26 Jan THREE MEALS SOUNDS FISHY
In Parshas Beshalach we see the topic of eating seudas Shabbos. We learn about the order of events concerning how the mohn came down on Erev Shabbos for Shabbos. The Gemara in Meseches Shabbos 118b asks how is a person me’aneg the Shabbos seuda? Rav Yehuda, the son of Rav Shmuel, the son of Shilas, in the name of Rav, says a person is me’aneg with cooked beets, big fish and heads of garlic. The Rif has the girsa, small fish.
The Rambam in Hilchos Ishus 12:10 says that a person must supply his wife with three meals on Shabbos, either of meat or fish, like the minhag hamakom. This is brought down in Tur Even Ho’ezer 70.
The Magen Avraham 242:1 brings down the Tikumei Shabbos who says that a person should eat fish at all three meals. The Kaf HaChaim writes that the ikkar fish should be eaten at the third meal. The Seder Hayom says that fish is considered simcha during a seuda. We find that Le’asid Lavo, the tzadikkim will eat fish from the Levyasan. The Sefer Toras Chaim on Eiruvin 19 compares the halachos of Shabbos to ta’anugei Olam Haba. As a reflection of the future feast in Olam Haba, when we will get to eat the Levyasan and the Shor Habor, there is a chiyuv to eat fish and meat on Shabbos.
On Shabbos there is also a chiyuv to eat hot, cooked food that gets better as it cooks, to prove the Tzedukim wrong. There is also a minhag to eat eggs as a sign of aveilus since Moshe Rabbeinu was niftar on Shabbos.
The Rambam in Hilchos Shabbos 30:9 says that a person is required to eat three meals on Shabbos, and in each meal you need to be kove’a it with wine. The Radvaz says that this wine in not necessary Kiddush. We therefore have a lashon of Kiddush and a lashon of kvius. The Bais Yosef 391 is of the opinion that a person needs to make Kiddush at the third meal as well. The Maharam Elshaker says that besides for Kiddush at the meal, there is a separate chiyuv to drink wine to get oneg and simcha. There is a machlokes whether or not one needs to make a new bracha in middle of the meal, or if he is yotze with the bracha on Kiddush. The Gra says similar to the Toras Chaim, that since the meals of Shabbos are like the meals in the future in Olam Haba, we need fish and meat and wine like the Shor Habor and eivyasan and the Yayim Hameshumar.
In Shabbos 71, Reb Shimon ben Pazi says that one who eats the three meals on Shabbos will be saved from three punishments. He is saved from the chevlei Moshiach, from din of Gehinom, and the war of Gog and Magog. The explanation of this is that we find that the three tefillos of Shabbos were compiled for the three special Shabbosos; Shabbos Bereishis, Shabbos of Mattan Torah, and the Shabbos of Le’asid Lavo. Each Seuda corresponds to one of them. The night Seuda will save from chevlei Moshiach which corresponds to Shabbos Bereishis, as the world will be reestablished. The morning meal corresponds to Mattan Torah since one gets saved from Gehinom via learning Torah. The third seuda , which is k’neged Asid Lavo, will protect one from milchama of Gog and Magog, which will come right before Mashiach. That is why we eat the three foods of the World to Come, the meat, the fish, and the wine.
May we be zocheh to eat the meat, fish, and wine at the seuda of the Levyasan!