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Havdalah (?????: Havdule) is a Jewish religious
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
 ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat
Shabbat

Shabbat or Shabbos , is the weekly day of rest in Judaism, symbolizing the seventh day in Genesis, after the six days of creation. Though it is commonly said to be the Saturday of each week, it is observed from sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night....
 and holidays, and ushers in the new week. In Judaism, Shabbat ends—and the new week begins—at nightfall on Saturday. Havdalah may be recited as soon as three stars are visible in the night sky. Some communities delay the Havdalah until later, in order to prolong Shabbat. If for some reason one cannot recite Havdalah on Saturday night, it may be observed as late as Tuesday evening.

Havdalah is normally recited over kosher wine
Kosher wine

Kosher wine is wine produced according to Judaism's Halakha, specifically, the Kashrut regarding wine. However, some non-Orthodox Judaism branches of Judaism are more "lenient" with these laws, ....
 or kosher grape juice
Grape juice

Grape juice is a juice obtained from crushing grapes. The juice is often fermentation and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar. In the wine industry grape juice which contains 7-23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds, is often referred to as "must"....
, although other beverages (except for water) may be used if wine or grape juice are not available.






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Havdalah (?????: Havdule) is a Jewish religious
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
 ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat
Shabbat

Shabbat or Shabbos , is the weekly day of rest in Judaism, symbolizing the seventh day in Genesis, after the six days of creation. Though it is commonly said to be the Saturday of each week, it is observed from sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night....
 and holidays, and ushers in the new week. In Judaism, Shabbat ends—and the new week begins—at nightfall on Saturday. Havdalah may be recited as soon as three stars are visible in the night sky. Some communities delay the Havdalah until later, in order to prolong Shabbat. If for some reason one cannot recite Havdalah on Saturday night, it may be observed as late as Tuesday evening.

Rebbehavdala
Havdalah is normally recited over kosher wine
Kosher wine

Kosher wine is wine produced according to Judaism's Halakha, specifically, the Kashrut regarding wine. However, some non-Orthodox Judaism branches of Judaism are more "lenient" with these laws, ....
 or kosher grape juice
Grape juice

Grape juice is a juice obtained from crushing grapes. The juice is often fermentation and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar. In the wine industry grape juice which contains 7-23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds, is often referred to as "must"....
, although other beverages (except for water) 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, and 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 the Sephardi community, branches of aromatic plants are used for this purpose. After Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur , also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are Atonement in Judaism and Repentance in Judaism....
, a candle is used but not spices.

Havdalah is intended to require a person to use all five senses. 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
Mitzvah

This article is about commandments in Judaism. For the Jewish rite of passage, see Bar Mitzvah and Bat MitzvahMitzvah is a word used in Judaism to refer to the 613 Mitzvot given in the Torah and the Mitzvah#Rabbinical_mitzvot instituted later for a total of 620....
 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
God of Abraham

God of Abraham is a traditional Hasidic Judaism Jewish prayer recited in Yiddish before the Havdalah, service after the conclusion of the Shabbat....
 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.

The text

The text of Havdalah contains an introductory paragraph, followed by four blessings; a blessing on the wine, on the spices, on the candle and on the separation between the holy and the mundane. See List of Jewish prayers and blessings
List of Jewish prayers and blessings

Listed below are some Hebrew language Jewish servicess and Berakhahs that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. This article addresses Jewish liturgical blessings, which generally begin with the formula:...
: Havdalah
List of Jewish prayers and blessings

Listed below are some Hebrew language Jewish servicess and Berakhahs that are part of Judaism that are recited by many Jews. This article addresses Jewish liturgical blessings, which generally begin with the formula:...
. The Ashkenazic
Ashkenazi Jews

File:Juden 1881.JPGAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish ethnic divisions of the Rhineland in the west of Germany....
 version of the text of the introductory paragraph made up of Bible verses (used by both Ashkenazic and Hasidic Jews) which come from Psalms
Psalms

Psalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible , included in the collected works known as the "Writings" or Ketuvim....
, the Book of Isaiah
Book of Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived in the second half of the 8th century BC. In the first 39 chapters, Isaiah prophesies doom for a sinful Judah and for all the nations of the world that oppose God....
 and the Book of Esther
Book of Esther

The Book of Esther is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and of the Historical Books of the Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim....
. Most chassidim and those following the Sefard
Nusach Sefard

Nusach Sefard is the name for various forms of the Jewish siddur, designed to reconcile Ashkenazi Minhag with the Kabbalah customs of the Isaac Luria....
 prayer rite recite the Yiddish prayer Gott fun Avrohom
God of Abraham

God of Abraham is a traditional Hasidic Judaism Jewish prayer recited in Yiddish before the Havdalah, service after the conclusion of the Shabbat....
. The introduction to the Sefardic version is slightly different.

The order of elements when havdala is combined with kiddush (e.g., on a Saturday night that is Yom Tov) is known by the acrostic Yaknhaz. This is the initial letters of Yayin (wine), Kiddush (blessing the day), Ner (candle), Havdala (the havdala blessing) and Zman (time, ie shehechiyanu).

External links

  • chabad.org
  • askmoses.com
  • in Israel
    Israel

    Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
     from