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A Third Meal?
Maayan Jaffe
Staff Reporter
Most people are aware of the Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch. But there is a third meal required on Shabbat and it is known as Seudah Shlishit, the third meal.
The mitzvah of eating a third meal comes from the Torah, Parshat B’Shalach. In 16:25 it reads, “Eat [the manna] today, for today is Shabbat to God; today you will not find it in the field.” The use of the word “today” three times, the rabbis explain, indicates the three meals one is required to eat on Shabbat.
Women are equally as obligated as men to eat Seudah Shlishit. (Women have equal requirements for all aspects of Shabbat.)
Third meal should begin before sunset, preferably after the afternoon prayer service has been davened. One can carry their meal into the night, as long as he or she may like.
It’s best to partake of twin loaves of bread at the meal, as one does during the other two seudot. If one is too full, there are opinions that say a product upon which you make the mezonot blessing (like pretzels or crackers) is acceptable.
There are zemirot, songs, unique to the third meal, which can generally be found in any booklet that contains the Grace after Meal (Birkat HaMazon) prayer.
