What is Shovavim (Tat)
The end of the month of Teves sees the start of the period known as the “Shovavim”. Shovavim (Hebrew: שובבי”ם ) is an acrostic for the six Jewish parshious that come at the start of the second book of the Chumash, namely Sefer Shemos, Exodus. Their names are “Shemos”, “Voeira”, “Bo”, “Bishallach”, “Yisro” and “Mishpotim”. During a Jewish leap-year one sees references to an eight-week period called “Shovavim Tat“. This extra word is derived by adding the next two portions, “Terumah and Tzetzave” as another word. Another allusion to the word “Shovavim” is seen in the verse in Yirmeyohu (3:22) שובו בנים שובבים ארפה משובתיכם – “Return wayward sons and I will heal your waywardness.” Rashi (to Gemora Avoda Zora 7b) brings that this includes even sins done intentionally and publicly. This possuk discusses teshuva, repentance, with regards to Shovavim. It is an auspicious time for rectifying sexual sins (specifically seminal omissions) and includes customs to fast.
What sin(s) and why these weeks?
These parshious from Shemos onwards discuss Golus Mitzrayim, the exile in Egypt, and the redemption from it, Yitsias Mitzrayim, the redemption from Egypt. Mitzrayim, Egypt, was the place of rampant immorality – chomer, materialistic, where everyone could pursue their own pleasures. It was a place that excelled in sorcery and tuma, impurity. When the Jews were there during their exile, they became so negatively influenced, to the extent of almost losing their connection to the Avos, the Patriarchs (see Rambam end of Hilchos Avoda Zora, 1:3)
The end and key of the Shovavim sees the Jews leaving this behind and embarking on a spiritual journey that leads to Shavuos, Matan Torah, the day when the Torah was given to the Jews. This explains why it ends in a normal year with the weekly Parsha reading of Parshas Mishpotim that ends with Moshe going up to receive the Torah. Torah gives tzura – it gives a spiritual framework within which man can live and relate to the world. Torah has the spiritual ability of enabling the teshuva process. Man can climb back up the ladder leaving behind his sins, especially of the physical pleasures of the flesh and the world, to the spiritual.
It is by living these lessons from the weekly parshious as we read them on Shabbos in Shul, in the Synagogue, we can accept them like a new Kaballas HaTorah, accepting of the Torah. Then we can imbibe this same process into our lives. Like the Jews needed special divine help to climb out of any such personal immoral sins as seen in what the Jews went through in Mitzrayim, Egypt. With this we can also rise up from sinking into the physical and rise into the spiritual.
How to achieve rectification?
There are many different customs as to what to do. Some have the custom of studying laws relating to such transgressions. The advantage of doing this in depth, is that these laws will seep into the subconscious. This is especially so, when reading about their punishments and the man feeling regret over his past sins. Another custom is fasting – this is the idea that a person sinned with their physical body and therefore they now abstain from the pleasures of the physical body. Also, is the idea of and giving extra tzedakah, charity, during this time. This is good throughout the year, but especially during this auspicious time period having in mind to forgive these specific sins.
Also some recite Selichos and other Kabbalistic prayers and tikkunim (Kabbalistic prayers or meditations) designed to counteract their harmful effects – here the focus is rectification in the spiritual realms. There are those Jews who have a custom to fast every Monday and Thursday during these weeks, known as BeHab. This name is after the hebrew letters that have the gematria of these numbers of the days of the week – ב=2, namely Monday, the second day of the week, and ה=5, namely Thursday, the fifth day of the week – then added to it is the ב for Monday again – בה”ב=BeHaB. Perhaps the idea of why three fasts is because the significance of number three is that things will continue. This is seen in the verse in Koheles (4:12) וְהַחוּט הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ לֹא בִמְהֵרָה יִנָּתֵק – A threefold cord is not readily broken!
Others suggest focusing on putting more spiritual emphasis on how to relate to the mundane – especially in the areas of married life, between man and wife. This is why people review the laws of Nidda during the Shovavim – focusing on the need for purity in this area. There is also the pathway of minimizing indulgence into physical pleasures – especially targeting things that each person feels most attached to. Also, the emphasis on special kavana, intention, when saying brochos before doing physical things – this is linking physical acts with spirituality. The theme behind all this is to place more spiritual direction when dealing with physical things.
What if I can’t? Is it ever too late?
The gateway of tikun and repentance is never closed so long as a person is alive. An older or weaker person who cannot do the prescribed suggestions like fasting, will focus on other ways – like we mentioned above. The purpose of fasting is to bring a person to teshuva, repentance. This comes when a person thinks why he is fasting. It also makes a person more spiritual as the physical is weakened. It therefore follows that one who cannot fast can do other things that aim to achieve the same results – namely, thinking into the causes of sin and what to do about them, as well as how to weaken the physical temptations and strengthen the spiritual.
Thank you.
Your welcome