Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 6
The Third Meal of a Sabbath on the Eve of a Good Day
116. Like a king who held a feast for his only son, crowned him with the highest crown, and entrusted him with everything. That day is joy for all the people of the state. One officer, appointed over people’s judgment, had people in his possession that had to be killed, and people that had to be struck. But because of the glory of this day of the king’s joy, he put away his judgments and observed the king’s joy, so as not to afflict even a single person.
117. So is that day, the Sabbath; it is the feast of joy of the king with the queen, ZA and Malchut, and the joy of AVI. In it, upper and lower rejoice, all are happy with the king’s joy, and are not saddened in it. This is why it is written, “and call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’” a delight above, in the place of the upper holiness, in upper AVI, as it is written, “Then shall you delight yourself in the Lord,” above ZA, since delight is above the Lord, in AVI, above ZA. And that day, the Sabbath, the king’s feast of joy, is crowned with a crown of delight from upper AVI, as it is written, “and call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’” which is not present on the rest of the days.
118. On that day, the sons of the king must summon and set the table for three meals, because of the king’s glory. And when one of the three festivals or the New Year’s Eve falls on it, one should not set up two tables on each meal—one for the Sabbath and one for the guest, for the good day, since it is written that he always eats at the king’s table, for the king’s table is sufficient for the guest who comes to him. For this reason, one must set a complete table for the king and give of it to the guest.
119. When a guest, meaning a good day, arrives for the third meal of the Sabbath, does one leave it or not leave it? If the third meal is eaten, then the guest—meaning the meal of the second good day—is rejected from the king’s table, since one cannot eat the meal of the eve of the second good day with appetite because of to the third meal. And if one does not eat the third meal then there is a flaw in the king’s meals because the king, the Sabbath, is one meal short.
120. It is like a king who had a guest. He moved the food away from himself and gave it to the guest. It follows that although the king does not eat with him, he eats of the king’s food and the king gives him food. Here, too, the Sabbath cancels the third meal so the guest, which is the night of a second good day, will have good appetite for the meal. It follows that the meal of a good day is the food of the king, the Sabbath, since the Sabbath put away its meal for him, since he is the king’s guest. This is because the first good day occurs on the Sabbath; hence, he is the guest of the Sabbath. But this is not so on a Sabbath on the eve of a good day. The third meal is not canceled before a meal on the eve of a good day. This is about the two days of the beginning of the year, which applies both in the land of Israel, as well as for people abroad.
121. On that day, speech is forbidden, so your speech on the Sabbath will not be as that of a regular day, since all the faith ties into it.
122. How not to give the king’s meal to the guest, so as not to cancel the third meal before the meal of the eve of a good day that occurs on the eve of the Sabbath? After all, when the fourteenth of the month of Nissan occurs on the Sabbath, we cancel and set up the king’s meal, the third meal, for the guest, which is the meal of Passover night, even though the good day is not the Sabbath guest, but occurs on the first day [Sunday].
123. If the good day is the guest of the Sabbath, meaning it occurs on the Sabbath, it can cancel the third meal and set it up as the meal of the eve of the second good day. If it is not on the Sabbath, but begins on the first day, it does not cancel it, and he sets up a third meal for a meal of the eve of a good day, so he will eat with appetite.
But why when the fourteenth of Nissan occurs on the Sabbath, it rejects the king’s meal, the third meal, before the meal of Passover eve? Passover is different, since the third meal of the Sabbath is canceled on it for several reasons: Because of the Matzot and the bitter herbs, one should have a good appetite; and because of the leaven on Passover, since no bread has been available from the sixth hour onward, and setting a table without bread is not setting a meal.
124. Is it possible to call it a third meal with wine? Wine is permitted because it makes the heart hungry and does not spoil the desire for eating. But Rabbi Shimon tried not to cancel the meal of the Sabbath, the third meal, even on Sabbaths on which there were good days since on that day, the field of holy apples is blessed, meaning Malchut, and upper and lower are blessed, and this day is the connection of the Torah.
125. This is what Rabbi Shimon would do when he had to eat the third meal of the Sabbath: He would set up his table and engage in the Merkava [chariot/structure], and he would say, “This is the King’s meal, let Him come to eat at my place.” For this reason, the Sabbath is more important than all the occasions and the festivals, and it is called “holy,” and not “holy assembly.”
126. All the festivals are called “holy assemblies,” with the exception of Rosh Hashanah [New Year’s Eve] and Yom HaKippurim [Day of Atonement], in whom there is no joy because they are judgments. But those three—Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot—are summoned from holiness for everyone’s delight, to entertain themselves in the Creator on them, as it is written, “And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God,” and as it is written, “Rejoice before the Lord your God.” On that day of the Sabbath, any sorrow, anger, and indigence are removed from the whole world, since it is a day of the King’s joy, on which souls are added to Israel, in similarity with the next world.
127. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Remember it with wine, since wine is the joy of Torah, Mochin of illumination of Hochma that shine in ZA, who is called Torah. The wine of Torah is the Mochin of ZA, the joy of everyone. This wine delights the king, ZA, and this wine crowns the king with His crowns, in Mochin of GAR, as it is written, “Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon with the crown with which his mother has crowned him.” With everything, one should show an act below so as to awaken its corresponding root above, for there is holiness only in wine, as it is written, “For your love is better than wine.” This means that they are good because they are wine. And also, “We will extol your love more than wine,” which is why the Kiddush [blessing on the Sabbath] is over wine.
