Melaveh Malkah

Melaveh Malkah (also, Melave Malka or Melava Malka) (Hebrew: מלווה מלכּה‎‎, lit. "Escorting the Queen") is the name of a meal that, as per halakha, is customarily held by Jews after their Sabbath (Shabbat), in other words, on Saturday evening. The intent of the meal is to figuratively escort the "Sabbath Queen" (the traditional metaphor for Shabbat in Jewish liturgy) on her way out via musical performances, singing and eating, as one would escort a monarch upon his departure from a city. This meal is alternatively called "the fourth meal."

The source for the custom is found in the Babylonian Talmud:

A man shall always set his table after Shabbat — even though he needs but a ke'zayit of chamin [meaning, even though he is quite full and satisfied.

This custom is also referred to as Se'udata d'David Malka Meshicha (Aramaic: סעודתא דדוד מלכא משיחא), "The meal of David, King Messiah." King David asked God when he would die and God revealed to him that he would die on a Shabbat. From that time on, David made a meal for the members of his household at the conclusion of each Shabbat to thank God that he was still alive.

According to the Kaf Hachayim, the luz bone — which is located at the base of the skull where the knot of the head tefillin is placed, and which God will use to "reconstruct" a person at the time of techias hameisim — is nourished solely from the meal of Melaveh Malkah (Kaf Hachayim 300:1-2).

Rabbi Isaac Luria is claimed to have said that the 'additional soul' (Hebrew: נשמה יתרה‎‎) which is given to each Jew for the duration of each Shabbat does not leave a person until after the Melaveh Malkah. For this reason, many people refrain from work and remain in their Shabbat clothes until after Melaveh Malkah.

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