Ki Tisa: Is Shabbos a Day of Simchah?

0:00The Torah content for the month of Nissan has been sponsored by Riftki and Davi Sidersen. In the merit of our learning, they have shem help us use this time to cleanse ourselves of spiritual chameids, bringing Rufua Shalom and the final g'ulah to all of Kla'isra. Hello, I'm Rabbi Matt Shneweiss and this is the audio version of the one page article I wrote and published on my substack at rabbetshneweiss.substack.com. Originally on March 10, 2023, edited and republished on March 5, 2026. And the article is titled Key Tisa. Is Shabbos a day of Simcha? Shabbos is undoubtedly a day of oneg, enjoyment. As the Navi states, you shall proclaim Shabbos an oneg, Yashayahu 5813. Oneg isn't merely a theme of Shabbos, but a halachic institution. On Shabbos, there is an obligation to have three lavish meals throughout the day and for couples to have marital relations, all for the sake of oneg. But is Shabbos also a day of Simcha, joy? According to the Shabbos Zmiravs, songs, the answer is a resounding yes. The opening stands of Mnuchha, the Simcha declares, rest and joy, light for the Jews on this day of Shabbos, day of delights. Kolmakhadish states, on Shabbos, day be glad and

1:04rejoice. And Hashem made this day and we will be glad and rejoice on it. In Barak Khel Aliun, we sing, therefore let each man give himself enjoyment and also joy. In Qiyashmer, our Shabbos, we say that Shabbos is a day of joy and will bring me joy. Yet this theme of Simcha is not mentioned in the written Torah. There are psookim that associate Simcha with Yomtov, such as the Yikra 2340, you shall rejoice before Hashem for seven days, and Dvarim 1614, you shall rejoice on your festival. But there are no psookim, which explicitly associate Shabbos with Simcha. Likewise, there are halachic guidelines governing Simcha on Yomtov. Ramvam, in Shvisas Yomtov 618 writes, quote, how does one fulfill the mitzvah of Simcha in Yomtov? He distributes roasted greens, nuts and seeds to the children, he buys beautiful clothes and jewelry for the women, according to his financial means, the men eat meat and drink wine, for there is no Simcha without meat and no Simcha without wine. End quote. There are no parallel halachos of Simcha on Shabbos, only oneg. True, there are a few allusions to Shabbos Simcha in halachic literature, such as Khazal's comment in the

2:09Sifre on Bamed Bar Tenten that the psook on the days of your rejoicing refers to Shabbosos, the Talmud Yushamis statement in Megila 1-4 that when Purim falls out on Shabbos, the Souda must be pushed off because of Shabbos' unique Simcha character. But at the end of the day, the Simcha character of Shabbos does not express itself in any positive halachic obligations. What are we to make of this? A clue can be found in the reference to Simcha in the song of the day for Shabbos. Quote, a song for the Shabbos day. It is good to thank Hashem and to sing to your name, O exalted one, to recount your kindness in the morning and your faithfulness in the nights, upon intense stringed instrument and upon a liar, with singing accompanied by heart. For you have caused me to rejoice, Simchahtani, Hashem, with your deed. About your handiwork, I will sing joyously our name. How great are your works, Hashem. How very deep are your thoughts. A bourgeman doesn't know, and a fool doesn't understand this. End quote from Tahlem 92-1-7.

3:09The doc on 92-5 provides a clear and beautiful explanation of what this Shabbos Simcha is. Quote, on the Shabbos day, you have brought me Simcha when I contemplate your deed and your handiwork, namely the universe and all that is in it. On the Shabbos day, when I have leisure to contemplate it, then I will rejoice. And this is a reference to scientific knowledge, Hachmasatabha. When I contemplate it and grasp whatever I am able to grasp from it, I rejoice and sing within my heart. This is the practice of every wise person who contemplates the work of God. Therefore, he speaks in the singular, you have brought me Simcha, and I will sing joyously. End quote from the Redak. The owning of Shabbos and the Simcha of Yomtov involve physical delights, which can be experienced by everyone. The Simcha of Shabbos, however, results from contemplating the wisdom of the creator that is manifest in his universe. This type of Simcha is not accessible to the average individual, but only to Hachamim, the wise, in accordance with their knowledge. This is also why the joy is depicted as being experienced by the individual. Perhaps this

4:09is why Simcha is not uniformly mandated on Shabbos as it is on Yomtov, but is relegated to the status of a philosophical theme to be tapped into by individuals on their level. If you've gained from what you've learned here today, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patrion.com slash reveshnewise. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the Rabbi Shnewise Torah content fund, my Venmo is at Matt Haifin Shnewise and my Zell slash Chase Quick Pay and PayPal are Matt Haifin Shnewise at jmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcast and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you. If you would like to sponsor an article, Sheer or Podcast episode, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at www.rabeshnewise at jmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.