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Today, the Tuesday of Parashat Beshalah, there is a custom to recite Parashat Haman, a Segulah for Parnasa.
VIsit www.dailyhalacha.com and click special Tefilot on the left side or copy and paste the link below into your browser for the Text:
http://www.dailyhalacha.com/Tefilot/Parashat%20Haman-%20Segulah%20for%20Parnasa.pdf
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Today's Halacha:
Laundry for Shabbat.....
Ezra HaSofer instituted a takana to launder clothes L’chvod Shabbat on Thursday. He was concerned that if people would wait until Friday to do laundry, they would be so occupied by the arduous chore, that they would not have time to make all of the other Shabbat preparations.
Today, we do laundry with machines. Do we also have to avoid doing laundry on Friday? Hacham Ben Sion was lenient and ruled that one can do laundry on Friday morning, as long as it is ready before Shabbat.
Baking....
The Rama writes that women should bake L’chvod Shabbat. Preferably, this should be done on Friday. By performing the misva of taking Hallah on Friday, there is a special tikun to fix the sin of Havah that was done on Friday. If there is no time on Friday, e.g. in the winter, it is permissible to bake on Thursday. It is still considered L’chvod Shabbat, although the element of Tikun Havah would be lacking.
The Biur Halacha (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) spoke negatively against those that hire other people to bake and do other preparations for Shabbat, instead of doing it themselves.
Additionally, the Halacha says, that even those that are lenient to eat Pat Akum, bread baked by a Non-Jew, on Shabbat, they should be careful to eat only Pat Yisrael. If the only bread available is Pat Akum, the Mishna Berura says one can be lenient to eat it, as long as it is kosher, of course.
Special Foods...
The Rama brings the custom to eat a certain food, called "moliata." Moliata was a food that had a pocket, covered with dough on top and bottom with a filing inside. The reason for this custom was "zecher l'mann," to remind us of the Mann, which was also covered on top and bottom with dew.
The Biur Halacha asks, why do we have a zecher l'mann on Shabbat? Mann did not fall on Shabbat. He cites the Tosafot who answer, the fact that there was no Mann is precisely the reason that we need a reminder. The Biur Halacha rejects that reason and quotes another reason from the Torat Haim. He says that the zecher l'mann on Shabbat is not in remembrance of the Mann that fell in the dessert. The Gemara in Shabbat says that Shabbat is Me’en Olam Haba, a taste of the world to come. Everything we do on Shabbat is relevant to Olam Haba. We drink wine on Shabbat, because when Mashiach comes we will drink the Yain HaMeshumar, the special wine already prepared from the times of Adam HaRishon. We eat fish and meat as preview to the heavenly feast in which they will serve the Livyatan (Leviathan) and Shor Habar (Wild Ox). One of the seven heavens is called "Shehakim" which literally means grinding. The Gemara explains that there Mann is grinded for the Tzaddikim in the world to come. That is the Mann we remember on Shabbat.
While we do not have a custom to eat "moliata," nevertheless, it should be noted that many of our foods have pockets like the ruba??. kubeh and the sambusak. These foods are not just Shabbat delicacies; their structure gives us a little connection to Olam Haba by reminding us of the heavenly Mann that awaits the Tzadikim.
SUMMARY:
It is permissible to use a washer and dryer on Friday to do laundry for Shabbat.
When there is no time on Friday, it is permissible to bake on Thursday for Shabbat.
One should perform Shabbat preparations himself, and not hire outside help.
One should avoid eating Pat Akum (items baked by a Non-Jew) on Shabbat.
