Everyone has at least one mitzvah that is special to them. My special mitzvah is Shabbos. There are so many aspects of Shabbos, but there is one that didn't receive the attention it deserves.
Melaveh Malkah, and the seudah that follows is such a beautiful and meaningful tradition. We sit down to this special meal, on a table set beautifully, the Shabbos candles and our polished silverware. Melaveh Malkah means " Escourt the Queen, " the Queen is the Shabbos day, who we welcome on friday night. The seudah- prepared before Shabbos tradionally gefilfte fish, Chulent and some fleishig dishes, or any other dish you may prepare. The challahs, and of course rugelach.
In our home there are many stories told, some old, some new, and some we here almost every week.
Like this story about " Shabbos Joy. " The Baal Shem Tov called his inner circle of students and annouced, "Next Shabbos, I'm going to show you what Shabbos really is." The students were excited and they could barely wait for next Shabbos to arrive.
Finally, the day came. They carefully prepared themselves by first immersing in the mikveh, then dressing in their special Shabbos clothes, and coming early to Shul on friday afternoon - long before Shabbos davening that evening. When Kabbalas Shabbos started, they were davening next to the Baal Shem Tov, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Just before Shabbos evening davening were to end, they notice the Baal Shem Tov staring towards one side of Shul. When they looked in that direction, all they notice was a poor, simple Jewish man davening intensly and with simcha. Still, it wasn't such an unsual sight at the Baal Shem Tov's Shul, to see someone davening like that. And other than that the way he was davening, they didn't notice anything special about the man.
After davening, the Baal Shem Tov told his close followers to join him in his study. They sat around a table next to the window. Because it was summer and the windows were open, they could see the man who had been davening with such passion during Shabbos evening davening. They saw him enter his rundown house. They could even hear him greet his wife. " Gut Shabbos, my sweet wife, " he said full of joy. " And a restful and holy Shabbos to you, my dearest husband, " responded his wife.
The baal Shem Tov's followers could hear the husband singing Shalom Aleichem. When he finished the song, he said to his wife, " Sweetheart, let us make Kiddush." But the couple were so poor, they had no money for wine. So the wife placed two small rolls of bread on the Shabbos table and said, " My dear husband, we have no wine. Please make kiddush over these two rolls."
" That is fine, " he replied. " We'll make Kiddush over the bread. I' m sure the rolls will taste as delicious as the most special wine." They washed their hands with a blessing, said HaMotzi, and shared the two rolls of bread. Then the wife spoke, " For the fish course, I've made something special. " She got up and brought a bowl of beans on the Shabbos table.
She placed a spoonful of beans on each of their plates and said, " May it be HaShem's will that these beans have the taste of a wonderful fish delicacy. They ate the beans, their faces shone with delight. The husband sang a few traditional Shabbos songs and then said, " Thank you HaShem, we have everything we need to celebrate the holy Shabbos. Let's have the soup course, now."
They both took another spoonful of beans and smiled. " Umm, what a wonderful Shabbos soup," they said to each other. Then they had a third spoonful of beans to take the place of the traditional meat dish and a fourth spoonful as a dessert.
" Come, my sweet wife, let us celebrate the holy Shabbos." So they both got up and began to dance around their Shabbos table and laughed and laughed.
Each of the students standing with the Baal Shem Tov felt a warm glow rise within. The Baal Shem Tov whispered, " You are experiencing true Shabbos joy, similar to the joy this holy couple has been feeling. You should realize that it is not the simple food that they tasted, but Shabbos itself. "
The Gemara on Shabbos says, that we always should prepare a table for Melaveh Malkah, even if is just a piece of bread.
When we take leave of Shabbos, it is the Melaveh Malkah who cares for us spiritually. The emptiness we feel on Motzei Shabbos is our neshama sadness of losing the Neshama yetera, the additional soul given by HaShem to us on Shabbos.
Celebrating Melaveh Malkah is an expression that we are not ready yet to let go of Shabbos. The time we spend at the table allows the light of Shabbos, the holiness that we carry into the new week.
Melaveh Malkah is showing gratitude. Thanking HaShem for allowing to spend Shabbos in his presence.
And now after the beautiful ceremony of Havdalah, we Escourt the Shabbos Queen, to accompany the holiness of Shabbos as it departs.