What is Needed?

Three things are needed for the havdalah ceremony:

• glass of kosher wine or grape juice
• some fragrant spices (cloves, cinnamon or bay leaves are commonly used)
• a special Havdalah candle

The wine is used to symbolize the joy of the Sabbath. The spices are smelled so that the sweetness of the Sabbath will be carried over into the work week. The candle is braided and has two wicks. The braiding symbolizes the unity found at the end of the Sabbath. Since the blessing refers to "lights of the fire" in the plural, two wicks are used in one candle to enable one to extinguish them at the same time. If a havdalah candle is not available, one can hold two candles together so that their wicks burn together one flame.

Havdalah spice boxes and candles can be purchased at most synagogues or online. Making home-made spice boxes and havdalah candles can be a fun, family craft project.

• Family Craft: Havdalah Braided Candle
• Family Craft: Havdalah Spice Box

How To Do Havdalah?

The Havdalah service marks the end of the Sabbath, and therefore should be performed only after nightfall on Saturday night. Nightfall is the time when three stars can be seen in the sky. The most pleasant way to perform the ceremony is to have all the participants stand close together in a circle and to dim the lights so candle light becomes the focus.

The Havdalah Service

The service begins with Biblical verses that praise God as our savior. Then blessings are recited over the wine, the spices and the candle. The service concludes with the Havdalah blessing.

Biblical Verses

The braided candle is lit and held by a child if one is present.

The leader raises a cup of wine and says:

Hinei eil y'shu'ati, evtach v'lo efchad, ki ozi v'zimrat Yah Adonai va'y'hi li lishua.

Behold, God is my savior, I will trust in God and will not be afraid, because my strong faith and song of praise for God will be my salvation.

(Isaiah 12:2)

Ush'avtem mayim b'sason mima'ay'nei ha-y'shua.

You shall joyfully draw water out of the wells of salvation.

(Isaiah 12:3)

La'Adonai ha-y'shua, al amcha virkhatecha, sela.

God is our savior, may God bless God's people.

(Psalms 3:9)

Adonai tzva'ot imanu, misgav lanu Elohei Ya'akov, sela.

God of the universe is with us, the God of Jacob is a fortress protecting us.

(Psalms 46:12)

Adonai tz'va'ot ashrei adam botei'ach bach.

God of the universe, happy is the person who trusts You.

(Psalms 84:13)

Adonai hoshiya ha-melech ya'aneinu v'yom koreinu.

God, redeem us. The King will answer on the day we call.

(Psalms 20:10)

All participants say together the joyous words that were spoken by the Jews when they were saved from the plot of Haman:

La'y'hudim hayta ora v'simcha v'sasonvikar, kein t'hiyeh lanu.

The Jewish People had light and joy and gladness and dignity, So may we be blessed.

(Esther 8:16)

The leader raises a cup of wine and says:

Kos y'shu'ot eisa u'v'sheim Adonai ekra.

I will lift the cup of salvation and call upon God's name.

(Psalms 116:13)

The Blessing over the Wine

The leader says:

Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, borei peri ha-gafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

The wine is put down without anyone drinking from it.

The Blessing over the Spices

The leader says:

Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, bo oerei minei v'samim.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Creator of many kinds of spices.

The spices are passed around so that all participants can sniff them.

The Blessing over the Candle

The candle that was kindled at the beginning of the ceremony is raised high, and the leader says:

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheynu Melekh Ha'olam boray me'oray ha'esh.

Blessed are you, Oh L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe who has created the light of the fire.

All participants hold their hands, with half-clenched fingers, up to the light of the candle so that their fingernails catch the reflection of the light. Why? Some believe this creates shadows which, as the blessing says, makes a distinction between light and darkness. Others believe that we should make use of the light after blessing it.

The Havdalah Blessing

The leader says:

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheynu Melekh Ha'olam, ha'mavdil, bayn kodesh le'chol, bayn or le'choshech, bayn Yisra'el la'amim, bayn yom ha'shevi'i le'sheshet yemay ha ma'aseh.

Blessed are you, Oh L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe who created a distinction between the holy and the profane, between the light and darkness, between Isra'el and the nations, between the seventh day and the rest of the week.

Baruch ata Adonai, ha'mavdil bayn kodesh le'chol.

Blessed are You, Oh L-rd our G-d who made a distinction between the sacred and the profane.

All participants can now taste the wine. It is customary to spill some of the wine into a saucer, and then to extinguish the candle by dipping it into the wine in the saucer. This symbolizes the Sabbath influence spilling over into the work week

Songs

The Havdalah ceremony may be concluded by singing songs. Two traditional songs are Shavua Tov and Eliahu HaNavi.

Shavua Tov (A Good Week):

Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov, Shavua tov.

A good week, a week of peace, may gladness reign and joy increase.

Eliahu Ha'Navi:

Eliahu Ha'Navi, Eliahu Ha'Tishbi, Eliahu Ha'Giladi.

Bimheira, yavo aleinu, im mashiach ben David, im mashiach ben David.

Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah the Gileadite.

With speed, Come to us, With the Messiah, The son of David.