The Yerushalmi brings the pasuk: וקראת לשבת עונג - “Shabbos should be a delight”, and asks how one should do this? The Yerushalmi cites two opinions: One opinion says with sleep, and another opinion says with talmud Torah. The Yerushalmi continues: There is no machlokes, as one opinion is talking about a talmud chocham, and the other opinion is talking about a baal habos.
It’s not clear from the Yerushalmi for which type of person sleep is considered oneg Shabbos. It is in fact a machlokes Rishonim.
One opinion in the Rishonim is, that for a talmud chocham who learns all week, for him sleeping on Shabbos is oneg. A baal habos, however, who has no time to learn in the week, and on Shabbos he finally has time, for him learning is considered oneg Shabbos, not sleeping. (Re’am, cited in Shita Mekubetzes Nedorim 37b)
The Meiri (Shabbos 118b) also maintains, that for a talmud chocham who spends all week learning, for him it’s an oneg to sleep on Shabbos, so that his mind gets a bit of a break. A baal habos, however, who is busy all week with work, it’s fitting that he learn a bit on Shabbos, in a way that it becomes his oneg Shabbos. This is peshat in the Yerushalmi which says: “Yomim Tovim and Shabbos were only given for learning”, a baal habos is busy all week and has no time to learn, at least when it comes to Shabbos and Yom Tov he should learn a bit.
The Meiri, however, cites a second opinion, that a talmud chocham enjoys leaning, therefore, on Shabbos as well he should continue to learn, a baal habos, however, he doesn’t enjoy learning so much, for him oneg Shabbos is to sleep.
How Do We Rule?
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 290) rules like the first opinion in the Rishonim, that when we say sleeping is oneg Shabbos we are referring to talmiday chachomim. The Mishnah Berurah writes, nonetheless, a talmud chocham shouldn’t sleep too much, and end up doing too much bittul Torah.
The Mishnah Berurah (341:2) also writes, that if one makes a neder [vow] not to sleep on Shabbos, we are matir [undo] the neder, as for one who is accustomed to doing so, sleeping on Shabbos is considered oneg.
Why Is Sleeping Considered Oneg Shabbos?
The Bnei Yissochar (Maamarei Shabbos, Maamer 10, Kavod V’Oneg Shabbos) offers a beautiful insight into why sleeping is considered oneg Shabbos. First he cites from mekubolim that: ענוג תשבת בינה ש - “sleep on Shabbos is delight”, has the same roshei teivos as Shabbos, and that one should also sleep on Shabbos day.
Then he quotes his rebbeim who explain, that all creations have sleep and need sleep, even water sleeps - if they wouldn’t sleep, they would get ruined and cease to exist. However, water has very little life, therefore, it needs little sleep. The more life something has, the more sleep it needs. Man has the most life, therefore, man sleep more than other creatures.
We see, says the Bnei Yissochar, the more life something has, the more sleep it needs. With this we can understand why sleeping is oneg Shabbos. During the week, a person only has one neshomah [soul], therefore, a night’s sleep suffices, on Shabbos, however, a person has a neshomah yeseirah [extra soul] and has two neshomas. Since one has two neshomas, he has more life, therefore, he needs to sleep more, and needs to sleep in the day as well.
This fits well with Rashi (Beitzah 16a) who explains that the neshomah yeseirah is: רוחב לב למנוחה – “A wider heart for resting”.
The sefer Darchei Chaim (ois 6) writes in the name of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz that one shouldn’t sleep too much on Shabbos, as there is a mitzvah to guard Shabbos, and a guardian who sleeps to much when he is supposed to be on guard is considered negligent. Therefore, although there may be an inyan to sleep more on Shabbos than during the week, one shouldn’t get to carried away.
It’s also worthwhile mentioning a Baal HaTurim in this week’s parsha. The pasuk says: לא תבערו אש בכל משבתיכם ביום השבת ויאמר משה – “No fire shall burn in all your settlements on Shabbos. Moshe said...” (Shemos 35:3-4). The Baal HaTurim points out, that the beginning and end letters of the words, השבת ויאמר, spell out Torah, this comes to hint: שעיקר התורה בשבת כשאדם פנו י בעסקיו – “The main Torah is on Shabbos, when one is free from his activities”.
The Ben Ish Chai (Year 2, Shemos) writes: “Learning on Shabbos is worth 1000 times more than learning during the week”. Therefore, although there may be an inyan to sleep on Shabbos, whether one is a talmud chocham or a baal habos, he should make sure not to overdo it, and make sure to use Shabbos for learning Torah as well.
