The weeks known as ‘Shovavim’ are shrouded in mystery and confusion. Here, we delve into its history and practices.
Part 1
As fall turns to winter, we commence the period known as ‘shovavim.’
There is a perk in rabbanus. Questions like “What is the source for ‘Zos Chanukah?”, or, “Where do we find that Hoshanah Rabbah is the final day of judgment, as it is not found in chazal?” can’t be ignored or procrastinated year-after-year.
Rather, when such inquiries are brought to the rav’s attention by eager bochurim or balla battim they are anticipating a proper answer. This then provokes the rav to investigate matters he may have otherwise not looked into, at least not with the same verve (those particular questions above were the focus of another post).
Shovavim is just one more example.
I.K., a member of our shul, once showed me a sefer he had purchased in Israel on the subject of these days. After perusing its contents, he was quickly disappointed to discover that it did not provide any of these weeks’ background or history (its focus was mussar and self-improvement).
Frustrated, he asked if I could share the background, source, and reason(s) for these days. What follows should be a zechus aliyas neshama for his granddaughter, Nava Tova.
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I. The Meaning of the Term & Word ‘Shovavim‘
As most are aware, shovavim is an acronym for the parshios read on these weeks: shmos, v’ayra, bo, b’shalach, yisro, and mishpatim.
However, it is critical to stress that ‘shovavim‘ is an ‘acronym’, and not an ‘initialization‘.
An initialization is when the term formed by the initial letters will not only create an arbitrary and otherwise meaningless title, but one that is not pronounced as a word, rather by its letters, as in, lahavdil, F.B.I., (we say ‘F.B.I.’ and not ‘fibi’).
An acronym, however, is when we pronounce those starting letters, as they combine to form a new term – either symbolic or nonsensical. An example of a nonsensical acronym would be ‘OPEC’, which is pronounced, carries no meaning, and stands for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. An example of a symbolic acronym is D.A.R.E., for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
Shovavim is not only an acronym, but a symbolic one at that, whose name is a borrowing from a pasuk (yirmiyahu 3:22): ‘shuvu banim shovavim.…’
This term ‘shovavim‘ has the root meaning of ‘to rebel’ or ‘to make mischief/letzanus.’
This term is used -both in the pasuk and during these weeks -as an allusion to the flaws, fragility, and faults that are the natural consequence of being human – and, consequently, our desperate need to focus and galvanize ourselves to turn to Hashem and away from this instability found inside of us.
In IV. below we will see an alternate name for these weeks.
II. Shovavim Minhagim
While some have the minhag to fast and/or say selichos (each Thursday) during these weeks, more prominently, we are encouraged to principally focus on inyanie kedusha and tahara, in both our learning and in action. This lofty objective is often fortified through special shiurim focusing on taharas hamishpacha and other related matters.
III. Why Now?
The sifrei machshava point out the catalyst for this specific emphasis at this precise time. Once Chanukah ends, we have a few months without yomim tovim. This is, in fact, our longest ‘dry spell’ of the year. Once Purim ends, we have Pesach, sefirah, Shavuos, in short order. After this we soon begin to mourn for our current galus, culminating in Tisha B’av. Soon after (on the 15th of av, which is the gematria of kesiva v’chasima tova, Bnei Yisaschar), we begin to prepare for the new year. And the cycle continues.
Based on this (see hakadama to the sefer ‘Yimei Shovavim‘, by Rav Mordechai Gross, yeshivas Ponivezh), these two months leave us feeling stranded in the physical domain. We therefore wish to construct a path allowing shomayim v’aratz to touch (see Bava Basra 74a). We achieve this by taking the chomer/physicality of this world and allowing kedusha to enter. We learn this from the primary focus of bris milah -modifying a basic chomer of aretz into a dvar kodosh. Dovid hamelech alluded to this in Tehillim (12), ‘lamnatzeach al hashminis (the 8th),’ stating that even from places and times seemingly devoid of kedusha, we can elicit kedusha (menachos 43).
[Early 20th century chassideshe sefarim point out that the concept of ‘nedarim’ -of creating a forbidden or holier status of an otherwise physical object -is predicated on the fact that every element of physicality has within it some kedusha. It is up to us to discover it]
The Chida offers an additional reason why these weeks were chosen as a time of dveykus. “Any person who is in-touch with his heart knows to return during this period, as these days are mesugal (special/set aside/treasured)…[this is due] to our laining of galus mitzraim (shmos, v’ayra), then reading of our redemption from there (bo, beshalach), and, then, our receiving of the Torah (yisro)…great sparks of kedusha are then flowing, allowing us to atone…as the Ari’zal states, this period ending with parshas mishpatim is alluded to by the words there, ‘When a man acquires an eved ivri…’” (Chadrei Vatein, vayechi, 14; see also his Pnei Dovid, shmos, 12)
The allusion he is referencing seem to be the following: during these weeks we follow the trajectory of am yisroel in the parshios: We open with a nation/us mired in culture and galus, then we perform acts that lead to our (personal) ruchniyos redemption, all culminating in a rehabilitated private kabalas haTorah so that we may then say, ‘It is as if a new eved Hashem was born!”
IV. Provenance
The earliest source for this special period dates to theTerumas Hadeshen (d. 1460. Brought in his name in the Leket Yosher, p. 116 in the Freyman ed.).
Interestingly, while many observe these days’ special focus each-and-every year, when one looks at some of the original sources for these weeks, it may only have functioned during leap years.
In fact, according to many (see Mateh Moshe), the entire purpose of these days is due to the fact that during a leap year these days take place at the greatest distance between the fasts of bahab (the special fast days following the shalosh regalim, and brought in Shulchan Aruch; why these fasts are largely avoided is a discussion for another time) demanding some way to recoonecnt to Hashem (see Shaarei Teshuva and Be’er Heitiv to 685).
In fact, both the Mishnah Berrura (ibid. # 18) and the Magen Avarham (ibid, very end of siman), as well as the source cited above, not only mention this minhag exclusively in relation to a leap year, but they inform us that we have its name wrong! It should be called not ‘shovivim,’ but rather ‘shovivim ta’t,’ adding terumah and tetzaveh into the equation! Nevertheless, the minhag seems to be keep shovivim even in a regular year, and shovivim ta’t only during leap years (as also alluded to in the teachings of the Ariz”l).
V. Yearly?
As most are aware, the divisions we now call weekly ‘parshios’ were only adopted by all of klal yisroel –along with a yearly Simchas Torah –about 800 years ago. Though, as opposed to the perakim, these weekly divisions were selected by our chachamim. Until that time, there were many communities that would complete the Torah only once every three years or so. (See Megillah 29b and Sofrim 16:10, with Rambam, hil. tefilla 13:1).
Remarkably, still in the year 1170, there were two shuls in Egypt –one that leined what we know today as the parshios of the week, and the other that read at a third of that pace (Masoas Binyamin M’Toledo, Adler ed., p. 63).
It was a great question.
There is evidence, however, and some indeed posit, that our present-day parsha divisions were always the suitable method and that they were taught from Moshe or Ezra (see Ohr Zarua, hilchos Shabbos, siman 45, Meiri, Kiryas Sefer, maamer 5, perek 1, and Tanchuma, Ki Sisa 3, with Aruch Hashulchan, siman 282:2; see also sefer ‘Toldos Simchas Torah’ [Mosod Rav Kook] at length).
I did some digging and, to my great satisfaction, I found his question asked in a sefer.
A few years ago (5781), Rav Reuven Melech Schwartz in eretz yisroel published a two-volume encyclopedia on the days of shovavim (‘Yemei Shovavim‘).
He seeks to prove from the Pnei Yehoshua (ibid. 31b) as well as from the sources brought above that the triannual completion of the Torah was an aberration, always seen as the ‘lesser’ choice,and never fully accepted. This was due to many reasons, including, al pi kabala, concerns for shovavim.
A few years ago, I wrote about making up missed parshios due to Covid shul closings. On that note, he also mentions another, similar, question: Would the lack of our public laining of the parshios of shovavim – of our public reflection of being mired in tumah, redemption, and our ultimate kabalas haTorah – sully the objective of these days? He is unsure (ibid. krach 1, perak 1, anaf 4 and 5).
VI. Fasting?
We will conclude with one additional minhag performed by during the weeks of shovavim:
The Magen Avraham brings the minhag to fast each Thrusday of shovavim, especially in a leap year (siman 685, very end). This was also the practice of Rav Moshe Isserlin (Terumas HaDeshen, above). Rav Yitzchok Trynaou (14th century) also mentions this practice in his sefer HaMinhagim (purim, 10).
Why specifically Thursday?
We can suggest the following explanation.:
We know that Moshe ascended har sinai to receive the second luchos on a Thursday, and descended on a Monday, Yom Kippur (Tachuma, vayera #16, to 19:24). It is, in fact, it is for this reason that we lain on those two days each week (see Tosfos, Bava Kama 82a s.v. ‘kdei’).
Perhaps then since – according to the Chida above – shovavim is to replicate the journey of bnei yisroel from the impurity of mitzraim through our growth and metamorphosis at nesinas haTorah, we choose each Thursday -representing Moshe’s and our ascendency to har sinai -as our central day of recompence.
May these weeks bring us all a tikkun!
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