HAVDALAH

All too often we muddle everything into one big lump of sameness. It takes an intelligent thinking person or a specific ritual that anchors us and reminds us to appreciate the same of difference in life. At the end of the Shabbat (the Sabbath) day, when three stars appear, it is time for the brief ceremony of Havdalah (literally, separation or distinction), at which time we take leave of Shabbat.
Our rabbis teach that on Shabbat, we are given an extra soul. At Havdalah we relinquish that extra soul, but hope that the sweetness and holiness of the day will remain with us during the week. We take a cup of wine, a box of spices, and a beautiful braided Havdalah candle, and we sing or recite the blessings. These blessings allow us to talk about distinctions between the holy and the everyday, between light and darkness, and between the seventh day of rest and the six days of work.