One Shabbat TB Shabbat 118

There are four categories of Shabbat mitzvot. Two are from the Torah (דאורייתא) and two are from the rabbis (דרבנן). The two Torah categories are “observe- שמירה”and “remember- זכירה” See yesterday’s daf where I discussed these two categories. The two rabbinic categories are honoring Shabbat (כבוד השבת) and delighting in the Shabbat (Oneg Shabbat-עונג שבת). We previously learned on TB Shabbat 113a-b that we honor Shabbat by the clothes we wear, the steps we take as we walk, and the words we speak. Today’s daf TB Shabbat teaches us about the mitzvah of oneg Shabbat, delighting in the Sabbath.

The rabbis learn the mitzvah of delighting in Shabbat from a verses in Isaiah 58:13-14 which we read as part of the haftorah on Yom Kippur morning. “If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your affairs my holy day; if you call the Sabbath ‘delight’ the Lord’s holy day ‘honored’; and if you honor it and go not your ways to look to your affairs, nor strike bargains-then you can seek the favor of the Lord. I will set your strike the heights of the earth and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob-for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The rewards of delighting the Sabbath are great. “Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: With regard to anyone who delights in the Shabbat, God gives him a boundless portion, i.e., a very large reward, as it is stated: “If you keep your feet from violating Shabbat, from pursuing your affairs on My holy day, and you call Shabbat a delight, the Lord’s holy day honored, and you honor it by not going your own way, or attending to your own matters or speaking idle words. Then you shall delight in the Lord and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the world, and to feast on the inheritance of Jacob your father, as the mouth of God has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13–14). The reward for delighting in Shabbat is specifically the portion of Jacob. Not that of Abraham, about whom it is written, “Rise, walk through the land through its length and its width because I have given it to you” (Genesis 13:17), i.e., only this land alone in its borders. And not that of Isaac, about whom it is written, “Dwell in this land and I will be with you and I will bless you because I will give all of these lands to you and your offspring” (Genesis 26:3), meaning these lands and no others. Rather, that of Jacob, about whom it is written, “And your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all of the families of the land will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Genesis 28:14). There are no boundaries for Jacob’s portion.

“Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: One who delights in Shabbat is rescued from the oppression of exile. He derives it by means of a verbal analogy. It is written here, with regard to Shabbat: “And I will cause you to ride on the heights [bamotei] of the world” (Isaiah 58:14), and it is written there: “You are fortunate Israel, who is like you? A nation redeemed by God, the shield that aids you and the sword of your triumph. Your enemies will try to defeat you and you will trample their high places [bamoteimo]” (Deuteronomy 33:29). Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: With regard to anyone who delights in the Shabbat, God grants him his heart’s desires, as it is stated: “And you shall delight in God and He will grant you your heart’s desires” (Psalms 37:4). This delight in God, which is mentioned in the verse, I do not know what it is. When it says: “And you shall call the Shabbat delight,” one must say: It is the delight of Shabbat. The Gemara asks: With what does one delight in the day of Shabbat? Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, said in the name of Rav: With a dish of beets, and large fish, and heads of garlic. Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said that Rav said: Even with regard to a small item and one prepared it in deference to Shabbat, it is a delight. The Gemara asks: What is the small item mentioned? Rav Pappa said: Small fried fish.” (Sefaria.org translation)

I think that Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat and Rav Pappa were only telling us their favorite food and not insisting on that particular menu. To make Shabbat a delight, cook your favorite meals and don’t forget dessert!

To accommodate those who could not attend Erev Shabbat services at sunset, the Conservative movement in America started holding late Friday night services after supper. Following services coffee, tea and desserts were served as the collation. I wish I knew who named this collation as the Oneg Shabbat, which many people abbreviated simply as the Oneg. I have my suspicions, but if you know, please tell me.

In the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust Oneg Shabbat took on a different meaning. “The ‘Oneg Shabbat’ became the code name for the secret archive in the Warsaw Ghetto. Oneg Shabbat (Joy of the Shabbat in Hebrew), is a celebratory gathering held after Sabbath services, often with food, singing, study, discussion and socialising. The name was selected by a group of Jewish community leaders who usually met secretly on Saturdays to discuss the progress of their collection and documentation efforts. The Oneg Shabbat Archive is also known as the Ringelblum Archive, after its founder and director Emanuel Ringelblum — historian, teacher, social activist and visionary.

"Ringelblum established the Oneg Shabbat archive as early as 1939. He foresaw that unprecedented historical experiences were in store for the Jews and that as a historian it was his task to document the unfolding of events for future generations.

"Initially Ringelblum only collected information that came to his attention. However, in November 1940 when the Warsaw Ghetto was sealed, he engaged several other dedicated helpers and decided to transform the archive into an organized underground operation with several dozen contributors including writers, teachers and other historians.

Their main objectives were to:
(i) document, by means of an ongoing record, the events taking place in the Warsaw Ghetto and all over Nazi occupied Poland;
(ii) collect relevant items of historical value such as underground newspapers published by various political parties and youth movements and letters received in the ghetto that were of public interest or minutes of meetings; and
(iii) record the testimony of released Jewish prisoner-of-war and labour camp inmates or refugees from Polish ghettos who were forced into the Warsaw ghetto."(https://www.holocaust.com.au/resources/supplementary-material/oneg-shabbat/)

This daf also contains very famous and well-known statements translated by Sefaria.org that I thought I would share three with you without any commentary.

Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: With regard to anyone who observes Shabbat in accordance with its halakhot, even if he worships idolatry as in the generation of Enosh, God forgives him his sins.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: If only the Jewish people would keep two Shabbatot in accordance with their halakhot, they would be immediately redeemed.

And Rabbi Yosei said: May my portion be among the collectors of charity and not the distributors of charity. One who collects charity collects fixed amounts, whereas distributors may inadvertently fail to give the poor person enough to cover his needs.