when there is less daylight, each "hour" of daytime would be only about fifty minutes. However, in the summer, when the days are longer, the day "hours" could consist of seventy minutes each.]
iv. Determining Pelag Ha-Mincha
A dispute arises amongst poskim as to how to
calculate the "daytime hours." Some halakhic authorities
rule that the day period, which is divided into twelfths,
begins at neitz ha-chama (sunrise) and ends at sheki'a
(sunset) (Vilna Gaon, OC 559, and Levush OC 267).
Accordingly, pelag ha-mincha is an hour and a quarter
before sheki'a.
Other poskim rule that we count the "hour" units of the day from alot ha-shachar (dawn) until tzeit ha- kokhavim (the emergence of three stars) (Magen Avraham, OC 58:1, and Eliyahu Rabba, OC 267). Thus, from this perspective, pelag ha-mincha is an hour and a quarter before tzeit ha-kokhavim. While the Mishna Berura (233:4, 261:25, 263:19, 267:4) does not seem to issue a conclusive ruling, it appears that most communities follow the opinion of the Vilna Gaon and Levush on this matter.
v. Impact on the Greater Community
The Shulchan Arukh (OC 263:12) rules that if the
majority of the community has accepted Shabbat, the
minority of the community are considered to have accepted
Shabbat as well. An important implication of this
halakha is that if it is close to sheki'a, one should not
drive to shul or perform any other melakha (prohibited
work). This is important since besides the concern that
one may inadvertently miscalculate the time of sheki'a,
it may be considered Shabbat for him even before sheki'a
if the majority of the community will have already
accepted Shabbat. This would be the case, for example,
in a community which begins praying kabbalat Shabbat
prior to sheki'a.
[Note: Such a person, though he may not perform melakha, may nonetheless pray Mincha, as long as he himself has not actually accepted Shabbat and it is not yet sheki'a. He should not pray Mincha, though, amongst a minyan which has accepted Shabbat already. Even if the minyan will accept Shabbat only after one began tefillat Mincha, he should still preferably pray outside the sanctuary, but if there is no other place for him to pray, he may pray Mincha in the shul itself. See OC 263:15, 16, and Mishna Berura ibid. notes 59 and 63.]
It follows, furthermore, that if the majority of the community accept "early Shabbat," then the minority have accepted Shabbat at that time as well. The Mishna Berura (ibid. note 51) is quick to qualify this law. He writes that this law is only true where there is a single shul for the whole community. If there are several synagogues in the city, however, they are not affected by another synagogue's acceptance, even if the other synagogue represents the majority. However, writes the Mishna Berura, a private minyan in one's home, even one that meets regularly, is not considered an independent synagogue and must follow the majority.
Poskim further limit this law in the case of a single shul in the city to where there is no other minyan in the given synagogue. Even if the majority of the shul accepted Shabbat in an earlier minyan, the minority of the shul are not considered to have accepted Shabbat if they will pray in a later minyan in that shul (SSK, vol. 2, 46:7).
According to a suggestion made by Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l, this discussion may be for the most part a non-issue. He writes (Igrot Moshe, OC, vol. 3, no. 38) that the halakha which subordinates the minority to the majority in the case of accepting Shabbat early is only operative when the majority accepted Shabbat early for the purpose of elevating and insuring the sanctity of Shabbat. However, if the motivation to accept Shabbat early is for the sake of convenience, e.g. so that the Shabbat meal will not begin too late at night, etc., then the majority's acceptance cannot affect the minority.
It seems clear today, when early Shabbat minyanim are merely seasonal, that they are not established out of principle, but rather for the sake of convenience. Thus, according to Rav Moshe zt"l, an individual may not be obligated to accept Shabbat early, even when his entire community accepts an "early Shabbat." Nonetheless, Rav Moshe adds that he is undecided, and that the issue needs further investigation. (See SSK, vol. 2, 46:9, note 59, who seems to accept Rav Moshe's suggestion le-halakha.)
