Dear rabbi, Could you please clearly define and describe Pores Mapah OuMeqadesh in modern terms. Thank you.
Joseph Mosseri, Brooklyn,NY,USA
"Pores Mapah u'Mekadesh" means to "spread a cloth [over the food at the meal] and recite Kidush." If such a situation would arise in modern times (that is, one is in the middle of a meal at the time of the arrival of Shabbos), there is no indication in the Poskim that we would conduct ourselves any differently.
Y. SHAW
Dear Rabbi Shaw,
Thank you for the quick reply. Just to clarify does that mean in a modern day scenario that all the food would have to be covered? Would just the bread be covered? Would all the food be pushed to the side and a different tablecloth laid out with the food being place over the fresh tablecloth?
Only the bread would need to be covered (see Mishnah Berurah OC 271:15), as is done when making Kidushin in a normal situation (see Shulchan Aruch OC 271:9 and Mishnah Berurah 271:41 for the reason). While it would be proper to lay out a tablecloth in honor of Shabbos, this is not related to the requirement to stop eating to make Kidush.
Y. Shaw