לקיחת תרופות בשבת

יש אומרים שבזמנינו שלא רגילים לייצר תרופות בבית, לא שייכת גזירה זו. ולדעת מרן רבינו עובדיה יוסף זצ”ל, יש לצרף דיעה זו להקל בכמה מקרים.

ולסיכום: אדם שאינו חולה ממש, רק הוא סובל מאיזה מיחוש, כגון שיעול או כאב בטן, והוא הולך כבריא, אסור לו ליטול בשבת תרופות המרפאות את החולי שלו. אבל אם חלה כל כך עד שכל גופו דואב בחוליו, או שהוא נאלץ לשכב במיטה, מותר לו ליטול תרופות לרפואתו. וילד עד גיל תשע, מותר לו ליטול תרופה בשבת.

ויש בזה עוד פרטי דינים מרובים, וכפי שיבואר בהלכה הבאה.

Taking Medicine on Shabbat

The Laws of Taking Medicine on Shabbat
Our Sages teach us in Masechet Shabbat that performing any sort of healing, including taking medication to heal any sort of illness, is forbidden on Shabbat. The reason for this prohibition is because the Sages of the Talmud understood that when one was in distress as a result of his own illness or a family member’s, one could possibly transgress Torah law by preparing the medicine, such as grinding herbs and other ingredients (which was common in those times) for the medicine. Our Sages therefore forbade making use of any type of medicine on Shabbat. (Nevertheless, there are situations where one may heal one’s self on Shabbat, as we shall soon discuss.)

Some say that this edict no longer applies nowadays when medicines are not usually home-made. Indeed, Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l utilizes this opinion in order to rule leniently in certain situations.

Life-Saving Medication
Maran Ha’Bet Yosef (Chapter 328) writes in the name of several Rishonim that it is clear that our Sages prohibited nothing in a life-threatening circumstance, i.e. when there is a concern that one’s illness may bring him to the verge of death. Shabbat must even be desecrated when there is even a doubtful life-threatening circumstance; even if there are several doubts pointing to the fact that the situation is non-life-threatening, Shabbat is nevertheless desecrated if there is even a slight chance that an individual’s illness can prove life-threatening. Even works forbidden by Torah law, such as driving a car and the like, must be performed in a life-threatening circumstance. Our Sages forbade taking medication on Shabbat only for an individual with pain or discomfort who continues to walk around like a healthy person.

Who May Take Medicine on Shabbat?

If one suffers from minor abdominal discomfort on Shabbat, one may not take medicine to alleviate this pain. Similarly, one who suffers from a cold or cough on Shabbat may not take medication to alleviate his symptoms. However, if one’s pain or discomfort is so great that one feels ill all over his body or if one must lay down in bed as a result of the pain, although the individual’s life is not in danger, one may take medicine to relieve his pain, for our Sages did not establish the edict regarding concern for grinding herbs in such a situation. This is certainly true regarding in a life-threatening situation in which case anything necessary to heal the ill individual may be done.

The Law Regarding Children
The edict of our Sages regarding healing on Shabbat does not apply to children under nine years of age. One may therefore give them medicine and the like on Shabbat (see Chazon Ovadia-Shabbat, Part 3, page 361).

Summary: If one is not actually ill and is merely suffering from some aches and pains, such as a stomach ache or a cough, and continues to walk around like a healthy person (as usual), one may not take medication to relieve his symptoms. However, if one becomes so ill that his entire body is in pain or if one must lie down in a bed, one may take medicine to relieve his pain and discomfort. A child under the age of nine may take medicine on Shabbat.

There are many other details pertaining to these laws, such as the law regarding taking antibiotics on Shabbat, as we shall discuss in the following Halacha.

בגדי לבן

ובדורות הקודמים היו מקומות שאנשים, לא היו לובשים בגדי שבת, אלא ביום השבת, בבוקר, אבל בליל שבת היו מגיעים לבית הכנסת עם בגדי החול. ומרן החיד”א בספר ברית עולם (עמוד נז), כתב על הנוהגים כן, שהם מחללים עוז והדר קדושת השבת, והוסיף דברים בגנות ההנהגה הזו. ומרן זצ”ל בספר חזון עובדיה (ח”א עמוד כו) הביא עוד מרבותינו הפוסקים שהעירו על המנהג הגרוע הזה שחובה קדושה לבטלו.

ומרן זצ”ל השמיענו בזה את דברי הרב המאירי (בבא קמא דף פא:), שכתב להוכיח מדברי הגמרא, שכל דבר שההיתר שלו פשוט בהלכה, ורצה אחד להחמיר על עצמו, יזהר שלא לעשות כן בפני מי שגדול ממנו בתורה, שזה מראה גדולתו בפניו, וכמתחסד יותר ממה שאינו חובה עליו. והוסיף המאירי, שאין לנהוג כן, אלא למי שהוא נודע ומפורסם בחסידות ובשלימות.

וכן כתב בשו”ת פנים מאירות (ח”ב סימן קנב), לגבי בגדי לבן בשבת, שכיון שבזמנינו נוהגים כולם ללבוש בגדים בצבע שחור או בצבעים אחרים, ולא לבן, אם איזה אחד רוצה להחמיר וללבוש בגדי לבן, אינו רשאי לנהוג כן. והוסיף, שגם המקובלים לא כתבו שילבשו לבן, אלא דוקא במקומותיהם שהיו אנשים שלובשים לבן, אבל בזמנינו שכולם לא לובשים לבן, יש בזה יוהרא וזחיחות הלב.

ולכן גם מרן זצ”ל כתב, שרק מי שהוא שלם בשלימות בכל הדברים ומפורסם בחסידות, רשאי ללבוש בגדי לבן.

והמקובל הרה”ג רבי בניהו שמואלי שליט”א, היה בא לעתים קרובות למרן זצ”ל במוצאי שבת, בבגדי לבן, ומרן זצ”ל לא העיר על זה כלום, כי המקובל רבי בניהו, הוא מפורסם לטובה בחסידות, והוא ראש ישיבת מקובלים, ועושה מעשיו לשם שמים. ולכן במקרה כזה אין בזה יוהרא.

ובדור הקודם היו הרבה חכמים גדולים שהלכו בבגדי לבן, ובימים הנוראים היו גם יחידי סגולה שהלכו בבגד בהיר מאד שעשוי כולו מפשתן, שיש בבגד כזה תועלת מרובה על פי הקבלה, בפרט בימים הנוראים, וכן נהג הגאון רבי מרדכי עזראן זצ”ל, שהיה מחכמי פורת יוסף, ועוד יחידי סגולה.

והגאון רבי משה צדקה שליט”א, בשיעור שנשא בערב ראש השנה (שנת התשפ”ו), הביא את דברי רבינו יוסף חיים, בבן איש חי (פרשת נצבים אות ג), שבראש השנה לובשים בגדי לבן. והגאון רבי משה הסביר, שבימות החול יש נוהגים ללבוש דוקא בגד שחור, שהוא מכניע את הדינים, מפני שהוא בגד שמסמל עצבות ושברון לב. ולכן בראש השנה הולכים בבגדי לבן, להורות על השמחה והבטחון שלנו בה' יתברך. אבל בזמנינו שבגדים כהים אינם מסמלים עצבות, אלא רבים מאד הולכים כך, אין מניעה ללכת בבגדים שחורים, אפילו בשבת, ואמר, שגם על פי הקבלה אין חסרון בדבר, מאחר ובזמנינו אין בלבוש שחור חוסר כבוד. אמנם הביא שיש חולקים על זה, ובכללם הגאון המקובל רבי ששון מזרחי זצ”ל. אך למעשה כך היה מנהג מרן זצ”ל, ללבוש בגדי שבת שחורים, ורק החולצה היתה לבנה. וכן נוהג הגאון רבי משה צדקה שליט”א. וכן נוהג הגאון המקובל רבי מנשה שוע שליט”א ועוד.

White Clothing on Shabbat

Shabbat Clothes
We learned last week that there is a Mitzvah to wear nice, specially-designated clothes for Shabbat. Indeed, the Gemara (Shabbat 113a) expounds the phrase “And you shall honor it” the Navi uses in reference to Shabbat to mean that one’s clothing on Shabbat should not be like one’s weekday clothing. One should therefore designate special clothing for Shabbat that one does not wear on weekdays.

In prior generations, there were places where people would only wear Shabbat clothes on Shabbat morning; however, on Shabbat night, they would show up to the synagogue still wearing weekday clothes. Maran Ha’Chida decries this custom in his Sefer Berit Olam (p. 57) and writes that people who do so desecrate the splendor and honor of Shabbat. Maran zt”l (Chazon Ovadia- Shabbat, Vol. 1, p. 26) quotes the words of the Poskim on this matter and explains that this custom should be abolished.

White Clothing
The Ba’er Hetev (Ch. 262) quotes the saintly Ari z”l who said that one should wear specifically white clothing on Shabbat according to Kabbalah. The Ba’er Hetev adds that in places where wearing white clothing is not the norm, one may not follow the directive of the Ari, for doing so would be perceived as arrogance, i.e., observing a stringency no one else is.

Maran zt”l complimented this with the words of the Meiri (Baba Kama 81b) who writes that if something is clearly permitted by Halacha and one wishes to act more stringently, one must make sure not to do so in front of those who are greater than him in Torah knowledge, for this would constitute a show of arrogance. One may only do so if one is known for his piety and sincerity in the service of Hashem.

Thus, Maran zt”l rules that only one who is truly well-known for his piety and near-perfection in all other matters of Judaism may wear white garments on Shabbat.

Indeed, the great Mekubal, Hagaon Harav Benayahu Shmueli Shlit”a, would come visit Maran zt”l every so often on Motza’ei Shabbat while still bedecked in his white Shabbat clothing and Maran never pointed anything out to him about this behavior because Harav Shmueli is well-known for his piety, stands at the helm of a Yeshiva of Mekubalim, and his actions are for the sake of Heaven. Thus, in this scenario, such behavior does not constitute arrogance.

In the previous generation, there were several great sages that wore white clothing on Shabbat. There were others who wore a very lightly-colored linen robe specifically during the Days of Awe, as prescribed by Kaballah. This was the practice of Hagaon Harav Mordechai Azran zt”l, one of the sages of Porat Yosef, among others.

Hagaon Harav Moshe Tzadka Shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, in a lecture delivered on Erev Rosh Hashanah 5786 quoted the words of the Ben Ish Hai (Parashat Nitzavim, Section 3) who writes that one should wear white garments on Rosh Hashanah. Harav Tzadka explained that there are those who are particular to wear specifically black garments during the week in order to quell Heavenly judgment since these garments are symbols of sadness and broken-heartedness. For such people, it behooves them to wear white garments on Rosh Hashanah as a symbol of joy and trust in Hashem. Nevertheless, nowadays when dark-colored garments do not symbolize sadness at all and many people commonly wear black garments throughout the week, there is no issue to wear black clothing on Shabbat either. He added that even according to Kabbalah, there is no problem with wearing black garments on Shabbat since nowadays, black garments are not seen as a lack of respect to Shabbat. Although, he explained, there are those who disagreed with this premise, such as Hagaon Harav Sasson Mizrahi zt”l, nevertheless, the custom of Maran zt”l was to wear black garments on Shabbat and only his shirt was white. This is also the custom of the great Mekubal, Hagaon Harav Menashe Shua Shlit”a.

The Garb of Torah Scholars
The Gemara (Baba Batra 98a) states that one who adorns himself in the garb of Torah scholars when one is not a Torah scholar will not be brought into the inner sanctum of Hashem. The Rashbam (ibid.) explains that this refers to the long, outer robe that is unique to Torah scholars. In those times, laymen would wear a long inner robe on the body and on top of it, a shorter outer robe that did not reach the floor, which would allow the inner robe that did to be seen. Torah scholars, on the other hand, would wear a long outer robe as well such that their inner robe was fully covered by the outer one and could not be seen. This was an overly modest behavior that was appropriate only for Torah scholars, but laymen were expected not to behave that way. It is for this reason that in the previous generation, there were several great Torah scholars who dressed like real simpletons because they did not want to be perceived as Torah scholars.

תפילת התשלומין

שאלה: מי ששכח ולא התפלל תפילה אחת, וכבר עבר זמנה של אותה התפילה, מה דינו?

תשובה: אמרו רבותינו (מסכת ברכות דף כו.), טעה ולא התפלל שחרית, מתפלל במנחה שתים. כלומר, אדם שטעה ולא התפלל תפילה אחת, או שלא יכול היה להתפלל תפילה אחת מחמת אונס (כלומר, לא בכוונה או בפשיעה, אלא מחמת שכחה וכדומה), צריך להשלים תפילתו אחרי התפילה הבאה שמתפלל, שכך תקנו חכמים, שאדם זה חייב להשלים תפילתו. ולכן אם שכח להתפלל שחרית, מתפלל תפילת מנחה ומיד כשמסיים תפילת מנחה, לאחר שממתין כמה שניות (כדי שהתפילה השנייה תהיה בישוב הדעת), מתפלל שוב תפילת שמונה עשרה, כתשלומין על תפילת שחרית.

ותפילת התשלומין, היא דוקא תפילת שמונה עשרה, אבל שאר התפילה, כגון קריאת שמע וברכותיה ופסוקי דזמרה וכדומה, אין להם תשלומין כלל, וכל שעבר זמנם הפסיד המצוה.

לכן מי ששכח להתפלל שחרית, עליו לחזור ולהתפלל תפילת שמונה עשרה מיד כשיסיים את תפילת המנחה, שאז יעמוד ויתפלל שוב תפילת העמידה לשם תשלומין על שחרית שלא התפלל.

ולסיכום: מי ששכח להתפלל תפילה אחת, לדוגמא, תפילת שחרית, עליו להשלים את תפילתו לאחר מכן, שלאחר שיתפלל תפילת מנחה, ימתין כמה שניות, ואז יתפלל שוב תפילת העמידה כתשלומין לתפילת שחרית.

The Laws of a Compensatory Prayer

Question: If one forgets to pray a certain prayer and the time for reciting that prayer has already passed, what is the proper procedure?

Answer: Our Sages taught (Berachot 26b): “One who has erred and has not prayed Shacharit should pray Mincha twice.” This means that if one mistakenly has not prayed one prayer or if one has not prayed a certain prayer because of circumstances beyond one’s control, one must compensate this prayer after having recited the next prayer one prays, for our Sages have established that one must compensate one’s prayer. Thus, if one forgets to pray Shacharit, one should pray Mincha prayers and immediately after doing so, one must recite the Amida prayer again as compensation for the Shacharit prayer which one has missed.

The compensatory prayer applies only to the Amida prayer; however, the rest of the prayer, such as Keri’at Shema and its blessings, Pesukei De’Zimra, and the like, cannot be compensated for and once their time has passed, one has missed out on this Mitzvah.

Thus, one who forgets to pray Shacharit should repeat the Amida immediately after concluding the Mincha prayer and this will compensate for the Shacharit prayer one missed.

The Law Regarding Women
Maran zt”l writes that just as a man who missed a given prayer must compensate for it during the next prayer, so too, a woman who customarily prays a set prayer, such as Shacharit, and it happened that she had forgotten to pray, may likewise compensate for this prayer by reciting the Mincha prayer twice.

Summary: If one forgets to pray any given prayer, such as Shacharit, one must compensate for this prayer after praying Mincha, i.e. after concluding the Mincha Amida prayer, one should wait several seconds and then recite the Amida prayer again in compensation for Shacharit.

השמן והפתילות הנותרים

The Laws of the Remaining Oil and Wicks used for Lighting Chanukah Candles

Question: May one dispose of the remaining oil used for lighting Chanukah candles?

Answer: One should not use oil (or wax candles) designated for lighting Chanukah candles for any other purpose, such as for eating or lighting Shabbat candles, since this oil has already been designated for the Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles; thus, one must not use it for any other purpose. Rather, one must burn the remaining oil on its own, with this burning serving no alternate purpose.

When we say that one may not use the leftover oil for a mundane purpose, this does not refer to the oil remaining in the bottle; rather, this refers to the oil that remains in the glass cups of the Chanukah Menorah. Only this oil should not be used for a mundane purpose or disposed of. Similarly, those candles remaining in the box have not become designated for the Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles; only those candles which were actually lit as Chanukah candles should not be used for any other purpose.

Some say that it is only prohibited to make use of the remaining oil when the candles were extinguished within a half-hour of being lit, for they were designated for their Mitzvah for a timespan of a half-hour. However, if the candles stayed lit for more than a half-hour and then went out, no sanctity rests on the remaining oil and one may use it for whatever he pleases. This is indeed the opinion of Maran Ha’Bet Yosef.

Nevertheless, some disagree and write that even if the candles stayed lit for more than half-an-hour, sanctity still rests on the remaining oil and wicks. Thus, one should make a “condition” before the onset of Chanukah and delineate clearly by mouth that he is not designating the oil and wicks for their Mitzvah. In this way, one may use the remaining oil and wicks for whatever he pleases according to all opinions (See Chazon Ovadia-Chanukah, page 160 and Torat Ha’Moadim- Chanukah, page 126).

Summary: It is proper to make a condition before Chanukah or even during the days of Chanukah that one does not intend to designate the oil and wicks for the sake of the Mitzvah. In this way, no sanctity will rest on the remaining oil and wicks and one will be able to use them for whatever one wishes.

אמירת ההלל בחנוכה ובראש חודש

דין הנשים באמירת ההלל

ולסיכום: חובה לומר הלל בכל יום מימי החנוכה, ויש לגמור את ההלל בברכה. ונשים פטורות מאמירת ההלל, ולכן גם אשה שרוצה לומר הלל, לא תברך על קריאתו.

Reciting Hallel on Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh

The Obligation to Recite the Hallel with a Blessing during the Holiday of Chanukah
In the Shacharit prayer during all eight days of Chanukah, the complete Hallel is recited; a blessing is recited before and after the recitation of the Hallel, as is printed in all Siddurim. Although the Sephardic custom is not to recite a blessing on the recitation of the Hallel on Rosh Chodesh, nevertheless, during the holiday of Chanukah when the recitation of Hallel is an actual obligation and not merely a custom, one must recite a blessing upon doing so like one would before performing other Mitzvot. Clearly, this also applies to both days of Rosh Chodesh Tevet which fall out during Chanukah (this year, 5786, Rosh Chodesh Tevet will fall out on Shabbat and Sunday, G-d-willing), in that one must recite a blessing on the recitation of Hallel as one would during the rest of the days of Chanukah. (See Shulchan Aruch, Chapter 683)

The Laws of Women Regarding the Recitation of the Hallel
Regarding the obligation of women to recite Hallel, it would seem that women are completely exempt from reciting the Hallel on Chanukah, for women are exempt from all positive, time-bound Mitzvot (a “positive, time-bound Mitzvah” refers to any Mitzvah which is performed actively, not passively, and is bound by a certain time limit, i.e. that it can only be performed at a certain time; an example of this would be the Mitzvah of Lulav, for this is a Mitzvah that is performed actively and is contingent on a specific time, for the Lulav is taken only during the holiday of Sukkot). It would therefore seem that women should be exempt from reciting Hallel on the holiday of Chanukah as well.

The Reason to Obligate Women to Recite the Hallel
Nevertheless, there is a reason to obligate women to recite Hallel, just as they are obligated to recite Hallel on the night of the Pesach Seder. The reason why they are obligated to recite Hallel on the first night of Pesach is because “they were also included in this miracle,” meaning that since Hallel was instituted to give thanks to Hashem for the miracles He performed for our forefathers and these miracles were performed for women as well, there is therefore no reason to exempt them from reciting the Hallel just as they are obligated to drink the four cups of wine. Regarding the Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles as well, the Gemara (Shabbat 23a) states that women are obligated in the Mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles, for they were also included in the miracle of Chanukah. Based on this, it would seem that women should also be obligated in the recitation of Hallel during the holiday of Chanukah.

The Distinction between the Hallel on the Night of the Pesach Seder and the Hallel During Chanukah
Nevertheless, it seems from the words of the Rambam and other great Rishonim that women are indeed exempt from reciting Hallel during Chanukah. Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l explains (in his Chazon Ovadia-Chanukah, page 214) that there is an innate difference between the Hallel recited on the night of Pesach and the Hallel recited during Chanukah, for in principle, our Sages wished to exempt women from the Mitzvah of reciting Hallel since all rabbinic edicts were enacted in a similar fashion to the commandments prescribed to us by Torah law. Thus, since the Torah exempts women from the recitation of the Hallel, our Sages wanted to do the same and exempt them from this Mitzvah. However, on the first night of Pesach, our Sages were compelled to obligate women to recite the Hallel due to the Mitzvah of drinking the four cups of wine since the fourth cup of wine of the Seder night must be drunk alongside the recitation of the Hallel. (The four cups of wine were established to be drunk alongside the four Mitzvot of the Seder night: The first cup with the Mitzvah of Kiddush, the second cup alongside the Mitzvah of reading the Hagaddah, the third cup alongside the Mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon, and the fourth cup alongside the Mitzvah of reciting the Hallel.) He continues discussing this matter at length.

Women Reciting the Blessing on the Hallel
Thus, although women are obligated to light Chanukah candles because they were included in the miracle of Chanukah, they are nevertheless exempt from reciting the Hallel. Therefore, even if a woman would like to act beyond the letter of the law and recite Hallel on Chanukah, she may not recite a blessing before (or after) reciting it since she is not commanded to recite it. The same applies to a woman who takes a Lulav in that she may not recite a blessing before doing so although she receives great reward for doing so as one who is not commanded to perform a given Mitzvah but has done so anyway.

Summary: It is obligatory to recite the entire Hallel, including reciting a blessing on it before and after, every day during the holiday of Chanukah. Women are exempt from reciting the Hallel. Thus, even if they wish to recite it, they may not recite a blessing on its recitation.

a)      Parnas Presidente: Mordechai Maman

b)      Parnas Vice Presidente: Benjamin Hassan

c)      Treasurer: Yehoshua Jacobs

d)      Gabbai: Eli Shoshana

e)      Hon. Secretary: Yehoshua Lewis

f)       Ladies Committee Chair: Mrs. Elaine Marshall

g)      Mahamad: Mrs Loretta Hodari 

                            Raphi Marshall

                            Paul Delmonte

מלאכה לפני הבדלה – אשה שעושה הבדלה

בהלכה הקודמת, ביארנו, שבמוצאי שבת אומרים בתפילת ערבית “אתה חוננתנו”. ואם אדם טעה ולא אמר אתה חוננתנו, אינו צריך לחזור ולהתפלל. אבל אם טעה שוב, וגם אכל לפני שעשה הבדלה, אז הדין הוא, שעליו לחזור ולהתפלל ערבית, ויאמר אתה חוננתנו, ויעשה הבדלה על הכוס.

ואמנם דין זה אינו מפורש בשלחן ערוך. אולם רבינו הרשב”א (במסכת ברכות לג.), כתב בפירוש, שדין זה, שעל האדם לחזור ולהתפלל אם שכח אתה חוננתנו, הוא כאשר “לא הזכיר אתה חוננתנו ואכל, או עשה מלאכה קודם שהבדיל על הכוס”. 

מצאנו אם כן, שהרשב”א משווה לגמרי את דינו של מי שטעה ואכל בלי הבדלה, ודינו של מי שעשה מלאכה בלי הבדלה. וכך אמנם פסק הגאון רבי עקיבא איגר, לאור דברי הרשב”א.

ולכן הדין הוא, שאדם ששכח לומר “אתה חוננתנו” בערבית של מוצאי שבת, וגם שכח ועשה מלאכה לפני הבדלה, עליו לחזור שוב ולהתפלל, ונכון שיאמר שהוא מתפלל על תנאי, “שאם עלי לחזור ולהתפלל, תהיה תפילה זו לשם חובה, ואם אני פטור מלהתפלל, תהיה זו תפילת נדבה”. וכן פסק בספר ילקוט יוסף סימן רסח.

ולאחר ההבדלה, יש נוהגים שבני הבית שותים מן היין שנותר מן ההבדלה. אמנם, יש אומרים שטוב לנשים שלא לשתות מן היין של ההבדלה. ויש קצת מקור למנהג זה, שכן כתב השל”ה ועוד פוסקים, ומכל מקום אין זה מנהג ממש, ואדרבה, בספר מאורי אור כתב שהוא מנהג שאין לו כל כך טעם. ואיך שיהיה, לכל הדעות, אשה שעושה הבדלה בעצמה, צריכה לשתות מהיין כפי שהאיש חייב לשתות, ואין לה לחוש לשום חשש בזה. וכן פסק מרן זצ”ל בחזון עובדיה ח”ב (עמוד תח).

Work Before Havdala- A Woman Reciting Havdala

In the previous Halacha, we have discussed that one must recite “Ata Chonantanu”  during the Amida prayer of Arvit of Motza’ei Shabbat. If one omitted “Ata Chonantanu,” one need not repeat the Amida prayer. However, if one omitted “Ata Chonantanu”  and then eats before reciting Havdala on a cup of wine, one must then repeat the Amida while reciting “Ata Chonantanu”  and only then recite Havdala on a cup of wine.

Erring and then Performing Work
The next issue we must discuss is another kind of mistake. What is the Halacha regarding someone who omitted “Ata Chonantanu”  from the Arvit prayer and then did work, such as driving a car, before having recited the words “Baruch Hamavdil Ben Kodesh Le’Chol”? Must one repeat the Amida similar to the law of one who forgot “Ata Chonantanu”  and then ate before Havdala or is this case different?

Although this Halacha is not delineated in Shulchan Aruch, the Rashba (in his commentary on Berachot 33a) writes that the law regarding one who omits “Ata Chonantanu”  and then eats or works before reciting Havdala is the same and one must repeat the Amida prayer in both cases.

Hagaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger rules in accordance with this Rashba. This is indeed the Halacha, however, in order to avoid all doubt, if one forgets “Ata Chonantanu”  and then performs work before reciting Havdala, before repeating the Amida prayer, one should stipulated voluntary prayer, as follows: “If I am obligated to repeat the Amida, this should be considered an obligatory prayer and if not, this is a voluntary prayer.” Yalkut Yosef (Ch. 268) rules likewise.

A Woman Reciting Havdala
Women are just as obligated to recite Havdala as men are. If a woman needs to recite Havdala herself, she should do so without any concern.

After Havdala, some have the custom that the other members of the family drink from the Havdala wine. Some, however, have the custom that women do not drink from this wine and while there is some basis for this (see Shelah and others), it is not considered a firmly-based custom. On the contrary, the Sefer Me’orei Ohr writes that this is a nearly baseless custom. In any event, if a woman is reciting Havdala on her own, she must drink the wine as a man would and she should not be concerned in the least about this. Maran zt”l rules likewise (Chazon Ovadia- Shabbat, Vol. 2, p. 408)