Saturday Meals

You can recite the daytime Kiddush and the blessing over bread at Saturday lunch and have a special meal on Saturday as well as on Friday evening.

Traditional observance mandates three meals on Shabbat: Friday night dinner, Saturday lunch, and Saturday supper. This third meal is also referred to as a Malaveh Malcha or “accompanying the Queen.” We think of the Sabbath as a bride when it comes and as a queen when it leaves. The third meal is also sometimes called a Seudah Shelishit, Hebrew for “third meal.” In the winter, when Shabbat may end before supper time, a third meal may be a simple late-afternoon snack.

If your attend Shabbat morning services or Torah study, it is easy to extend your Shabbat and have friends for lunch on Saturday. You can try this and any other Shabbat custom without immediately making a commitment to do it every week. These are pleasures for you to enjoy as you are ready.

Other Shabbat Activities

If you are exploring Shabbat as a spiritual practice, you may also choose to use it as a day to be in nature, to sit by the ocean, or take a long hike. You may prefer to take a long nap, read a book, or play games with kids or friends. Without any rituals at all, Shabbat can still be a day of rest and relaxation, a needed respite from the regular week.

The Guide to Shabbat and Havdalah for Interfaith Families is available as a PDF and our booklet Shabbat: What to Expect in the Synagogue, Shabbat Made Easy, and Havdalah Made Easy are available for download.

Return to the Guide to Shabbat and Havdalah for Interfaith Families.