| rdfs:comment | - It has long been customary to beautify and honor the Mitzvah of Havdalah by placing the spices in an artistically beautiful spice box. Spice boxes for Havdalah are among the most lovingly embellished objects of Jewish ceremonial art. Havdalah is intended to require a person to use all five senses-- to taste the wine, smell the spices, see the flame of the candle and feel its heat, and hear the blessings.
- Havdalah is the celebration at the end of shabbat. It celebrates the break in week that the sabbath gave us and serves to separate the holiness of shabbat from the ordinary days of the week. The Havdalah service is generally short. It starts at nightfall, approximately 1 hour after the sun sets on Saturday evening. It consists of prayers over wine (grape juice or another drink may be used), a Havdalah candle, a spice box, and sometimes a prayer specifically for Havdalah or the separation. Wine and spices are reminders of joy and sweet things in life. The Havdalah candle can be lit because the sabbath is now over. The celebration may also include singing and dancing.
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| abstract | - Havdalah is the celebration at the end of shabbat. It celebrates the break in week that the sabbath gave us and serves to separate the holiness of shabbat from the ordinary days of the week. The Havdalah service is generally short. It starts at nightfall, approximately 1 hour after the sun sets on Saturday evening. It consists of prayers over wine (grape juice or another drink may be used), a Havdalah candle, a spice box, and sometimes a prayer specifically for Havdalah or the separation. Wine and spices are reminders of joy and sweet things in life. The Havdalah candle can be lit because the sabbath is now over. The celebration may also include singing and dancing. What parts of the Havdalah celebrations do you like best?
* Judaism 101: Havdalah Home Ritual
* Wikipedia: Havdalah
* Jewish Virtual Library: Shabbat: Havdalah
- It has long been customary to beautify and honor the Mitzvah of Havdalah by placing the spices in an artistically beautiful spice box. Spice boxes for Havdalah are among the most lovingly embellished objects of Jewish ceremonial art. Havdalah is intended to require a person to use all five senses-- to 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 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 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.
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