The Shabbat Farewell Ceremony (Havdalah), Explained

A Shabbat soul is departing, a new week is arriving.

Saying farewell can be heart wrenching, even if the separation is temporary. The deeper the attachment, and the more comforting a person's presence, so is the moment of departure all the more dispiriting.

These are the sensations that Jews have struggled with for millennia, each week at the close of Shabbat.

Enter Havdalah - a service brief, but intensely powerful. Havdalah embraces all the senses: In addition to its uplifting text, it includes blessings over a lit candle, fragrant herbs, and a cup of wine.

Farewell dear Shabbat, until we meet again. May your blessings unfold in the hectic details of the coming workdays.

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This video was produced for Lesson 6 of Pause & Affect, a course by the Rosh Chodesh Society.

The Rosh Chodesh Society is a division of The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute.

http://www.myrcsociety.com/
https://www.myjli.com/