Farewell To Shabbat
Havdalah is the name of the short ceremony we do after nightfall at the conclusion of Shabbat. The word havdalah literally means to differentiate or distinguish. This important mitzvah comes from the Torah’s command to “remember Shabbat to make it holy” both at its beginning and end.1 Shabbat ends at tzeit hakochavim when three medium-sized stars are visible at once in the evening sky.2 This time varies according to location and season. There are different opinions as to what exact time this is, ranging from around 50 minutes after sunset to 72 minutes after sunset. You can check this time on myzmanim.com with your precise location. The purpose of havdalah is to distinguish between the Shabbat that we just experienced and the week that we are about to enter.
When the time for the end of Shabbat comes, you can say “Baruch ha-mavdil bein kodesh le-chol,” (Blessed is the One Who divides between the sacred and the mundane.) Then, you are permitted to do all the “weekday” activities that are forbidden on Shabbat. But don’t forget to make havdalah! You will still need to make havdalah before eating.
Overflowing Blessing
The Gemara says making havdalah on wine is so important that those who is careful to do so properly merits Olam Haba (the World to Come).3 Some say this means you should save a little bit of wine from kiddush and use it for havdalah.4
There’s also a deeper meaning here. through kiddush we bring holiness into Shabbat and leave behind our regular, weekday work and worries. It’s a time to be closer to Hashem (God) and focus on spiritual things. Through havdalah we return to our everyday activities. In this way, kiddush is like a symbol for special, spiritual times, and havdalah is for our normal, day to-day lives. The Sages are teaching us that if we take some of that Shabbat holiness and bring it into our regular, everyday life, we’re living in a way that helps us earn a place in Olam Haba.5
What You Need
- A double-wicked candle (or two candles held with flames together). The candle reminds
us of the first (man-made) fire, which Adam created on the first Motzei Shabbat (Saturday
night) after he was expelled from Gan Eden and needed warmth.6 - A cup of wine or grape juice, which should be filled until it is overflowing slightly (this is a sign of blessing).
- Besamim, which are good-smelling spices like cloves, cinnamon, or anise. On Shabbat we each receive a neshama yeteira, an extra soul which provides us with extra spiritual sensitivity. As Shabbat departs, so does the extra soul. When we smell the besamim, the scent comforts our souls.7 Although any pleasant-smelling spice may be used, the standard custom is to use cloves, while some use haddasim, myrtle branches.8
How To Make Havdalah
- Light the candle.
- Hold the cup of wine or grape juice in your right hand.9
- Begin reciting the first pesukim (verses)of Havdalah and make a bracha (blessing) on the wine (Borei pri hagafen).
- Switch the cup to your left hand and hold the besamim in your right hand.
- Make a brachah on the besamim (borei mini besamim) and smell it.
- Make a blessing on the fire (borei meorei ha’aish). Then, hold your hands up to the flame and gaze at the reflection of the flame on your fingernails in order to benefit from its glow.10 As we prepare to embark on another week, we gaze at our fingernails which are a sign of abundant blessing, as they never stop growing.11
- Return the cup to your right hand.
- Finally, recite the bracha of hamavdil bein kodesh l’chol (He Who separates between holy and mundane) and drink the wine or grape juice.
- It is customary to extinguish the flame with leftover wine from the cup.
- If you drank most of the wine or grape juice, make a bracha acharona (after blessing).
(It is preferable for a woman to hear havdalah from a man, so if there is no man to make it one should consult a rabbi.)
Reviving Our Soul
During havdalah, we sniff at besamim, aromatic herbs, spices, or fruit. This is because the Gemara teaches that Hashem gives a neshama yeteirah, an “additional soul” to every Jew as Shabbat begins, and takes it away when Shabbat departs.
This is derived from the pasuk:
בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִוא לְעֹלָם כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְ־הֹוָה אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ.
Between Me and the children of Israel, it is forever a sign that [in] six days Hashem created the Heaven and the Earth, and on the seventh day He ceased and rested.
Shemos 31:17
The last two words of the pasuk, “shavat vayinafash,” can be understood in a different way: Once Shabbat stops (shavat), woe (vay) to him over the loss of his (additional) soul (nafash).12
Another Soul Within
As Shabbat enters, the soul of every Jew is uplifted by their neshama yeteirah. With the departure of Shabbat and the arrival of another mundane work week, this neshama yeteirah departs, and the soul will feel the lack. (A spiritually in-tune person will feel the loss more).
Of all the five senses, smell is the one which impacts the soul the most. The Sages therefore instituted that we smell besamim every motzei Shabbat (unless Sunday is a Yom Tov), in order to comfort the soul.13
What Is It?
What exactly is this “extra soul”? On a basic level, this refers to the fact that on Shabbat a person is more disposed toward relaxation, joy, and celebrating the holy day with extra food and drink.14 According to mystical sources, this “extra soul” is not a literal additional soul that every Jew receives on Shabbat. With the conclusion of Shabbat, this extra soul departs, and the remaining soul mourns the loss of the extra soul. The simple explanation of a neshama yeteira initially seems quite difficult to understand. However, it actually holds the key to an elevated concept.
Rashi defines the neshama yeteira as a “widened” heart for resting and happiness, so that one can eat and drink without the soul being repulsed by it.15 This seems astounding! Could the purpose of the neshama yetairah truly be so that we can rest, be happy, and eat vast amounts of food? Is this the exclusive “eternal sign” shared just between Hashem (God) and Bnei Yisroel (the Jewish Nation)? Furthermore, don’t we see that even gentiles, without this neshama yeteirah, seem to enjoy eating and drinking quite well?
Deeply Connected
Rav Isaac Sher explains that Hashem sanctified the day of Shabbat by establishing this system of a neshama yeteirah, which envelops each and every Jew on this sacred day. This additional soul brings purity and a deeper connection to Hashem, specifically through physical rest and enjoyment. Normally, increased involvement in the physical world creates distance and a barrier between us and Hashem, causing the soul to be repulsed by physical indulgence.
During the week, this is true. But on Shabbat, the neshama yeteirah brings a fundamental shift: our involvement in oneg Shabbat (rest and enjoyment), when done for the sake of honoring Hashem and Shabbat, actually increases our spiritual connection. As Rashi says, “He’ll eat and drink without his soul being repulsed by it.”
No Worries
By setting aside the worries and responsibilities of the workweek to enjoy Shabbat, even physically, we enjoy a taste of the World to Come, a time of constant connection to Hashem, a time of kulo Shabbat (complete separation and relaxation). This was the eternal sign uniquely shared between Hashem and Bnei Yisroel.
The nations of the world understand holiness as something achieved through abstinence and deprivation of pleasure. But Hashem revealed to us a different truth: that we were placed in this physical world to use it as a ladder to ascend closer to Him. The physical pleasures of this world become transformed into spiritual pleasure.
Special Relationship
How is this done on Shabbat? If one was invited to a meal at the White House, he wouldn’t view the eating simply as satisfying his base physical needs. He would see the meal as a way of forging a relationship, a connection to important people. On Shabbat, we are invited to dine at the table of the King of kings. The meal becomes a means through which we connect to Hashem. The physical pleasure is transformed into spiritual pleasure. “Shavat va’yinafash” – once Shabbat stops (shavas), woe (vay) to him over the loss of his (additional) soul (nafash).
As we comfort our soul with the besamim during havdalah, we say goodbye to our lofty neshama yeteirah until the next Shabbat. Let’s carry the message of Shabbat into the week, elevating the physical into spiritual connection.
Excerpted from Oorah’s Torah Nuggets
Zachor Et Yom Hashabbat: Havdalah – Sources:
1 Rambam Shabbos 28:1, Magid Mishna there
2 Mishnah Brurah 293:4
3 Tur 296, Pesachim 113a
4 Shulchan Aruch 271:22
5 הדרש והעיון – בראשית
6 Aruch Hashulchan 298:1
7 Aruch Hashulchan 297:1
8 Beis Yosef 297, Darkei Moshe 297:2, Shulchan Aruch 297:4, Magen Avraham 297:2
9 Rema and Taz, 296:1
10 Tur, Shulchan Aruch 298:2
11 Tur, Orach Chaim 298
12 Beitzah 16a
13 Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 297:1
14 Rashi Beitzah 16a
15 Rashi Beitzah 16a
