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Seudah Shlishit

Alvin Stern

One of the highlights of traditional Shabbat observance has tended to be lost in most of our celebrations of Shabbat. The meals eaten on Shabbat are considered special events – Friday night dinner with candle-lighting, blessing of the children, Kiddush, HaMotzi and then a festive meal, often served on the “good” dishes, followed by the singing of Zemirot (songs of praise) and Birchat HaMazon (Grace after the Meal) – this made the welcoming of Shabbat something to be looked forward to all week! Shabbat afternoon’s meal also has a Kiddush and HaMotzi over 2 loaves and this meal was often special foods that were left on slow-cook from prior to Shabbat and all night, Friday. Cholent – the traditional stew of barley, potatoes, vegetables and chunks of meat was a hearty meal following the lengthy services of the day! Of course, you had to take a nap after all that!

The final meal of Shabbat is known as Seudah Shlishit – “the Third Meal” – a seudah is a festive meal; sholosh means “three”. On Purim there is a special feast known as a seudah; after a bar or bat mitzvah, wedding or brit milah there is a seudat mitzvah, etc. The meal takes place late in the day of Shabbat after the Mincha service and is considered a “bonus” meal – often fairly light in nature (Of course after the heavy cholent meal, you probably would not be very hungry!) - for example, when I was in college, our Hillel held a Suedah Shlishit and served challah, gefilte fish and soda. What made the meal special was not just the food served but the camaraderie of sharing the meal together, singing Shabbat zemirot and learning some Torah as well. As a child growing up a TBS, during the long days of the summer months, we would spend a few minutes studying Perkei Avot with Rabbi Lewis (though we didn’t have any food to go with it) between Mincha and Ma’ariv. Several years ago, we tried to revive the Seudah Shlishit custom but the costs became prohibitive. Nowadays, some of our b’nai mitzvah families offer a form of Seudah Shlishit when their simchas take place during daylight savings time – so that dinner can start immediately after Shabbat ends (which can be well after 9PM in June!)

The emotions as Shabbat is about to end are mixed – on the one hand, we are relaxed and spiritually stimulated from the observance of Shabbat; on the other hand, we are saddened knowing that the day will end as the sunlight fades away and we have to return to the routine of the workweek. In this light, the melody we use to daven the Shabbat Mincha is slower and more subdued, some of the traditional nigunim (melodies) used for the Zemirot are also more subdued. Some of these Zemirot reflect the hope of the coming of the Messiah – the utopia that will be like Shabbat, but without end – note that we sing Eliahu HaNavi after Havdalah as well.

Though many of us manage to celebrate Shabbat with the traditions of Friday night and Shabbat morning, unfortunately most of us don’t include a Seudah Slisheet – maybe we should try to take a few more minutes to savor the peace and tranquility that is Shabbat and do so over a simple meal, so as to leave a lingering “taste of Shabbat” as we enter the new week.