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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman רצ"ב · 2 Seifim
Minchah of Shabbat — to discover and understand
סימן רצ"ב
דִּין תְּפִלַּת מִנְחָה בְּשַׁבָּת
🌱 Beginner Level · מתחילים
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First approach to Siman רצ"ב: full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, clear English translation, pedagogical explanations of halachic concepts, modern practical cases and summary.
Topic: Minchah of Shabbat
Source: Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim siman רצ"ב (2 seifim)
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study Plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 2 seifim of the Mechaber
2. The general context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. Key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Detailed seifim — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rema — Ashkenazi vs. Sefardi differences
7. Modern practical applications
8. Practical summary and key rules
9. Review questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman רצ"ב contains 2 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) which codify the halachos relating to the minchah of Shabbat.
Seif א — Krias HaTorah at Minchah of Shabbat: 3 olim, 10 pesukim of the following parashah
דין תפלת מנחה בשבת. ובו ב סעיפים:
במנחה [אומרים אשרי ובא לציון ואני תפלתי וגו'] (טור) מוציאין ספר תורה וקורין שלשה אנשים עשרה פסוקים מפרשה הבאה ואפי' חל יו"ט להיות בשבת קוראין בפרשה הבאה ולא בשל יום טוב:
Translation: "At Minchah [of Shabbat], (we say Ashrei + Uva le-Tzion + Va-ani sefilasi...) we take out the Sefer Torah and call up 3 men who read 10 pesukim from the following parashah (that of the coming week). And even if Yom Tov falls on Shabbat, we read in the following parashah and not in the parashah of Yom Tov."
Features of krias haTorah at Minchah of Shabbat:
- 3 olim (Kohen, Levi, Yisrael) — like Monday/Thursday morning.
- Minimum 10 pesukim from the following week's parashah.
- Not the parashah of Yom Tov even when overlapping — the Minchah reading is specific to Shabbat and anticipates the weekly parashah.
- Ashrei + Uva le-Tzion + Va-ani sefilasi recited before the reading.
Va-ani sefilasi: verse from Tehillim 69:14 — "And as for me, my prayer is to You, Hashem, at an eis ratzon...". Recited specifically at Minchah of Shabbat because it is "eis ratzon" — the Kabbalistic moment of greatest divine favor of the week.
Seif ב — Tzidkascha tzedek and Pirkei Avos after Minchah
אומרים צדקתך ואם חל בו יום שאלו היה חול לא היו אומרים בו במנחה נפילת אפים אין אומרים צדקתך: הגה ונהגו שלא לקבוע מדרש בין מנחה למעריב (טור זוהר תרומה ע' רע"ט) אבל אומרים פרקי אבות בקיץ ושיר המעלות בחורף וכל מקום לפי מנהגו:
Translation: "We say Tzidkascha tzedek [= 3 pesukim: Tehillim 36:7, 71:19, 119:142]. And if it falls on a day on which, during the week, one would not say nefilas apayim at Minchah (e.g. Erev Yom Tov, Rosh Chodesh, etc.), we do not say Tzidkascha tzedek. Rema: It is the custom not to establish a study session between Minchah and Maariv (Tur, Zohar Terumah p. 279). But we say Pirkei Avos in the summer and Shir HaMa'alos in the winter — each place according to its minhag."
Tzidkascha tzedek: 3 short pesukim forming one mizmor, recited after the Shabbat Minchah Amidah. Content: "Your tzedek is forever just, Your Torah is truth." Represents tzidkascha over the neshamos that chassidic halacha associates with this moment (cf. siman רצ"א on the departure of neshamos from gan eden).
Pirkei Avos in the summer — minhag: from Pesach to Rosh Hashanah, one studies a perek a week of Pirkei Avos between Minchah and Maariv on Shabbat (6 perakim + Kinyan Torah = 7 Shabbasos per cycle). In the winter: Shir HaMa'alos (Tehillim 120-134, the 15 songs of ascents). These minhagim circumvent the prohibition of "kove'a midrash" at that time — for they are not classes but recitations.
Full text: these 2 seifim constitute the entire codification of the Mechaber on this topic. Each specifies a case, condition, or exception.
2. The general context
What does this siman discuss?
Our siman codifies the tefillah of Minchah of Shabbat — the 3rd tefillah of the day, with its 2 liturgical particularities: (1) the krias haTorah (anticipating the following parashah) and (2) the text of Tzidkascha tzedek + the minhagim of Pirkei Avos / Shir HaMa'alos.
Particularity of Minchah of Shabbat: it is the Kabbalistic moment of "eis ratzon" (time of favor) — hence the verse Tehillim 69:14 "Va-ani sefilasi lecha Hashem eis ratzon". For chassidim, it is the moment of the neshamos' departure from paradise and the ra'ava de-ra'avin per the Zohar (paralleling seudah shlishis which is connected to it).
Place in Hilchos Shabbat
- Siman 289 — Seudas Shacharis
- Siman 290 — 100 berachos + beis midrash
- Siman 291 — Seudah shlishis
- Siman 292 — Tefilas Minchah Shabbat (our siman)
- Siman 293 — Maariv motzaei Shabbat
- Siman 294 — Havdalah in tefillah
3. Key halachic concepts
1. קריאה בתורה במנחה: krias haTorah at Minchah of Shabbat — 3 olim, 10 pesukim of the following parashah (anticipating the coming week).
2. ואני תפלתי (Tehillim 69:14): verse particular to Minchah of Shabbat. "Va-ani sefilasi lecha Hashem eis ratzon" — moment of divine favor.
3. צדקתך צדק (Tzidkascha tzedek): 3 pesukim (Tehillim 36:7, 71:19, 119:142) recited after the Amidah. Represents the departure of the tzaddikim from Gan Eden, the return of neshamos to gehinnom.
4. פרקי אבות (Pirkei Avos) in the summer: minhag of studying one perek/Shabbat from Pesach to Rosh Hashanah (6 + Kinyan Torah = 7 cyclical perakim).
5. שיר המעלות (Shir HaMa'alos) in the winter: the 15 mizmorim of ascents (Tehillim 120-134) recited between Minchah and Maariv.
6. לא לקבוע מדרש: Kabbalistic prohibition to establish a new shiur between Minchah and Maariv (Zohar Terumah). But reciting Pirkei Avos / Shir HaMa'alos — that is recitation, not "kove'a midrash."
4. Overview of the 2 seifim
| Seif | Topic | Halacha |
|---|---|---|
| א | Krias HaTorah | 3 olim, 10 pesukim following parashah; Ashrei + Uva le-Tzion + Va-ani sefilasi; even Yom Tov-Shabbat |
| ב | Tzidkascha + minhagim | Tzidkascha tzedek (unless no nefilas apayim during the week); Pirkei Avos summer / Shir HaMa'alos winter |
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) counts 9 entries on this siman. Here are the first — to better understand the seifim:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) אומרים אשרי ובא לציון וכו' - ומפסיקין בקדיש קודם ואני תפלתי. ואמירת ובא לציון במנחה הוא במקום סדר קדושה דחול ובשבת שמאריכין הרבה בשחרית ומוסף הניחוה עד מנחה [כל בו]:
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) ואני תפלתי - הוא על פי המדרש שאמר דוד לפני הקב"ה רבש"ע אין אומה זו כעו"ג ששותין ומשתכרים ופוחזים ואנו לא כן אע"פ שאכלנו ושתינו ואני תפלתי וגו' אבל במנחה של יו"ט א"א אותו כיון דאין קורין בתורה שהוא עת רצון עי"ז ומיהו בשבת נהגו לאמרו אף במקום שאין ס"ת וכן אפילו ביחיד [אחרונים]:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) ומוציאין וכו' - הוא מתקנת עזרא כדאיתא בגמרא:
For the full text of all 9 entries, consult Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 292.
6. The position of the Rema
Wherever the Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds a הגהה (gloss), he generally clarifies the Ashkenazi nuances vis-à-vis the Sefardi Mechaber. Look carefully at the Hebrew text above to spot the passages introduced by הגה.
The Rema's addition in this siman:
- Seif ב: not to establish a study session between Minchah and Maariv (Tur, Zohar). Say Pirkei Avos in the summer and Shir HaMa'alos in the winter. According to the minhagim.
7. Modern practical applications
| Situation | Practical halacha |
|---|---|
| Tefilas Minchah Shabbat in shul | Ashrei + Uva le-Tzion + Va-ani sefilasi → Chatzi Kaddish → taking out the Sefer Torah → 3 olim, 10 pesukim following parashah → Ashrei + Yehallelu → returning the Sefer → Chatzi Kaddish → Amidah → Tzidkascha tzedek → Kaddish |
| No minyan at Minchah | No krias haTorah; but Va-ani sefilasi is recited individually nonetheless (MB) |
| Shabbat-Yom Tov | Reading of the following parashah (not the parashah of Yom Tov); see siman for exceptions per the days |
| Erev Pesach-Shabbat / 9th of Av falling on Shabbat | Tzidkascha tzedek omitted (cases where nefilas apayim is absent during the week — see siman for the list) |
| Pirkei Avos in the summer | From the Shabbat after Pesach to the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah — one perek per week; 6 + 1 (Kinyan Torah) = 7 cycles |
| Shir HaMa'alos in the winter | From Shabbat Bereishis to Shabbat HaGadol — Tehillim 120-134 (the 15 ascents) |
| Bar Mitzvah at Minchah | Possible — the young man can be called to the Torah; but custom: on Shabbat morning |
| Rabbinic shiur between Minchah and Maariv | Forbidden lechatchilah (Zohar); but saying Pirkei Avos/Shir HaMa'alos is a recitation, not a formal shiur — permitted |
Practical rule: Minchah of Shabbat = short but dense tefillah. The only moment of the week when we read the Torah at Minchah with 3 olim. It is the Kabbalistic pivot of the day — eis ratzon.
8. Practical summary of the Siman
The 4 key teachings of Siman רצ"ב:
- Krias HaTorah at Minchah: 3 olim, 10 pesukim, following parashah (weekly anticipation).
- Even Shabbat-Yom Tov: we read the weekly parashah, not that of Yom Tov.
- Va-ani sefilasi: verse particular to Minchah of Shabbat — eis ratzon.
- Tzidkascha tzedek + Pirkei Avos/Shir HaMa'alos: liturgy specific to after Minchah.
9. Review questions
Check your understanding:
- How many olim and how many pesukim at krias haTorah of Minchah Shabbat? From which parashah?
- Why is the verse Va-ani sefilasi particular to Minchah of Shabbat? Which key expression?
- What do we say at Minchah if Yom Tov falls on Shabbat — the following parashah or that of Yom Tov? Why?
- What is Tzidkascha tzedek and when do we not say it?
- What is said between Minchah and Maariv in the summer? In the winter? Why no shiur?
- What is the meaning of "eis ratzon" for Minchah of Shabbat?
To go further
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