Havdalah
In Judaism, the concept of making distinctions and separations permeates many facets of religious life. We distinguish between holy
time and mundane, or ordinary, time. We declare certain books to be holy and distinguish them in the way we study and treat
them, from books which are mundane. We treat holy spaces with particular reverence. The Torah teaches that God created the world by making distinctions, first between light and darkness, next between water and empty space, finally between
earth and water. We, too, make distinctions in our lives, and primary among them is the distinction between sacred time and
ordinary time. To mark the beginning of sacred time, we light two candles and recite a berakhah (blessing) which praises God who commanded us to kindle the lights in celebration of the occasion. We mark the end of that
sacred time period with a ceremony called Havdalah, which means "separation." It, too, begins with light, as we kindle a braided
candle. The most common time to perform the ceremony of Havdalah is weekly at the end of Shabbat when three stars appear in the sky. Havdalah is also performed at the end of other festivals and holy days.
The primary symbols of Havdalah are the braided candle, kiddush cup containing wine, and spice box containing
sweet-smelling spices. The lighted candle symbolizes the light of Shabbat and the strands of the braid have been interpreted
as the many types of Jews in the world, all of whom are part of one unified people. The wine is, as always, a symbol of joy.
We take one last sip of the joy of Shabbat as we bid the sabbath goodbye for another week. Similarly, the sweet-smelling spices
symbolize the sweetness of Shabbat, whose pleasant aroma we breath in one last time that it might last us through the week
to come until we can welcome Shabbat again. There is also a birchat havdalah which praises God for making distinctions,
particularly the distinction between the holy and the mundane. The ceremony ends with singing Eliyahu HaNavi in the
hopes that Elijah the Prophet will come to herald the messianic age when the world will become one long Shabbat.
For the Havdalah service, a kiddush cup is traditional filled to overflowing as an expression of hope that
the coming week will be a good one. The tradition arises from an earlier custom that the spilling of wine can protect you
from evil spirits. Say:
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Hineh El yishuati evtach v'lo efchad. Ki azi vzimrat ya, Adonai vayahee li l'yeshua. U'shavtem mayim b'sason
ha'yeshua. La'Adonai ha'yeshua al amcha birchatecha sela. Adonai tzvaot imanu misgav lanu elohei yaakov sela. (Those present
respond) La'yehudim hayta orah v'simcha v'sason v'ikar ken tiyehah lanu. (Leader repeats and then lifts the kiddush
cup and continues). Kos yeshuot esah u'bshem Adonai ekra.
Behold, God is my unfailing help; I will trust in God and will not be afraid. The Lord is my strength and
song; God is my Deliverer. With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. The Lord alone is our help; May God
bless our people. The Lord of the universe is with us; The God of Jacob is our protection. (Those present respond)
There was light and joy, gladness and honor for the Jewish people. So may we be blessed. (Leader repeats and then continues.
Lift the kiddish cup here.) I will lift the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. |
Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, borei p’riy ha-gafen.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King
of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Set the cup down without drinking from it and recite the blessing over the spices.
Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, borei minei v'samim.
Pass the spice container around so that each person can inhale the scent. Then say the blessing over the Havdalah
candle.
Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, borei m'orei ha'eish.
Next everyone raises their hands and looks at their fingernails in the light of the flame and watches the play
of shadow and light on their hands. One explanation for this tradition is that it is a sign of the pleasure derived from the
light. Another is that the reflection of the light on the fingernails casts a shadow on the palm which shows the distinction
between light and darkness, and the end of Shabbat. The legal reason for this practice is that it is important that the participants
utilize the light so that the blessing over it is not made in vain and this is one way of utilizing the light. The final blessing
is recited:
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Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam hamavdil bein kodesh l'hol, bein or l'choshech, bein yisrael
l'amim, bein yom hashvi'i l'shset ymei ha'ma'ase. Barukh ata Adonai Hamavdil bein Kodesh l'chol.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, ruler of the world, who separates the holy from the mundane, light from darkness,
Israel from the other peoples, the seventh day of rest from the six days of work. Blesed are You, Lord, who separates the
holy from the mundane. |
Take a sip of wine or juice. Men traditionally have been the only ones to drink because of a superstition that
if a woman drinks from the Havdala glass, she will grow a beard. Another explanation is related to the story of Eve eating
from the Tree of Knowledge, which grew grapes to make wine.
After drinking the wine, many people have the custom to pour the remaining liquid onto a plate and douse the
flame in it.
Source: Rabbi Scheinerman's homepage and Cardin, Rabbi Nina Beth. The Tapestry of Jewish Time. NJ: Behrman House, 2000. Kolatch, Alfred J. The Jewish Book of Why. NY: Jonathan David Publishers, 1989.
