Guest Author - Lauren Tuchman
Havdalah, which is derived from the Hebrew word meaning to separate is a brief yet incredibly meaningful ceremony we perform to mark the conclusion of Shabbat and festivals. Judaism is a tradition which is intensely aware of the power that sanctified time has. Havdalah is a tangible way of demarcating the end of sacred time and the beginning of secular or mundane time. On Saturday evening, Shabbat has officially concluded once three stars are visible in the sky and Havdalah may not be made prior to this time. Although Havdalah denotes the end to the Shabbat and the ushering in of the new work week, we hope that we are able to carry some of the holiness of the Shabbat with us throughout the week. It is preferable that one make Havdalah over a cup of kosher wine or grape juice. If either is not available, a limited number of other liquids may be substituted. If one is not making Havdalah over wine or grape juice, one substitutes the Shehakol blessing for Borei Pri Hagafen. A candle containing at least two wicks and fragrant spices are also required for Havdalah. If one does not have a braided Havdalah candle, one may take two ordinary candles and either hold them close together or twist them together. Cloves and bay leaves are popular to use for the spices.
Although it is a brief ceremony, Havdalah is incredibly meaningful, especially when made with others. When a group gathers to make Havdalah, either one person will lead or all will say Havdalah together. Typically, the leader will recite the first paragraph, which begins “Hinei El” and the group will sing the four brachot (blessings) that are the core of Havdalah together. The late Debbie Friedman, a prolific composer of Jewish liturgical and other music composed a melody for the Havdalah blessings which is incredibly popular and is used most often in liberal settings.
The first bracha (blessing) that is recited following the Hinei El paragraph is Borei Pri Hagafen, the blessing made over the wine or grape juice. Just as we make Kiddush to sanctify the Shabbat over a cup of kosher wine or grape juice, we bid it farewell in like manner. It is customary to fill the cup of wine to overflowing, symbolizing the fact that it is our wish to have an abundance of blessings during the week to come. The English translation of this blessing is as follows: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine. At this point, the cup is raised so that all may see it.
The second blessing is over the spices. On Shabbat, we each are given an extra or spiritual soul which leaves us at the time that Shabbat departs. Many Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) believed that our sense of smell was the only one of our five senses that had a direct impact upon our soul. Thus, by smelling the fragrant spices, we hope that we can take a bit of that extra spirituality we were given on Shabbat with us into the new week just beginning. The English translation of this blessing as is follows: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, Who creates fragrant spices. After this blessing has been said, the spices are passed around to each person to give each an opportunity to smell them.
The third blessing is made over the candle. This blessing is incredibly significant as it is a tangible sign of the fact that Shabbat has ended. It is the first time since lighting Shabbat candles that we have permitted to kindle a flame, as kindling a flame is one of the thirty-nine malachot or forbidden acts of creative labor on Shabbat. We use at least two wicks when saying this blessing because the blessing itself is in the plural form. The blessing is as follows: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, Who creates the illuminations of fire. Following this blessing, it is customary for one to look at ones fingernails as a means of benefiting from the candle’s light.
In the final blessing, we thank G-d for making many distinctions or separations. We thank G-d for separating between the sacred and the mundane, between light and darkness, between the Jewish people and the other nations of the world and between the Shabbat and the six days of work. The full text is as follows: Blessed are you, L-rd our G-d, Who separates between sacred and mundane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the other nations, between Shabbat and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, G-d, who separates between the sacred and the mundane.
After we say this blessing, either one person present will drink the majority of the wine or each person present will take a sip of the wine and then it is customary to extinguish the flame in the wine that is left over. Some also have the custom of dipping their fingers in the wine and then touching their eyelids as a sign that the light of the mitzvot will guide us as we begin the new week.
After Havdalah, it is also customary to sing several songs. The first, Shavuah Tov, hopes for a good week for all, a week filled with joy, peace and blessing. It is also customary to sing Eliyahu Ha-Navi, Elijah the Prophet.
