Havdalah

Welcome to PJ Library’s “Havdalah Hub,” where you will find everything you need to make your own havdalah.

 

WHY HAVDALAH

illustration from Lights Out Shabbat by Sarene Shulimson

SHIFTING GEARS

However your family chooses to make Shabbat special, Havdalah marks a transition back into “everyday time.” Havdalah is the shuttle flight, sweet-and-a-little-sad, that lets you down on the other side.   

TRADITION

Per ritual minute, Havdalah is probably the most beautiful – and most distilled – of all Jewish traditions. No meal, no prayer service.  A few minutes of spirit served straight up.

ENERGY

For young kids havdalah is a memorable send-off to bed, with flames and spices still dancing in their heads. But for parents it’s something else: a lovely mini-ritual that often gives a quick injection of energy with which to start the week.

HOPE

With light, fragrance, a sweet sip, and a shout-out to Elijah the Prophet, the upshot of havdalah is that we begin a new week believing in the best possible future – a good way to start the week.

For an overview try “Havdalah: Taking Leave of Shabbat” by Rabbi Susan Silverman, author of Casting Lots.

SET UP

Set up is easy. You need:

A cup of grape juice or wine (a kiddush cup is customary, but any cup will do)

Pleasant-smelling spices (in a jar, from the garden, in a spicebox – however your family prefers)

A multi-wick candle (a plaited havdalah candle or any two candles with wicks held together)

MAKE HAVDALAH

To create the right mood, it’s nice to lower the lights or turn them off completely, so the flames of the havdalah candle can cast their spell. (Most havdalah candles are drippy, so make sure to put tin foil, newspaper, or a dish underneath.)

Each person has a “job”-- one holds the lit candle, one holds the spices, and another holds the cup of grape juice or wine.

Here are Havdalah Sing-Along Videos. You can learn the blessings over wine, spices, fire, and a final blessing, and end havdalah with the song “Eliyahu Hanavi” (Elijah the Prophet). Elijah is the symbol of human redemption, and reminds us of the world we strive for each new week – a world of peace, compassion, and justice.

The first video (with BBYO) includes the short version of the final blessing, plus guitar chords! The second video (with Moishe House and Bimbam) includes the long version of the final blessing. The third video is the song Eliyahu Hanavi.

 

 

 

MORE IDEAS

GET CREATIVE

BEJEWEL A KIDDUSH CUP

image via Kveller

Celebrate the beauty of Shabbat with this Bejeweled Kiddush Cup craft from Kveller! All you’ll need are a couple of plastic wine glasses, some glue, and a few plastic gems – all of which can be found at a local arts and crafts store. When they’re done, kids will have their own especially-designed cups to hold grape juice during the Havdalah ceremony.

GUESS THE SPICE GAME

A great game to play with family and friends is “Guess the Spice.” All you’ll need are some spices from your pantry. Begin by having someone close their eyes (or blindfold them for extra security). Then, pick a spice at random and instruct them to sniff it. See if they can identify which spice is under their nose!

MAKE A HAVDALAH "PORCUPINE"

Here’s a popular – if unusual-looking – substitute for a spicebox. Take a jar of cloves and an orange, and stud the orange with cloves. (It won’t last forever, but you’ll get some good use out of it.)

MAKE HERB AND SPICE PLAY DOUGH

image via Craftulate

This special play dough introduces children to the spices used in the Havdalah ceremony. The strong scents of those spices – combined with the squishy, malleable quality of play dough – makes playing with this dough a great creative and sensory activity! You can get it ready beforehand, or get your kids involved in making it.

TALK

Take a few minutes for a mini-discussion before or after havdalah: “What was special about this Shabbat?” or “What are you looking forward to this week?”

DANCE

At the end of havdalah, let yourselves go. Dance to such songs as “Shavua Tov (A Good Week),” “Eliyahu Hanavi (Elijah the Prophet),” and others. (See the playlist in the LISTEN section below.)

PLAY

At the end of havdalah, play a quick game called “Knots,” in which everyone gets “braided” like a havdalah candle and needs to untangle (for 4 people or more):

Stand in a circle.

Everyone stretches their hands to the middle, and finds two hands to hold onto – but not of the person standing next to them.

Without ever letting go, try to “unknot” to form one perfect hand-holding circle. (Hint: Stepping over a pair of arms may be required!)

EXPAND

Start havdalah with a set of traditional verses - “Hinei El Yeshuati” (God Is My Redeemer). Here is the complete text and a video by Kippalive (with some musical surprises).

Or try this Sephardi (Spanish/North African) custom for concluding havdalah:

Parents dip their pinkie in the wine or grape juice and touch their child’s forehead – an act of liquid love to start the new week.

READ

PJ Library Books:

 

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Grown-Up Read:

“What I Learned from Celebrating Havdalah with My Family” by author Carla Naumburg

LISTEN

February 12, 2018