My Last Shabbat. . .

(First, a hearty welcome to my new non-Jewish visitors; a glossary is provided below to help explain the "Hebrish" I constantly use in my writing. It is an honor to have you among my readers!)

It is erev Shabbat again (you've heard of "t-g-i-S," right?) and while I'm waiting to light the candles I thought it would be a good time to BLOG (oy, have I got it bad!)
I apologize to my readers for not blogging (whaddaya mean, ya didn't notice?!) for a whole week plus; we had a thunderstorm here in yenemsville and it fried our modem. So no internet for a week. Talk about withdrawal. . .

I had been thinking about something I found out some years ago when I was learning with a learn-ed chevruta (learning partner). Part of the Oneg Shabbat* is partaking of the three traditional meals on Shabbat, the first being Friday night, and the other two during the day.

There was a beautiful kiddush (sanctification) we did when we had our seudah shlishit*, which I have not heard anyone else do. Of course, there is a specific kiddush for Friday night, and kiddusha rabbah* for the second seudah, the "morning meal" or "lunch" depending on what time the davening* ends. We usually don't begin eating the seudah sheniyah before one o'clock in the afternoon (that's Chabad* for you)!

Anyway, I learned that there is also a third kiddush, one which is not generally recited; in fact, many people to whom I've spoken about it, have never even heard of it.

I don't have time to quote it directly because I really have to run downstairs and light candles in 9 minutes, so I'll quote a little from memory: "ichluhu hayom ki lo timtze'u otoh basadeh. . . "
It's about the mann, or "manna" as it is said in English. Sometimes when I have seudah shlishit by myself, I recite this kiddush.

I would love to hear from someone who knows the origins of this, and also why, if it is customary to have three meals, do we not sanctify the third meal with a kiddush.

At any rate, my challot are under the challah dekel* my kids gave us as a gift after they made aliyah*, the chicken is roasting, the soup heating, the sauteed kale-onions-and-mushrooms kaling (and onioning...and mushrooming), the table is set with the special tablecloth I bought in Israel-the one that reminds me of my grandmother's oilcloth - and as this is Shabbat parashat Nitzavim/vaYelech*, the last Shabbat of the year 5767 before Rosh Hashana*, I wish everyone a Shabbat Shalom, and also a ktivah ve-hatimah tovah.* There is a good chance I won't get to blog before Rosh Hashana, so. . .
See you next year!

*Glossary:
Oneg Shabbat = the joy of celebrating the Sabbath
Seudah shlishit = the third meal
Kiddusha Rabbah = The small kiddush we say Shabbat morning; called "rabbah" or great, just because it is small-to compensate!
Davening = Praying (in synagogue)
Chabad = The Lubavitcher Hassidim
Challah dekel = Challah cover
Aliyah = going "up" to live in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel
Parashat Nitzavim/vaYelech = The Torah portion of the week read on Shabbat
Rosh Hashana = The Jewish New Year
Ktivah ve-hatimah tovah = "May one be written and sealed for good (in the book of life)"