Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l once commented that each motzei Shabbos he sees hundreds of teenagers zooming up and down Ocean Parkway looking… searching… hoping to find something to allay the feeling of emptiness in their lives.
Is there a reason why they feel worse on motzei Shabbos than the rest of the week? And why are the lines in the kosher pizza shops out the door? The Pri Tzadik (Parshas Bo 12) tells us that since on Shabbos we feel an extreme closeness to Hashem, when Hashem leaves on motzei Shabbos we feel as if we have fallen from the top of a tall building into a deep pit. Based on this we can suggest that these people also have the same feelings but don’t know why. All week long they are involved in worldly pursuits, ignoring their soul and its needs. On Shabbos, the whole world is elevated and there is more kedusha in the air. Now the neshama can finally get a breath of holiness and connect to Hashem. We can only imagine the pain of the neshama once Shabbos is over, and that is what makes these people feel unhappy. Since they do not know what is really bothering them they go to pizza shops or other places of entertainment and futilely try to raise their spirits.
Many of us have similar feelings and wish we could do something. The Chasam Sofer (Masechtas Shabbos 102) writes that the solution is to eat melavah malkah – the meal we eat on motzei Shabbos. Why does it help?
One reason to eat melavah malkah has to do with the miraculous Luz bone in our bodies. This bone will continue to exist even after our bodies have totally decomposed. Fire cannot burn it, millstones cannot grind it, and hammers cannot smash it. When the time comes for t’chiyas hameisim, the resurrection of the dead, the recreation of the body will begin from it. But interestingly enough, this bone only gets nourishment from the food eaten on motzei Shabbos at melavah malkah.
Escorting the Queen
The Mishneh Brurah explains that just as one escorts the king when he leaves your city we must also honor Shabbos when it leaves. We spend over 25 hours with Him and through this meal we demonstrate that we had a special guest and are now escorting Him on His way out.
Indeed, the Shulchan Aruch tells us (siman 300) that one must always set the table for melavah malkah, even if one will only be eating a k’zayis of bread. This means that one should spread out a tablecloth, set the table, and light candles in an honorable manner. Since the point is to escort the king, it must be done in an honorable fashion. For the same reason, halacha states that even if one is not hungry, one should still have some bread, to honor the King. If one is so stuffed that eating bread will be torturous one should make sure to at least have some mezonos or fruits instead. Melavah malkah should also be eaten before chatzos (halachic midnight) in order to show this respect close to the time of His departure.
Not only is eating melavah malkah a great mitzvah, there are “instant rewards”! The Rishonim tell us by eating this meal we merit that our food will be provided for us all week long. Why does this meal accomplish more than all the meals of Shabbos?
The answer is two-fold. First, one usually eats it even though one is quite full. This is different than the main meals of Shabbos, which are eaten at a time when we are usually hungry, and the mitzvah is specifically that we should enjoy them. Of course there is nothing wrong with enjoying our melavah malkah – it is no different than all mitzvos, which we make sure to do with enjoyment. But since most of the time it is eaten primarily for the mitzvah itself, and not for our own pleasure, it has extra special kedusha.
