Bamidbar/Shavuos Bulletin in PDF format

A few things to keep in mind for Shabbos Erev Shavuos:

  • Prepare on Friday any neiros and anything else that you will need on Motzei Shabbos that you might not be able to take care of on Motzei Shabbos,which is Yom Tov. One of the things you may want to have is a lit flame/candle that will last until at least Hadlokas Neiros on Leil Shavuos. You can use this flame to light your Havdola candle, too. Eitzos for Havdola lights, to prevent from intentional (or vadai) extinguishing:
    • Use two candles, and put them in candlesticks/holders after you are finished with them.
    • Use two matches, and put them down (on a non-flammable surface) very gently so they shouldn’t vadai go out.
    • Use Yaknahaz candles (they sell them in JM).
  • Shabbos day, one may not state explicitly that one is sleeping or resting in preparation for the night.
  • Lechatchilah,one should not take things out of the freezer for the night. If it is necessary (undue delay at night would be called necessary), then one may, if it is not obvious that they are doing it for the night–e.g, there is still a significant amount of time till the night.
  • One should start eating seudah shlishis lechatchilah before 4 pm.
  • MB and AH both say that it is perfecly ok to eat seudah shlishis before davening mincha if that is the way it works out best. This would certainly hold true when there will be the regularly scheduled tefillas Mincha taking place, that is before sheki’ah on erev Yom Tov (Mincha will be 7:10 pm, sheki’a being 7:40 pm).
  • DO NOT FORGET–HADLAKAS NEIROS for Shavuos must be LATE,already into the night(whenever you usually do melacha Motzei Shabbos).
  • A woman at home should precede any melacha on Motzei Shabbos with the tefilla–baruch hamavdil bein kodsesh l’kodesh

Our Botei K’nesses are a miniature Beis Hamikdash. The Beis HaMikdash, RamBan teaches us, is a miniature Har Sinai, and is meant to keep the Sinai experience alive and real, for all time. And so our Botei K’nesses are really representative of Har Sinai; and the kedushas Bais K’nesses is reminiscent of the kedusha at Har Sinai as B’nei Yisrael gathered round to receive the Torah.