About
Our program and Tosefes Shabbos
Smeichim L’Shomro
Smeichim L'Shomoro was created in blessed memory of the Chazon Ish, zt"l, under the direction of Maran Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt"l.
With this special program, Bnei Torah families in Eretz Yisroel light Shabbos candles and accept Shabbos all together as a family 55 minutes before Shabbos, enabling the family to experience Shabbos in an entirely different and uplifting manner.
The virtue of being Mekabel Shabbos extra early in a calm and serene manner is incredibly immense and furthers our connection to Hashem with Kedushah.
Each family that is sponsored receives a significant financial boost which is crucial to their sustenance as well as battling the challenges of a life of poverty and minimal necessities.
The Project
EREV SHABBOS
Participating families welcome Shabbos 55 minutes before shekiya. The mother lights candles at this early time and the entire family stops doing melachah. After candle-lighting, the family mentions the names of the donors and davens for them. The family then sits and uses this extra “Shabbos” time for ruchniyus pursuits.
THE STIPEND
A family that welcomes Shabbos 55 minutes before shekiya earns 100 NIS. A family that lights early four Shabbosim in a row receives a bonus of 100 NIS. A family can earn up to 500 shekels a month, a respectable sum that can help them cover their Shabbos expenses.
PENALTIES
A family that doesn’t succeed in lighting a full 55 minutes before shekiya can still earn 80 shekels for that Shabbos if they light up until 50 minutes before shekiya. Once they light later than this time, they don’t receive a stipend for that Shabbos and lose the chance of receiving the bonus.
ASSESSMENT AND REVIEW
Participating families submit a report every month that details their success at welcoming Shabbos early. At times, families decide to drop the project when they don’t succeed in fulfilling the project conditions, which further attests to the sincerity in which the families approach the project.
The Power of Tosefes Shabbos
R’ Menachem Mendel Riminover explained: עשה שבתך חול ואל תצטרך לבריות
We should make our Shabbos while it is still weekday, meaning Tosefes Shabbos. Then, as it continues לבריות תצטרך ואל, we won’t need to come to people to ask them for charity.
Likewise, R’ Noach Lechivitzor would translate
מלך מאשר שמנה לחמו והוא יתן מעדני from Asher, his bread will have richness and he will provide kingly delicacies. What are the letters that are above the letters that comprise the name אשר ? Above an א is a ב ,above a ש is a ת,and above a ר is a ש. These letters spell שבת .This refers to Tosefes Shabbos. From this, as the pasuk continues, one earns fat parnassa, לחמו שמנה.
והוא refers to Shabbos itself where he will be rewarded in Gan Eden—
מלך מעדני יתן.
Every moment of Tosefes Shabbos is valued by Hashem. To fulfill Tosefes
Shabbos, as the gemara says מוסיפין מחול על הקודש, ,add from the weekday onto the holy, it has been recommended to accept Shabbos at least ten minutes earlier than we normally would. In this way we can merit the many blessings this affords.
The zchus of Tosefes Shabbos
Listen to this fascinating story told by Rav Zechariah Wallerstein, z'l, in which
the merit of accepting Shabbos early brought a chasan and kallah together.
“And he wraps himself in a tassel and sits solemnly waiting to welcome Shabbos as if he welcomes a king.”
-The language of Rambam (Shabbos, 82)
You will be rewarded
Sons, longevity, food, matchmaking, a good livelihood, good children - everyone has their own wish, their own desire...If only we would understand that indeed, everything is included in the power of the Sabbat - it is a source of blessing and from it we can draw all good! Chazal exaggerates words in praise of Tosefet Shabbat, in its power to provide the Jewish abundance, and with God’s help, in spirituality and materiality. Many tried and were rewarded, try too - and you will be rewarded!
Rabbi Pinkus, Nefesh Shimshon - Holy Shabbat
Plenty of livelihood
“The virtue of the holiness of Shabbos is very high and from it we will have spiritual abundance for the whole week. And the physical abundance of the whole week is from Tosefes Shabbos that adds from the secular to the holy.” And he said: “If they had listened to me in the after world (olam aba) and made a big Tosefes Shabbos, they would have had a great wealth of livelihood all week long.”
Rabbi Noah Malakhvitsch
Physical blessing comes from Shabbos
The physical blessing of the weekdays is thanks to the Tosefet Sabbos, when you welcome Shabbos ahead of time. Israel is blessed with wealth and blessing thanks to Shabbos. But not from the main Shabbos section, which is from the Torah, but from the Tosefet (addition) added by Chazal.
The Ben Ish Chai, in his book Bnayahu (Oktzin 83)
In the merit of lighting early
The Chanukkah miracle lasted eight days, for on the eve of Shabbos the Cohanim lit the lamp early, and if not, the miracle was only for seven days. The quantity of oil in the tin was not enough, and just because they were in a hurry to come to Shabbos and light it early, a miracle was performed on Sunday as well.
Rabbi Yoel of Satmar