Monday, May 18, 2009

Seudah Sh'lishit

Hi all, welcome back. Before addressing the question at hand, just a quick note about our unfortunate and unscheduled vacation. As you all begin to feel the pressures of the year end, we teachers feel it too (those exams don't just write themselves...) and the blog has suffered, both in terms of a lack of fresh material and a back log of unanswered questions. To try and address both problems, while keeping the schedules of us bloggers in mind, we're going to (B"N) be doing a bit less of "original reporting" (I feel like the editor of Newsweek), and will sometimes link you to a different source that already addressed your issue on-line is a way that we think is accurate and comprehensive.

Toward that end, Daniella Grodko asked:

Hi! I was wondering, do you have to have shalashutis (the third meal that you eat on Shabbat) on other holidays like Pesach and Succot? If not, why do we apply other shabbat halachot to these holidays and not this one?

While it doesn't address your question directly, here is a nice summary of the laws of Seudah Shlishit. It begins:

"One of the elements of ONEG SHABBAT is to have (and enjoy) three meals on Shabbat. This idea is linked to the pasuk from this week's sedra (16:25): "And Moshe said: Eat it (the Manna) today, for today is Shabbat to G-d; today you will not find it in the field." The threefold use of the word HAYOM (today) in reference to eating the Manna is considered an ASMACHTA for the Rabbinic rule requiring three meals on Shabbat."

This source is specific to Shabbos, and therefore there is no obligation to eat it on Yom Tov.

Yasher koach for the question and the excuse to discuss an often neglected mitzvah.

No comments: