Questions on Shovavim (Tat) to think about and discuss:

1. What is Shovavim?
2. Does the idea of the days of Shovavim occur each year?
3. What does this word mean?
4. Why is it sometimes called Shovavim and sometimes Shovavim Tat?
5. Why in a leap year are only the two weeks of Tat (Teruma and Tezave) are added? Another month means that four weeks should be added?
6. How long does the period of Shovavim last for?
7. What are these days special for and why?
8. Is the Shovavim brought anywhere in Halocho?
9. Who are the first ones mentioned in the Torah who did this sin of wasted keri and what was their punishment?
10. What is so terrible about wasted keri more so than any other sin?
11. Some opinions hold that this special time is only during a leap year. Why?
12. What is the significance in the time and months of the year when it falls?
13. Why does the Shovavim stop at Parshas Mishpotim in a normal year and after Parshas Tezave in a leap year?
14. What is the significance in the length of time of it?
15. Why does it start from Parshas Shemos?
16. Chazal say that there is the idea of 84 fasts that can be redeemed. What is the significance of this number 84 and how can a fast be redeemed?
17. If you want to compare this to any other time period during the Jewish year, what most symbolises this time?
18. There is the gematria: יק”ר=קר”י=310=י”ש. What is the significance of this?

Idea for answers on Shovavim (Tat):

1. Shovavim (Hebrew: שובבי”ם ) is an acrostic for the Jewish parshious of “Shemos”, “Voeira”, “Bo”, “Bishallach”, “Yisro” and “Mishpotim”. During a Jewish leap-year one sees references to an eight-week period called “Shovavim Tat”. This is derived by adding the next two portions, “Terumah” and “Tetzaveh”, to the list.
2. There are different opinions. Some say the special days of Shovavim only apply to a leap year. However, others disagree and say that these apply each year. However, during a leap year, the rectification of these days is greater.
3. The possuk in Yirmeyohu (3:22) says שובו בנים שובבים ארפה משובתיכם – “Return wayward sons and i will heal your waywardness.”
4. See answer 1.
6. There is an opinion that it lasts throughout the entire Sefer Shemos. It holds that included is Parshas Ki Sisa, Vayakhel and Pekudai (Mata Moshe, 1023).
7. The Gemora Eruvin 18b brings that Odom accidentally released keri. The Arizal brings that this was rectified by his descendants in the form of the exile in Mitzrayim. This is why during these weeks of the Shovavim when we read about the exile and redemption from Mitzrayim it is a special time for any person who also has released keri to achieve rectification.
8. See the commentaries on Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 685.
9. It was Eir and Oinon, the sons of Yehuda (Parshas Vayeishev Chapter 38). They were punished by dying young. (What is interesting is as the first ones of this sin, their names are connected with evil and death. ע”ר אותיות ר”ע while Oinen is the name given to someone who has lost a relative before the deceased has been buried.)
10. A start is to understand that it is produced in a person’s brain. It has the potential to create a child that alludes to eternity since that child then has more and so it continues exponentially. When a person wastes this it can be compared to actually killing the potential for this child and eternity! All this comes about because of some moments of physical pleasure! The brain is the highest place and represents the strength of people. When instead of using the intellect to combat the physical pleasures a person makes it a partner to the sin, what then is left for a person to go even higher and override and combat this?
12. Besides for falling during the Parshious that describe the exile and redemption from Egypt, there is also significance in the time of year when it falls. The Shovavim falls during the time period between Chanuka and Purim. It occurs during the last three months of the year – namely: the end of the month of Teves, throughout the month of Shevat and at the beginning of the month of Adar. The year is split into four tekufos and these appear in what is known as Tekufas Teves. (Perhaps a deeper idea here is that these four tekufos parallel the four letters of the Shem HaVaya with the last one when Shovavim occurs paralleling the last Hei. This represents Malchus where all the Above Sefiros are taken and put into action which is the domain of man. Hence, it is a special time when man through teshuva can achieve rectification.)
13. The end point of Shovavim is when we read the possuk לכפר על נפשתיכם (Shemos, 30:15) that mentions kapora and atonement. In a normal year this is read as Parshas Shekolim that occurs in the year after reading Parshas Mishpotim. Hence the weeks are שובבי”ם. However, in a leap year, the reading of Parshas Ki Sisa where this is mentioned precedes Parshas Shekolim and therefore there are the additional weeks of שובבי”ם ת”ת.
14. Most years where there is just Shovavim, this lasts for around six weeks. The aim is to achieve purification. The number that symbolises change is forty. Moshe went for forty days and nights to receive the Torah. The usage of the mikva that contains forty se’ah comes to purify. There are forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur. The idea by the Shovavim is to have six weeks, meaning forty days, designated as a time for change in the area of keri used wrongly to achieve rectification.
15. See answer 4.
16. On a simple level: Shovavim in a normal year is for six weeks of seven days. This means it is for a total of 42 days and 42 days making a total of 84. …
17. See answer 9. Perhaps it comes to parallel the forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur. There it is dealing with a general teshuva for all sins. However, the Shovavim comes to set aside another forty days to specifically deal with wasted keri.
18. Yesh represents the potential of what keri if used properly can be. Yokor means expensive and valuable. The other extreme of when it is wasted is seen in keri.

Practical advice for the Shovavim:

• A person must never despair no matter how long they have sunk. Despair is a tool of the evil inclination.
• The first priority is to stop from continuing to sin in this area. Only once this is done then comes the Shovavim that comes to rectify the past – the negative spiritual forces created from our actions.

Related Articles:

• General description of the Shovavim.