Special Effects
Holding a Melave Malka is a segula for many things: an easy childbirth, parnassa, health, and long life. It also elevates a person beruchniyus – by protecting him from lying, by serving as a tikkun for his past aveiros, and by sparing him from chibut hakever. (ליקוט סעודת מלוה מלכה)
The Midrash tells of a special bone in the spine, called luz, which did not benefit from Eitz HaDaas, for it can only benefit from the seuda of Melave Malka. This bone cannot be destroyed, and from it, HaShem will bring everyone back to life at Techiyas HaMeisim.
The Rebbe explains that since the Melave Malka connects Shabbos and weekday, giving strength and bracha to the entire week ahead, it benefits the luz bone, which will bring life into the rest of the body in the future. (ב"ר כ"ה, ג, ב"י או"ח סי' ש', לקו"ש חל"ו ע' 75)
Melave Malka is also called "the seuda of Dovid Malka Meshicha," since it is related to Dovid HaMelech and his role as Moshiach. That is why holding this seuda will hasten the coming of Moshiach. (לקו"ש ח"כ ע' 294)
At Melave Malka, some people follow the minhag of reciting a certain piyyut, each of whose stanzas ends with the words, Al tira avdi Yaakov –"Do not fear, My servant Yaakov." The Rebbe explains: After an entire day of not working, one may possibly be afraid that he has lost money, for his competition is open on Shabbos. However, HaShem promises, "Don't worry. If you observe the mitzvos, I will provide for you, just as a master must provide for a servant." (שיחו"ק תשי"ט ע' קסט)
A Meal's Merit
One day, responding to the request of the residents of a small Lithuanian town, the Baal Shem Tov dispatched one of his chassidim to be their rov. In that town there lived a talmid chacham who was supported by the contributions of his townsmen. The new rov, observing a lack of support for the communal charities, was displeased that all the money was being given to this individual, and announced that it was better to give less to one person and not neglect the needs of the public.
As a result, the contributions for this man slowly decreased. One Thursday, his wife came to the local beis midrash, as was her custom, to ask her husband for money to buy their family's Shabbos necessities. Being so distressed that he had nothing to give her, he wept, and his tears went straight to Shamayim, arousing a voice of prosecution against the rov. Finding the rov guilty for this charge (and another as well), the Beis Din shel Maalah handed over his verdict to the prosecutors, who decided that worse than killing him, they would turn him into an apikores.
Sure enough, that Shabbos, when he was standing wrapped in his tallis and ready for Shacharis, the rov was suddenly crazed by a burning desire to become a meshumad! Throwing off his tallis, he drank all the liquor that had been prepared for Kiddush, and rushed to the house of the priest on the outskirts of town. Hearing his desire, the priest – astonished but delighted –showed him to a room with lots of food and drink, and told him to wait there. The rov drank freely from a large bottle of liquor, and fell asleep nauseous on the floor. His townsmen, hearing what had happened, were shocked and dumbstruck.
Meanwhile, the Baal Shem Tov ascended Above to see how his talmidim were doing, as he did every Shabbos during Shalosh Seudos. When he saw his former talmid, the rov, sinking in the powers of kelipa, he appealed to the Beis Din shel Maalah. He listed the rov's many mitzvos, but they were not sufficient to annul the decree. The Baal Shem Tov then spoke up afresh, and pointed out that this rov had always been careful to observe Melave Malka. The Beis Din agreed that the rov be spared – but only on condition that he would observe it that night as well. The Baal Shem Tov descended immediately, and called over one of his close talmidim. He wrapped his holy gartl around him, handed him a loaf of challa and a slice of his own challa, and instructed him, "Go to the window where the light is shining and you will know what to do."
Without a word of question, the chossid set out on his mission. The Baal Shem Tov remained at the table, repeating again and again, levatala bechal klifin – "to annul all the kelipos!" The Chevraya Kaddisha realized that something was amiss.
The chossid passed the city limits, but all kinds of difficulties disrupted his travels. The roads were rough and his energy waned, so he cried out to HaShem, begging that he be enabled to fulfill his Rebbe's instructions. Suddenly, the journey became easier, and he felt the ground miraculously disappearing under his feet, until he saw a lantern shining from a distant window. Entering the open door, he saw a Yid lying on the floor in vomit, fast asleep. The watchman on duty told him that this was the local rov who had come to convert. The chossid now understood the purpose of his mission.
The rov soon awoke from his drunken stupor and immediately reached for more whiskey, but the chossid grabbed him, insisting that he first wash his hands and eat some challa for Melave Malka. As the rov tasted the holy challa, he was filled with kedusha, and this released him from the clutches of the powers of tuma.
"What have I done?" he cried. "No one can help me, except for the Baal Shem Tov. Only he can direct me to do teshuva – but he lives so far away!"
The chossid instructed him, "Hold onto my gartl and we will leave this place."
They stepped outside, and in only a few moments they found themselves in Mezhibuzh. They opened the door, and at the sight of the Baal Shem Tov and his chassidim sitting at their Melave Malka, the rov fainted. When he came to, he wept the bitter tears of a true baal teshuva. The Baal Shem Tov then taught him how to correct his past and continue on the proper path. (סיפו"ח זוין תורה ע' 274 , בשילוב רשימו"ד ח"א ע' י')
Consider
Why is Melave Malka so important that it brings with it so many brachos?
