“The nations of the world will be outraged…. Israel too will be…in a state of panic and ask, ‘Where do we go?’
“But say unto them, ‘My children, do not fear. The time of your redemption has come…’ And this last redemption shall be different from the first that was followed by further bondage and pain. After this last redemption you will not experience any further pain or subjugation.”
Had you heard these prophecies centuries ago when they were first written, you might have scoffed. But today the impossible has become possible and events are unfolding so rapidly that we have difficulty absorbing their impact. So how are we to understand it all?
The Yalkut compares our suffering to birth pangs. But birth pangs are deceptive; when the contractions begin it’s easy to ignore them since they are mild and occur between long intervals. As the birth becomes imminent, however, the contractions intensify and the pain becomes more intense. And just when it appears the woman can no longer endure the pain, the baby is born and new life enters the world.
It is these labor pains to which we are witness today. How long will they last? It’s anyone’s guess but one thing is certain – please G-d, the birth is sure to take place. In the interim we may ask, “Is it possible to ease the suffering? Is it possible to protect ourselves from these painful contractions?”
Our sages have an answer. It is clearly written without room for misunderstanding: “Let he who wishes to be spared the birth pangs of Messiah occupy himself with Torah and gemilas chasadim [acts of loving kindness] and let him be scrupulous about Seudah Shlishis [the third Sabbath meal].”
The first two commandments – Torah and gemilas chassadim – are self-explanatory. One who is committed to Torah and mitzvos and to reaching out with loving kindness must become a better, more spiritual person.
Eating a third Shabbos meal, however, is not as readily comprehensible. We are enjoined to have three Shabbos meals (seudos) – Shabbos eve (Friday night), Shabbos noon (following prayer in the synagogue), and late in the afternoon as the Sabbath Queen prepares to depart.
Through these three meals we honor the three Patriarchs, the three sections of our Scriptures (Torah, Prophets, and Writings), and the three Sabbath meals of manna G-d provided for us during our sojourn in the wilderness (Exodus 16:25).
The final Shabbos seudah is called Shalosh Seudos, which translated literally means “Three Meals” rather than Seudah Shlishis – the third meal. Our sages explain the reason for this is that all three Shabbos seudos are embodied in this one.
The third meal presents a most auspicious time for prayer. To this day, when I close my eyes I can hear the sweet voices of my revered father and my beloved husband of blessed memory leading their congregants in singing Psalm 23, the psalm that is traditionally chanted at the Shalosh Seudos: “The L-rd is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”
The task of the shepherd is a lowly and lonely one. Day in and day out he is destined to wander from place to place seeking pasture for his flock, and yet David did not hesitate to refer to G-d as a shepherd, for he perceived G-d’s love as so total, so encompassing, that when it comes to caring for His children nothing is beneath Him.
What a magnificent and fortifying thought – no matter where life takes us, even if we have to walk in the treacherous valleys overshadowed by death, we need not fear, for G-d our Shepherd will always be there to lead us to greener pastures even if at first we do not recognize the pasture He is leading us to is indeed greener.