Come to eat, learn, and share songs and niggunim (wordless melodies) that capture the joy and longing of Shabbat afternoon. Scroll down to check out some melodies we'll be singing!

You are welcome to come early, at 5:00 PM, to help with some simple food preparation or just to schmooze in the kitchen. We will plan to start eating and singing around 5:30.

There will be a simple meal with kid-friendly options, delicious treats from Lilybug Baking, and the warm energy of communal song, but we will not be singing with instruments during Shabbat. We anticipate singing and eating until about 7:30 PM.

If you are excited for singing with instruments, check out our Musical Kabbalat Shabbat on May 9th, which will end before sundown and be followed by a potluck.

Melodies for Seudah Shlishit

On Shabbat services during Pesach, we read from the biblical love poem, the Song of Songs (Shir haShirim). As we count the days of the Omer to mark the time from Pesach to Shavuot, we continue to dwell on these verses. Shir haShirim is the source text for countless Jewish melodies. Here are a few we are planning to sing at Seudah Shlishit this week, in case you want to listen beforehand!

• Ani Y'sheina (I sleep, but my heart is awake...)
  • Recording by Rabbi Josh Cahan (click where it says "Load Recordings"—it's the first one)
• Hashmi'ini et Koleich (Let me hear your voice...)
  • Recording by Ehud Banai on Spotify or Apple Music
• Kamti (I rose to open to my beloved...)
  • Recording by Rabbi Shefa Gold
• Dodi li (My beloved is mine...)
  • Video from the Milwaukee Children's Choir
• Ani L'dodi (I am my beloved's...)
  • From Batya Levine's new album on Bandcamp or Spotify or Apple Music.

About Seudah Shlishit

Seudah Shlishit, meaning "Third Meal," is the traditional meal eaten on Shabbat afternoon as Shabbat draws to a close (Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch are the first two official meals of Shabbat). In the winter, we called these gatherings Melaveh Malka, meaning "Escorting the Queen," which is a joyous musical celebration at the end of Shabbat after havdalah to keep the energy from Shabbat with us as we start the new week. For those gatherings, we started with Seudah Shlishit and moved into havdalah and Melaveh Malka as the night grew dark.