Havdalah is a traditional ceremony that is rich in symbols and religious significance and marks the conclusion of Shabbat or the Sabbath (or a festival). Havdalah literally means separation. It is the same word used several times in Genesis to signify HaShem’s original creative act of distinguishing light from darkness (Genesis 1:4), the primordial waters from the heavens (Genesis 1:6–7), and day from night (Genesis 1:14). An ancient ceremony that goes back more than 2,000 years, Havdalah emphasizes the distinction between the sacred and the ordinary, the departing Sabbath (or festival) and the following regular weekday.

The conclusion of the Sabbath is a time of apprehension and sorrow, when Jews must relinquish their extra Sabbath souls and return to their ordinary states. The Zohar relates that Joseph, Moses, and David all died before sundown on the Sabbath day. As three stars appear in the sky (about 42 minutes after sunset), ending the 25-hour respite from the pressures of daily life, Jews must once again shoulder the stress and burdens of the workday world.

Havdalah consists of three blessings—over wine, sweet-smelling spices, and light—followed by the major benediction that deals with the separation or distinction that HaShem has made “between the holy and the profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the other nations, and between the seventh day and the six working days.” In the Middle Ages during the period of the Crusades, the pupils of Rashi added an introductory set of seven scriptural verses (from Isaiah, Psalms, and Esther) to be recited when Havdalah is said in the home. Beginning with “Behold, the God who gives me triumph” (Isa. 12:2),² these verses stress that in the past Jews have successfully trusted in HaShem and relied on divine assistance in times of trouble, expressing confidence that in the future HaShem will continue to be a fortress of strength when needed. Although not an obligatory part of the ceremony, the recitation of these verses is regarded as a “good omen” and has become standard practice.³

According to a midrash, Adam became frightened as the skies darkened at the end of the first Sabbath, as he contemplated the unknown dangers that he and Eve would face as they emerged from the sheltered confines of the Garden of Eden. To allay his fear, HaShem taught the first couple how to strike two flints together to make fire, and Adam gratefully declared, “Praised be He, the Creator of Light!”⁴This was the origin of the custom of kindling fire in the form of a candle at the end of the Sabbath.⁵ This legend may have been a response to the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus, who after stealing fire from heaven and giving it to humans, was chained to a rock and tortured by order of Zeus. In contrast to the Greek gods, who were jealous of the accomplishments of mortals, the God of Israel personally gave the gift of fire to human beings and has provided them the opportunity for continual progress.⁶

Wine is the preferred beverage for the Havdalah ceremony. However, one may also use any drink “common to the land” (except water), which many authorities consider to include beer, milk, coffee, tea, and fruit juice.⁷ The cup of wine is filled to overflowing to symbolize the wish for abundant blessings. This is based on an haggadic interpretation of the biblical verse that HaShem “will bless your bread and your water” (Exod. 23:25). A household where “wine flows like water” is regarded as within the framework of this divine blessing (Er. 65a), and this may be emphasized by pouring some wine on the ground. At the end of the Havdalah ceremony, some Jews dampen their fingertips with the last drops of wine in the cup and touch them to their eyelids and pockets to bring good luck during the upcoming workweek.⁸

The fragrant spices refresh and revive the spirit and dispel the sadness accompanying the end of the Sabbath day. A mystical reason is that the spices either provide spiritual compensation for the additional soul that each observant Jew figuratively possesses on the Sabbath day,⁹ which Rashi defined as a unique feeling of rest and contentment, or that they symbolize the spiritual farewell “feast” for that extra soul.¹⁰ In ancient times, before forks came into use, it was customary to cleanse the hands after a meal by passing them over spices on hot coals. On the Sabbath, this custom could not be performed. However, after the third Sabbath meal was eaten at dusk, the spices could be brought in and thus they became associated with the Havdalah service.¹¹

A braided multi-wick candle is customarily used for Havdalah, based on the Talmudic recommendation that the ideal way to perform the mitzvah is to employ a “torch” that sheds a greater light (Pes. 103b). If this is not available, it is permissible to use two ordinary single-wick candles held so that their flames merge together.¹² A compound light is required in keeping with the blessing borei me’orei ha-esh (Who creates the flaming lights). Unlike Sabbath, festival, and memorial candles, the Havdalah candle is extinguished at the end of the ceremony.¹³

A popular explanation for holding the candle and reciting a blessing over it is that light was HaShem’s first creation on the first day of the week. While saying the blessing for the light, it is customary to spread one or both hands toward the flame and examine the shadows playing on the palm of the hand and the nails of the fingers.

The order of the blessings in the Havdalah ceremony may reflect a hierarchy in the human senses. The sense of taste (wine) is the lowest and least refined. Smell (spices) is more sensitive than taste (an odor also can be detected at a distance) but less advanced than the sense of sight (candle). Even higher than the senses is the intellect, which can distinguish between two things (Sabbath and regular weekdays).¹⁴

According to tradition, the prophet Elijah, the messenger of the good tidings of the coming of the Messiah, will not arrive on Friday when everyone is busy preparing for the Sabbath or on Saturday, when Jews are at rest. Consequently, he is expected immediately after the Sabbath ends. Therefore, at this time many Jews sing Eliyahu Hanavi (Elijah the prophet), which expresses the hope that Elijah will arrive during the coming week and usher in the era of redemption for Israel and all humanity.¹⁵ Another hymn that is frequently sung at the conclusion of the Havdalah ceremony is Hamavdil (Who distinguishes), which asks the God who differentiates between the holy and the profane to pardon our sins and to multiply our offspring (and our wealth), making them as numerous “as the sand and as the stars in the night.” These are the same biblical symbols for limitlessness as in HaShem’s promise to Abraham concerning his descendants (Gen. 22:17). Finally, it is customary to wish one another a good week, typically in either Hebrew (shavuah tov) or Yiddish (gut voch).

If a person cannot recite Havdalah on Saturday evening or forgets to do so at that time, it is permissible to perform the ceremony any time through Tuesday of the coming week (from Wednesday on, Jews are presumably making preparations for the next Sabbath).¹⁶

Throughout the ages, many people have preferred to eat their main meal after Havdalah, when they could have freshly cooked food. Since the Rabbis could not prevent this practice, they insisted that this meal be considered a farewell feast in honor of the departing Sabbath Queen and termed it melaveh malkah (escorting the queen). The Saturday evening meal is also associated with King David, the ancestor of the Messiah. The Talmud relates that in answer to his plea, “Tell me, O Lord, what my term is” (Ps. 39:5)¹⁷, David was informed that his death would occur on a Sabbath. Therefore, after each Sabbath, King David would celebrate because he knew he would live for at least one more week.¹⁸

Spice Box

The blessing over aromatic spices is one of the rituals of Havdalah, the ceremony that marks the conclusion of the Sabbath. During the Middle Ages, perhaps in memory of the incense used in the Temple service, it was customary to greet and bid farewell to the Sabbath with fragrant spices, initially myrtle and later precious spices that were often stored in special glass containers. Smelling the spices at Havdalah also compensates the Jew for the loss of the “extra soul” that departs with the close of the Sabbath day. According to an ancient legend, the fires of Gehinnom (netherworld) that are rekindled at the end of the Sabbath produce such an appalling odor that the Havdalah spices are needed to guard against it.¹

Today, the spice box is a favorite creation of ceremonial artists, and over the centuries it has been constructed in a multitude of ways. Because spices came from the faraway Orient and were extremely expensive, Europeans guarded them as treasures, often in spice towers. Therefore, Ashkenazi spice boxes were sometimes made in the shape of a tower topped with a pennant and having a clock face to indicate the time when the Sabbath ended that week. Other spice boxes took the form of fruit, animals, and (later) even trains. During the Inquisition, Conversos disguised spice boxes as ornamental pieces or children’s toys to hide their Jewish symbolism from the authorities.

At the end of a festival that does not fall on a Saturday night, only the blessing over wine and the major Havdalah blessing are said. The introductory verses and the blessings for spices and light are omitted. If the end of the Sabbath coincides with the onset of a festival, Havdalah is still recited. However, the blessing for spices is omitted, since the festival (yom tov) is regarded as sufficient “fragrance” to compensate for the loss of the Sabbath (Pes. 102b).¹⁹

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Things needed:

braided, multi-wicked candle

Glass of wine

fragrant spices (cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves)

Leviticus 10:10

“You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the clean and the unclean.”

The Havdalah ceremony begins with the reading of:

Isaiah 12:2-3

Psalm 116:13

Lift the cup, but do not drink at this time.

Blessing over the wine:

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheynu melekh ha’olam, borei pri hagafen.

Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

Blessing over the spices:

A special spice box is usually used but anything that will hold the spices may be used.  Smelling the spices helps distinguish special fragrance from the more ordinary.

Barukh atah Adonai Eloheynu melekh ha’olam, borei minei v’samim.

Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the universe, Creator of different types of spices.

Blessing over the fire:

The Havdalah candle represents light, the first element created by HaShem at the beginning of the first week.  After the candle is lit, hold your hands close to see the reflection of the flame on your nails and the shadows on your palms.

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheynu melekh ha’olam, borei me-orei ha-esh.

Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the universe, Creator of the light of the fire.

The Hamavdil–the blessing over the separation of different things

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheynu, melekh ha’olam, hamavdil bein kodesh lechol bein or lechoshekh bein yisrael laamim bein yom hashevii lesheshet yemei hammaseh barukh atah Adonai hamavdil bein kodesh lechol Amein.

Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, King of the universe, who distinguishes between the holy and the profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work.  Blessed are You, HaShem, Who distinguishes between the holy and the profane.  Amen.

After the blessing, spill a small amount of wine onto a plate , then drink from the cups.  After, extinguish the candle into the wine that was spilled on the plate.  Some do this with all the lights out so that when the candle is extinguished, you are in complete darkness.  Then turn on the lights and sing Eliyahu Hanavi and wish everyone a Shavua Tov (A good week)!