 Havdalah
(Hebrew: הַבְדָּלָה, meaning 'separation') is a Jewish
religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of
Shabbat and holidays, and ushers in the new week.
Shabbat ends on Saturday night after the appearance of
three stars in the sky. Some communities delay the
Havdalah in order to prolong Shabbat.
See: Havdalah Sets
Ritual
Havdalah is recited over kosher wine or kosher grape
juice, although other beverages may be used if wine or
grape juice are not available. On completion of the
Shabbat, a special braided Havdalah candle with more
than one wick is lit, and a prayer is recited. It is
customary to gaze at one's fingernails reflecting the
light of the candle. Spices, often stored in a
decorative spice container, are handed around so that
everyone can smell the fragrance. In Sephardi and
Mizrahi communities, branches of aromatic plants are
used for this purpose. After Yom Kippur, a candle is
used, but not spices.
It has long been customary to beautify and honor the
Mitzvah of Havdalah by placing the spices in an
artistically beautiful spice box, called a besamim.
Havdalah is intended to require a person to use all
five senses—to taste the wine, smell the spices, see
the flame of the candle and feel its heat, and hear
the blessings.
According to some customs, at the conclusion of
Havdalah, the leftover wine is poured into a small
dish and the candle is extinguished in it, as a sign
that the candle was lit solely for the mitzvah of
Havdalah. Based on Psalms 19:9, "the commandment of
the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes," some Jews
dip a finger into the leftover wine and touch their
eyes or pockets with it. Because it was used for a
mitzvah, the wine is considered a "segulah," or good
omen.
When a major holiday follows Shabbat, the Havdalah
service is recited as part of the holiday kiddush. No
spices are used, and although the blessing is recited
over the candle, the candle used is not the special
braided Havdalah candle, but rather the Festival
candles that are lit. This variation shows that the
holiday time continues.
Some Hassidic Jews, particularly (though not
exclusively) women, recite the Yiddish prayer God of
Abraham before Havdalah. After the Havdalah candle, it
is customary to sing "Eliyahu Hanavi" and bless one
another with the words "Shavua' tov" (Hebrew) or "Gute
vokh" (Yiddish) (Have a good week). In some
households, the participants break into a dance.
[edit] The text
The central blessing of the Havdalah is the following
paragraph, of which there are variants[2] :
"Blessed art thou, God, our Lord, King of the Universe
Who distinguishes
Holiness from profanity,
Light from dark,
Israel from the nations,
The seventh day from the six workdays.
Blessed art thou, God,
Who distinguishes holiness from profanity."
The text of the Havdalah service exists in two main
forms, Ashkenazic and Sephardic. The introductory
verses in the Ashkenazic version (beginning הנה אל,
Hinei El) are taken from the biblical books of Isaiah,
Psalms and Esther. In the Sephardic liturgy, the
introduction begins with the words ראשון לציון, Rishon
L'tsion and consists of biblical verses describing God
giving light and success interspersed with later
liturgical prose. The four blessings over the wine,
spices candle and praising God for separation between
holy and profane are virtually identical between the
traditions. In Reconstructionist Judaism the phrase
ביו ישראל לעמים,bein Yisrael l'amim 'between Israel
and the nations' is omitted, as part of founder
Mordechai Kaplan's rejection of the idea of chosenness.
Popular tunes for the introductory paragraph of
Havdalah ('Hinei El Y'shuati') in the Ashkenazic rite
are The Rose (song) by Bette Midler and melodies by
Shlomo Carlebach and Neshama Carlebach. The Blessings
themselves are often sung to a tune made popular by
contemporary Jewish artist/composer Debbie Friedman.
Most chassidim and those following the Sefard prayer
rite recite the Yiddish prayer Gott fun Avrohom. The
introduction to the Sefardic version is slightly
different. See List of Jewish prayers and blessings:
Havdalah.
Following a normal Shabbat, the order of the prayers
corresponds to the acrostic יבנ"ה "Yavneh", with the
initials Yayin (wine), Besamim (spices), Ner (candle),
and Havdalah (the Havdalah prayer).[3] The order of
elements when Havdala is combined with kiddush (e.g.,
on a Saturday night that is 'Yom Tov' (i.e.,
literally, 'Good Day') is known by the acrostic
Yaknhaz.[4] This is the initial letters of Yayin
(wine), Kiddush HaYom (blessing the day), Ner
(candle), Havdala (the Havdala blessing) and Zman
(time, i.e. shehechiyanu).
References
1: Book of Psalms - Chapter 19
2: "Judaism 101: Havdalah Home Ritual".
3: "Parashat Toldot". Jerusalem, Israel: Shema Yisrael
Torah Network. 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
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