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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman רנ״ו · 1 Seif
The 6 shofar tekiyos announcing the entry of Shabbos
סימן רנ״ו
שש תקיעות שהיו תוקעין בערב שבת
🌱 Introductory Level · Beginners
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Short but profound. The siman codifies an ancient Eretz Yisrael tradition: 6 shofar blasts on Erev Shabbos before sunset to announce Shabbos and stop all melachah. The Rema updates the rule: today, the שמש (shamash) or ש"ץ (shaliach tzibbur) announces 30 minutes to 1 hour before Shabbos. Modern application: Shabbos sirens in Yerushalayim, shul announcements, mobile alerts.
Topic: Announcing Shabbos entry to the community
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן רנ״ו · 1 סעיף · שבת ל״ה:
Compilation: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1. The Shulchan Aruch text — the single seif
2. General context — why announce Shabbos?
3. Key concept 1 — להבדיל את העם מן המלאכה (separating from melachah)
4. Key concept 2 — The 6 tekiyos and their meaning (Shabbos 35b)
5. Key concept 3 — Rema's updating (shamash / shaliach tzibbur)
6. Seif details
7. Rema's position — the communal practice
8. Modern practical cases — siren, sms, announcements
9. Practical summary
10. Comprehension questions
1. The Shulchan Aruch text
Seif Alef — The 6 tekiyos and their modern successor
שִׁשָּׁה תְּקִיעוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ תּוֹקְעִין בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת. וּבוֹ סָעִיף אֶחָד: כְּשֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיִשּׁוּבָן — הָיוּ תּוֹקְעִין בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת שִׁשָּׁה תְּקִיעוֹת, כְּדֵי לְהַבְדִּיל אֶת הָעָם מִן הַמְּלָאכָה. הגה : וְנָהֲגוּ בְּקְהִלּוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת שֶׁכָּל שֶׁהוּא סָמוּךְ לַשַּׁבָּת — כַּחֲצִי שָׁעָה אוֹ שָׁעָה — שֶׁמַּכְרִיז הַשַּׁ"ץ לְהָכִין עַצְמָן לַשַּׁבָּת ; וְהִיא בִּמְקוֹם הַתְּקִיעוֹת בִּימֵיהֶם. וְכֵן רָאוּי לִנְהוֹג בְּכָל מָקוֹם.
The six shofar blasts that were sounded on erev Shabbos — 1 se'if. When Yisrael was settled in its land (before the Churban) — they would sound 6 shofar tekiyos on Erev Shabbos, in order to separate the people from melachah.
Rema's gloss: in the holy kehillos, the custom is that the shaliach tzibbur (chazan) announces approximately half an hour or one hour before Shabbos so that everyone can prepare. This is the modern equivalent of the tekiyos of those days. "And it is fitting to practice this way in every place."
Rema's gloss: in the holy kehillos, the custom is that the shaliach tzibbur (chazan) announces approximately half an hour or one hour before Shabbos so that everyone can prepare. This is the modern equivalent of the tekiyos of those days. "And it is fitting to practice this way in every place."
Seif Alef establishes 3 axes:
- Origin: ancient Eretz Yisrael custom (Gemara Shabbos 35b) — 6 precise tekiyos at precise moments
- Function: "הַבְדָּלָה" before Shabbos — separating/warning before kedushah arrives (distinguished from post-Shabbos havdalah)
- Rema's updating: in galus, without Beis Hamikdash and without public tekiyos, the shamash's verbal announcement takes its place — "וכן ראוי לנהוג בכל מקום" (and it is fitting to practice this way everywhere)
2. General context
What does this siman discuss?
Siman רנ״ו is extraordinarily short — a single seif — but it touches on an essential communal dimension of Shabbos: how does the entire kehillah enter Shabbos simultaneously?
| Question | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Who announces? | Origin: תקיעת שופר by a communal delegate; Today: shamash / shaliach tzibbur / siren |
| When? | Half an hour or an hour before Shabbos |
| For what purpose? | To stop all melachah + to prepare (clothes, table, candles) |
| For whom? | The entire kehillah — including those in the fields or at work |
The foundational Talmudic sugya — Shabbos 35b: Mishna "ששה תקיעות תוקעין בערב שבת" — the Mishna details the 6 tekiyos and their function. The Gemara explains: 1st tekiyah for workers in the fields; 2nd for those in the city (commerce); 3rd to light the candles. Then tekiyah-teruah-tekiyah (closing sequence) = 6 blasts total.
Connection with neighboring simanim
| Siman | Topic | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| רנ״ה | Preparing the fire | Material preparation |
| רנ״ו | Communal announcement of Shabbos | — |
| רס״א | תוספת שבת (adding to Shabbos) | Temporal framework |
| רס״ב | Preparations: table, clothes | Personal preparation |
| רס״ג | הדלקת נר שבת | 3rd tekiyah = candle lighting |
Position in the corpus: siman 256 forms the transition between the technical simanim (cooking, kindling) and the simanim of the mitzvah itself (candles, davening). It marks the passage from the mundane to the kodesh on the communal level.
3. Key concept 1 — להבדיל את העם מן המלאכה
לְהַבְדִּיל אֶת הָעָם מִן הַמְּלָאכָה = "to separate the people from melachah". The term הבדלה is used here before Shabbos, not after. Meaning: to mark the boundary between the secular time (חול) and the holy time (קודש). The post-Shabbos havdalah (Motzei Shabbos) is the opposite — leaving kodesh and entering chol.
Why a sound signal and not a clock? Three pedagogical reasons:
- Universality: everyone hears, even in distant fields
- Collective ritual: entering Shabbos together, not each on his own
- Solemnity: the shofar (and later the verbal announcement) marks the sacred dimension — not a mere temporal report
4. Key concept 2 — The 6 tekiyos (Shabbos 35b)
The Gemara Shabbos 35b details the sequence of the 6 tekiyos:
| # | Tekiyah | For whom? | Expected action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st tekiyah | Field workers | Stop agricultural work, return to the city |
| 2 | 2nd tekiyah | City dwellers (commerce) | Close shops, complete transactions |
| 3 | 3rd tekiyah | Households | Light Shabbos candles |
| 4-5-6 | Tekiyah · Teruah · Tekiyah | Everyone | Final sequence — Shabbos has entered |
Logic of the sequence: from the most external to the most internal. Fields → city → home → the home-as-mikdash. Each tekiyah marks a spatial + temporal transition. The 3rd tekiyah signals precisely the moment to light — this is the halachic origin of the timing for candles (generally 18 min before sunset).
5. Key concept 3 — Rema's updating
Rema's gloss (Hagahah): in the absence of the Beis Hamikdash and the public tekiyos, the shaliach tzibbur (shul chazan) or the shamash (gabbai) verbally announces that Shabbos is approaching. This announcement "במקום התקיעות בימיהם" — "takes the place of the tekiyos of those days".
The Rema's chiddush: he identifies the principle behind the 6 tekiyos — it is the communal announcement, not the instrument itself (the shofar). Therefore the means can change (verbal announcement, siren, communal sms) as long as the function remains: to warn the kehillah so it can prepare together.
6. Seif details
Structure of the seif
| Part | Author | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechaber | Ancient origin: 6 tekiyos in Eretz Yisrael, function = להבדיל את העם מן המלאכה |
| 2 | Rema (Hagahah) | Practice in galus: shaliach tzibbur announcement ~30-60 min before Shabbos |
| 3 | Rema | Recommendation: "וכן ראוי לנהוג בכל מקום" |
Important note: the siman contains no obligation to sound the shofar today. The ancient practice was local (Eretz Yisrael) and tied to the Beis Hamikdash. The shamash's verbal announcement is the modern equivalent. But many Chabad communities (and others) have preserved a practice with bell/horn/sms — for the function.
7. Rema's position
| Element | Ancient tradition | Rema's practice (today) |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument | Shofar | Human voice (announcement) |
| Person | Communal delegate | Shaliach tzibbur or shamash |
| Timing | 3 tekiyos spaced over time | One announcement, ~30-60 min before |
| Location | Public (shul/square) | Mainly shul |
| Halachic status | Ancient תקנה / minhag | "וכן ראוי לנהוג" — strongly recommended practice |
Rema's practice is universally adopted by Ashkenazi and Chabad communities. Among Sefardim, the same logic applies with local variations (shamash announcement, municipal siren, etc.).
8. Modern practical cases
Case 1 — The Shabbos siren in Yerushalayim
Case: in Yerushalayim (and in several Israeli cities), a municipal siren sounds 40 min before Shabbos as a warning.
Conduct in practice:
Conduct in practice:
- This is the perfect halachic application of siman 256 — siren = modern equivalent of the tekiyos
- At the sound of the siren: finish shopping, return home, prepare
- When hearing the siren while walking — it is the signal to speed up
- The siren does not mark the entry of Shabbos — it announces that ~40 min remain. The formal entry remains at 18 min before sunset (candle lighting)
Case 2 — Shaliach tzibbur's announcement in shul
Case: on Friday afternoon, the shaliach tzibbur announces "Shabbos!" 1 hour before Shabbos in shul.
Conduct in practice:
Conduct in practice:
- This is the direct application of the Rema — "שמכריז הש״ץ להכין עצמן לשבת"
- This announcement triggers the final preparation (clothes, setting the table, candle lighting)
- Chabad communities: the shamash (gabbai) sometimes walks through the streets of the neighborhood saying "צייט צו ליכט בענטשן!" (Yiddish: "it's time to light candles!")
Case 3 — Mobile alert / communal SMS
Case: a service sends an automatic SMS 30 min before candle lighting.
Conduct in practice:
Conduct in practice:
- This modern service fulfills the halachic function of siman 256 if the kehillah has adopted it
- Advantage: universal reach — even those not in shul
- Precaution: the SMS must be sent by a human or an automated service activated before Shabbos (otherwise questions about amirah le-akum)
- Many Jewish calendar apps now offer this feature
Case 4 — Non-Jewish neighborhoods / cities without announcement
Case: living in a neighborhood where no kehillah organizes an announcement.
Conduct in practice:
Conduct in practice:
- The individual can organize his own alert (phone alarm, watch, calendar)
- Ideally — at least 30 min before Shabbos — to follow the spirit of the Rema
- If in a group (family, friends) — designate an "announcer" to make the collective warning
- When living alone: set a "halachic alarm" that rings 1 hour before to remind one to prepare
Case 5 — Shabbos while traveling / non-Jewish hotel
Case: Shabbos in a hotel without a visible kehillah.
Conduct in practice:
Conduct in practice:
- Prepare one's phone before Shabbos with an alarm 30-60 min before candle-lighting time
- Check precisely the local sunset time (reliable Jewish calendar)
- If possible — find a local Chabad House where there is a communal announcement
9. Practical summary of the Siman
The 4 lessons of Siman רנ״ו:
- Communal announcement — Shabbos is not an individual matter, but a collective one. Everyone must enter together.
- Pre-Shabbos havdalah — separating/warning before kedushah arrives; it is a mirror-function of the Motzei Shabbos havdalah.
- Universality of the principle — the means changes (shofar → announcement → siren → SMS), the function remains: signaling the transition.
- Precise tekiyos (Shabbos 35b) — from the most external to the most internal (fields → city → home); 3rd tekiyah = candle lighting.
Practical decision table
| Context | Conduct in practice |
|---|---|
| Living in Yerushalayim / Bnei Brak | Listen to the siren (~40 min before Shabbos) |
| Living near an active shul | Follow the shaliach tzibbur's announcement (~30-60 min before) |
| Chabad community | Gabbai / shamash announcement / phone call from the Chabad House |
| Neighborhood without announcement | Self-alarm phone 30-60 min before candle lighting |
| SMS / calendar app | Activate the "Shabbos in 30 min" notification |
| Traveling | Check the local time; program alarm before arriving at destination |
| Family / group | Designate an "announcer" — perpetuate the collective dimension |
The 5 practical mitzvos of Siman רנ״ו
- Know the exact time of sunset and candle lighting — reliable Jewish calendar, not estimation
- Allow a margin of 30-60 min before candle lighting for preparations (spirit of the Rema)
- Announce collectively — if you are responsible for a family / group / kehillah, make the announcement. It is not redundant — it is the mitzvah
- Listen to communal announcements (sirens, shaliach tzibbur, sms) — this is the living practice of siman 256
- Adapt the form to the place — voice, bell, siren, SMS, app — no matter the instrument, the essential is the announcement function
10. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What was the ancient practice in Eretz Yisrael? What was its purpose?
- What does "להבדיל את העם מן המלאכה" mean? How does it differ from Motzei Shabbos havdalah?
- According to Shabbos 35b, who is each of the first 3 tekiyos addressed to?
- Why is the 3rd tekiyah particularly important for today's practice?
- What is the major chiddush of the Rema?
- Why is the Yerushalayim siren the perfect halachic application of siman 256?
- If you live in a neighborhood without announcement — what to do to respect the spirit of the siman?
- Why is an automated service (SMS, app) acceptable according to halachah?
- What timing does the Rema recommend for the announcement?
- How to articulate siman 256 with siman 263 (candle lighting)?
To deepen this siman:
📖Join the chavrusa
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: sugya Shabbos 35b, structure of the 6 tekiyos, chakirah on the status takanah / minhag, comparison with the Beis Hamikdash tekiyos, sugya of "וכן ראוי לנהוג"
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: axiom, mnemonic, decision tree
- 📜 Level 4 — Daat HaRav: the shitah of the Alter Rebbe on the single seif