Havdallah

Don’t forget about Havdalah services. Havdalah means “separation” and is a service used to separate the holiness of the Sabbath from the rest of the week.  Through Havdalah, we ritually acknowledge the end of the utopian time we call Shabbat and reengage ourselves in the holy task of perfecting the world during the other six days.  Havdalah services can be short, held anywhere, and are a great way to start out a Saturday night program. The following are the essential prayers:

May the week to follow bring with it the sweetness symbolized by wine:


Wine
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, borei p'ri hagafen.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Tradition suggests that on the Sabbath, each Jew is given a second soul that departs when we make Havdalah. The fragrance of the spices "lifts" the body which has just been deprived of that extra soul:


Spices
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, 
borei minei v'samim.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of all kinds of spices.

While lighting candles marks both the beginning and the end of Shabbat, the Havdalah candle suggests the commencement of the work week because fire is so often an instrument of labor.

Fire
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, borei m'orei ha'eish.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the lights of fire.

Extinguishing this Havdalah candle, we recognize that we must make Shabbat special in order to truly distinguish it from the rest of the week. May we work hard this week so that we may know the beauty of Shabbat.

Separation
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam,
hamavdil bein kodesh l'chol, bein or l'choshech, 
bein Yisrael la'amim, bein yom hash'vi'i 
l'sheishet y'mei hama'aseh. 
Baruch atah Adonai, hamavdil bein kodesh l'chol.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Who distinguishes between sacred and ordinary, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of creation. Blessed are You, Adonai, who distinguishes between sacred and ordinary.

We sing joyously with the hope that this week will bring with it the beginnings of a perfect era,
a time when all people will live in harmony with one another and the environment:

Shavua Tov, Eliyahu Hanavi
Shavua Tov (8x)
Eiliyahu hanavi, Eiliyahu hatishbi, Eiliyahu, Eiliyahu,
Eiliyahu hagiladi. Bim'heira v'yameinu, yavo eileinu; im mashiach ben David, im mashiach ben David.
Elijah the prophet, Elijah the Tishbite. Elijah the Gileadite.
Soon, in our days, he will come to us with a Messiah, son of David.