Question:
I invited my friends for a birthday meal on Friday afternoon. One of my friends mentioned that there is a halachic issue to eat a large meal on Friday afternoon because of Shabbos. Is this true? Please could you advise.
Answer:
According to halacha its is permitted for one to eat a normal meal all day on Friday, however, one should refrain from beginning a meal which is normal for a weekday meal from the beginning of the tenth hour (Shaot Zmaniot) in the day.
The Gemora Pesachim 107b establishes that the mishna which forbids meals on Erev Shabbos or Erev Yom Tov is from a half hour before Mincha Ketana, which is nine and a half hours into the day. Shulchan Aruch O.C. 249:2 writes that halachically it’s permissible to have a meal the whole day because we hold like Rabbi Yose in Pesachim 98b. However, even Rabbi Yose agrees that it is a mitzvah not to establish a meal after nine hours. The Mishna Brurah 249:15 clarifies that strictly speaking once we hold like Rabbi Yosi it is permitted to have a meal the entire day however it is a mitzvah to not have a meal from the ninth hour.
In the winter months when the Shaot Zmaniot (halachic hours) are short one should refrain from having a meal too close to Shabbos so that if one has a meal one will still have an appetite going into Shabbos.
On Friday, even in the morning, one may not make a large meal which one normally wouldn’t have during the week.
This comes from the Gemora Gittin 38b, as brought by the Shulchan Aruch 249:2. The Shulchan Aruch explains that the reason is so that a festive meal on Friday doesn’t take away from one’s appetite for the Shabbos meal and this is included in Kavod Shabbos. The Magen Avraham 249:4 quotes another reason from Rabbenu Chananel; if one is involved in preparing a festive meal it’ll prevent one from preparing for Shabbos. Mishna Brurah 249:10 agrees. Raavad on Rambam argues that it is only prohibited from midday, while the Maggid Mishna explains that the Rambam held that it was forbidden all day. Tur in his own opinion and Bet Yosef in the Rambam agree that the prohibition is all day.
It’s totally permissible to have a snack the entire day of Friday and there’s no preference not to eat after 9 hours. Past the 9th hour, one shouldn’t drink so much that one won’t be hungry for the Shabbos meal.
The Mishna Brurah 249:14 writes that the permit to have snacks the whole day doesn’t include drinks. He concludes that one should at least be careful from 9 hours and on not to have too much that one won’t be hungry for the Shabbos meal.
It is permitted to have meat on Friday as long as it isn’t part of a festive meal at any time on Friday or it isn’t part of a normal meal after the tenth hour.It is brought that the Maharash didn’t go to a meat Bris Milah on Friday since they already had a minyan. However, the Shlah and Magen Avraham disagree with the Maharash. Either way, they’re discussing a festive meal on a Friday.
One should not make a meal for an engagement party with a meal on Friday.
As Shulchan Aruch 249:2 writes that one should not make a feast even for an engagement which is a seudas mitzvah. However, the Magen Avraham 249:3 writes that this is only true if the engagement took place on a different day however, if the engagement actually took place on Friday the feast may be held. Mishna Brurah 249:9 agrees. Nonetheless, the Mishna Brurah concludes that the engagements that we perform nowadays are not halachically binding as they were in the times of the gemora and so it’s not considered a seudas mitzvah which would permit a feast on Friday.
Sephardim are lenient to allow a small meal for an engagement on Friday.
Ashkenazim hold that it is permitted to do a siyum and the meal on Friday, while Sephardim hold that the siyum and meal should be postponed by saving a little bit of the gemora until after Shabbos. |