Three Shabbat Meals
On Shabbos, we eat three special meals where we have an opportunity to merge our neshamah (soul) and our guf (body) and uplift both of them. By eating special foods that are different to what we eat during the week, we recognize that Shabbos is special because it commemorates creation. This reinforces our emunah (faith) that Hashem (God) is in charge of the world, which leads us to thank Him for the beautiful world He created and sustains (including our personal lives). When a person does this, Hashem gives them even more blessing to thank Him for.1
The Michtav M’Eliyahu teaches that when one observes the mitzvah of Oneg Shabbos (enjoying Shabbos) properly, one transforms physical pleasures into spiritual elevation. When we honor Shabbos through special meals and treats to recognize the day’s sanctity, we elevate the material world. Yet he cautions against letting our desires hijack this mitzvah.
We must guard against using Shabbos as a pretext for indulgence. When approached with pure intentions, Shabbos enjoyment can sanctify not only our Shabbos experience but influence our entire week with spiritual awareness. The key lies in our kavanah (intention): are we honoring Hashem’s holy day and allowing our body and soul to elevate each other, or are we merely satisfying our appetites?4
Special Three!
These three meals are not breakfast, lunch, and supper like any other day during the week! The reason for three meals is deeply rooted in Torah. When the Torah’s describes how the Jews received the manna in the desert, it says that the manna would fall every day except for
Shabbat, where the word “Hayom” (today) is mentioned three times2. The three meals also represent the three Avot: Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and the three parts of Tanach: Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim3.
For The Honor Of Hashem
Honoring Shabbos with eating three meals is a statement of bitachon (relience) in Hashem because it shows that we believe that not making money on Shabbos does not reduce our income, but quite the opposite, since Hashem is in charge of our income and He wants us to keep Shabbos. We are even supposed to put money and effort into Shabbos, and one who does so will merit endless riches and blessings.5 When a person relies on Hashem for their Shabbos expenses, Hashem will reimburse them!6
Hashem created Shabbos for our benefit! He wants us to enjoy it and get rewarded for it. Hashem says, “Honor Shabbos with food and clothing and enjoy Shabbos and I’ll reward you.”7 Hashem rewards us even for mundane acts done on Shabbos like eating and sleeping because Shabbos is a reminder that everything, even the mundane things, was created by Him and is controlled by Him.8
The Story Of Yosef Mokir Shabbat
Long ago, in a bustling village filled with shops and chatter, lived a humble man named Yosef. Everyone knew him by a special nickname: Yosef Mokir Shabbat – Yosef who cherished Shabbat. Yosef didn’t just keep Shabbat once it arrived; he lived for it! All week long, as he worked and earned whatever money he could, he searched for ways to honor the holy day. If he found a fresh fish on Monday, he’d buy it for Shabbat. If he later saw a better one on Thursday, he’d eat the first and save the finest for the holy day. Nothing was too small or too grand when it came to delighting in Shabbat.
The Wealthy Man’s Riches
Not far from Yosef lived a fabulously wealthy man. He was obsessed with astrology and would often consult the stars to protect his fortune. One day, his astrologer looked worried. “I have bad news,” he said. “All your wealth is destined to fall into the hands of a man named Yosef.” Panicked, the rich man sold off everything he owned and converted it into a single massive jewel, which he carefully sewed into his silk turban. “Now it’s safe,” he thought. “No Yosef will ever touch my money.” One breezy afternoon, the man took a stroll near the sea. A strong gust of wind blew his turban with the special gem sewed into it right off his head and into the crashing waves. Before he could even shout for help, his turban was gone. Lost in the deep sea forever. “At least Yosef the Jew will never get my wealth” he thought.
Now In Yosef’s Hands!
A few weeks later and some distance away, a pair of fishermen went to sea for their weekly fishing time. It was right before Shabbat when they caught a fish, and when they saw how large it was, they worried. “Who’ll want to buy such a big fish so late in the day?” “Let’s bring it to Yosef Mokir Shabbat,” one fisherman said. “He never refuses to buy something for the honor of his Shabbat.” Sure enough, Yosef gladly paid for the fish. As he prepared it for cooking, his knife struck something hard. Inside the belly of the fish gleamed the rich man’s jewel. Yosef, the man who honored Shabbat without worrying about the price and without hesitation, was now wealthy beyond imagination! But even with his newfound fortune, he never changed the way he prepared for Shabbat, with the same love and joy, just like always.9
What’s All The Eating About?
It seems strange if you think about it. If our goal on Shabbat is to honor and connect to Hashem, shouldn’t our Shabbat table be filled with holy and G-dly things like siddurim, Tehillim, and Gemaros? What are we doing, piling our tables with fish, meat, and desserts? And then eating it with gusto and saying it’s “lekavod Shabbat” (for the honor of Shabbat)? How does a good brisket honor something so elevated and spiritual as Shabbat? We’ll answer the question with a mashal.
A Sign Of Honor
Imagine a great rabbi invites you to his home. You get dressed in your finest clothing and approach the Rabbi’s home with trepidation and awe. The Sage opens the door and ushers you into the dining room. On the table, there is a spread of delicious, expensive delicacies that he worked hard to prepare or purchase, and you’re invited to sit down and partake of the food. You sit down but instead of helping yourself to the spread, you say, “Actually, I am trying not to be too indulgent these days. Would you mind bringing me a cup of water and some baby carrots?”
Do It For Hashem
How would the Rabbi feel? He’d feel disappointed and dishonored. Here, he invited you to his inner sanctum to spend special time with you and connect with you over delicious food, and you are dismissing his efforts and rebuffing his attempt to create a wonderful bonding experience. With this mashal, we can understand what the Seudas Shabbat (Shabbat meals) are really all about. Hashem invites us to spend special time with Him every week.
When we sit down to the Shabbos table, we’re not on our own. Hashem is present and Hashem wants us to enjoy special food in His honor. It’s not about us, it’s about Hashem. Through the delicacies, we connect to Hashem and to those around the table. Eating brings closeness between people. When you’re sitting at Hashem’s table, being ‘served’ by Hashem, the eating is not a purely indulgent, physical kind of eating, but an elevated, spirituality infused eating that – if done right – brings us closer to Hashem, which is the purpose of Shabbat.
Excerpted from Oorah’s Torah Nuggets
Shabbat Part 4 – Sources:
2 Michtav M’Eliyahu vol. 1 pg. 226, 230
3 Shabbos 117b, Shulchan Aruch 291:1
4 Aruch Hashulchan 291:1
5 Shabbos 118a and Anaf Yosef; Bereishis Raba 11:7
7 Devarim Raba 3:1
9 Based on R’ Shimshon Pincus
