("a meal"). A festive meal served either because of a special day or a special occasion (known as se'udat mitsvah, a feast [as the fulfillment] of a commandment).
Festive meals include the three Sabbath meals (see Se'Udah Shelishit), two meals on every festival day, the Purim afternoon feast, and the Passover Seder. The Bible also indicates a feast on the New Moon (see I Sam. 20:5; Isa. 1:13-14). At all the aforementioned meals, except for the one on Purim, the person reciting the blessing over the bread must do so over two whole loaves. A Jewish saying runs, "There is no feast without fish, meat, and wine," the rest of the meal being merely ancillary.
The idea of a festive meal celebrating an occasion of significance is already found in Genesis, where Abraham made a great meal to celebrate the weaning of his son Isaac (Gen. 21:8). Various such occasions are considered to call for a se'udat mitsvah---a meal of religious significance---including the day a boy is circumcised or has his Bar Mitzvah or a girl has her Bat Mitzvah, engagement and wedding receptions, throughout the week of
