Melava Malka

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

There is a small and utterly indestructible bone in the body called the "luz" bone. It is the bone which sits at the base of the neck. It is from this bone that G-d will reconstruct the entire body when the time arrives for the resurrection of the dead. The "luz" bone is nourished only from the Se'udat Melava Malka, the Saturday night fourth meal. The Melava Malka has three benefits. First, the meal has the benefit of Kabod, honor. It honors the Shabbat queen by escorting it. Second, it brings" Parnassah", success and bounty to the whole week. Third, it brings" Refua", healing to ones aches and pains. The first letters of these three words" Kabod"" Parnassa"and" Refua" spell" Kaper" which numerically equals 300. This might be why Maran put the Halachot of Melava Malka in Siman 300. If one went to sleep on Saturday night without eating the Melava Malka and woke up after Hasot should he eat the Melava Malka at this point? Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul (Israel 1923-1998) follows the opinion of the kabbalists that once a person falls asleep and wakes up after Hasot he should not eat until after he prays Shaharit. Hacham Ovadia Yosef argues that as long as Alot Hashahar, dawn, did not yet arrive one can still eat even if he did not pray shahrit. Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1869) writes that one should have 2 loaves of bread at this meal. One doesn't have to break from these two breads rather it is there to show honor to the meal. Parents should bless their children and rabbis their students at this meal. The Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim, Baghdad 1833-1909) writes that in the Birkat Hamazon one should say "Migdol Yeshu'ot Malko" instead of "Magdil". One should follow the custom to light candles in memory of the rabbis at this meal. The Passuk says "Ve'hene Sulam Mu'sav Arsa Ve'Rosho Ma'gia Ha'shamayma", which literally means "and behold the ladder was on the ground and its top reaching the sky". The Ben Ish Hai writes that the word "Sulam" stands for the words "Seudat Levayat Malka", the meal that escorts the Shabbat. The passuk means that this meal of Melava Malka is occasionally thrown to the ground without people treating it with respect, however its true worth reaches the highest levels in heaven.