• After the havdalah ceremony, it is customary to recite the "V'yiten Lecha" prayer, which consists of a selection of verses containing G‑d's promises to shower blessings upon the Jewish people. Some follow the beautiful practice of reciting this prayer together with another, with both reading from one prayerbook, thus wishing all the blessings contained therein directly upon another individual.
    In Ashkenazi synagogues, this prayer is recited before the havdalah, as part of the Saturday night evening service.
  • The Shabbat afterglow does not end with the havdalah service. It is therefore customary to continue wearing Shabbat finery on Saturday night, and many have the custom of lighting candles on the table after the havdalah.
  • This meal is devoted to Elijah the Prophet, King David, and MoshiachSometime on Saturday night it is customary to partake of a meal, called a Melaveh Malka, "Accompanying the [Shabbat] Queen," meal. Ideally, one should wash and eat bread or challah at this meal.
  • According to tradition, there is a microscopic bone in the body called the luz bone. This bone is indestructible, and it is from this bone that G‑d will reconstruct the entire body when the time arrives for the Resurrection of the Dead. (Today, with our understanding of how DNA works, this age-old tradition doesn't seem so far-fetched...) This bone receives its only sustenance from the Melaveh Malka meal.
  • This meal is devoted to Elijah the Prophet, King David, and Moshiach. The hymns traditionally sung at this meal focus on these illustrious personalities. Various reasons are given for paying homage to these people on Saturday night. For the sake of brevity, we will suffice with one reason for each:
    The Midrash says that every week Elijah inscribes the merits of all those who observed the Shabbat, thus devoting this meal to his honor is our way of expressing gratitude.
    The three meals of the Shabbat correspond to the three Patriarchs. According to kabbalah, the Patriarchs form three of the "wheels" of the merkavah, the Divine "Chariot," with King David serving as the fourth. Thus this post-Shabbat repast is devoted to David — and his royal dynasty which will once again blossom with the coming of Moshiach.
    Furthermore, Shabbat, the Day of Rest, is considered to be a "taste" of the Messianic Era. When the day departs, we hope and yearn for the "real thing" — when Elijah will announce the arrival of Moshiach, the righteous scion of the House of David.
  • It is customary amongst chassidim to retell stories of tazaddikim (righteous people) at the Melaveh Malka meal.