Sara’s Havdalah Cheat-Sheet

Havdalah is the traditional end-of Sabbath service. It helps to ease the transition form the special sacred time, set-apart, back to the everday time stream. It is marked by wine, symbol of joy, and spices/incense, to lift our thoughts form sadness.

Holding the wine cup in the right hand the first paragraph is said:

Hinei Keil yeshuati, evtach ve-lo efchad, ki ozi ve-zimrat kah Adonai, va-yehi li lishuah. Ushe’avtem mayim be-sason mi-ma’ainei ha-yeshuah. La-Yahweh ha-yeshuah, al amcha birchatecha selah.

Adonia tzeva’kot imanu, misgav lanu Elohei Ya’akov, selah. Adonai tzeva’kot, ashrei adam botei’ach bach, Adonai, hoshiah, ha’melech ya’aneinu ve-yom kareinu. La-Yisrael haytah ora ve-simcha, ve-sason vikar. Kein tihyeh lanu. Kos yeshuot esa, uve-sheim Adonai ekra.

Behold G-d is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. Indeed, G-d is my strength and my song and He has become my salvation. You shall draw water with joy from the wells of salvation. Salvation belongs to G-d; may Your blessings be upon Your people, Selah.

G-d of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is a refuge for us, Selah. G-d of Hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You. G-d, save us; may the King answer us on the day we call. "Yisrael had radiance and happiness, joy and honor" – so may it be for us. I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of G-d.

For the wine:

“Baruch atha Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei peri ha-gafen.”

(Those present respond, "Amein")

Blessed are You, G-d our God, the King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

DO NOT DRINK THE WINE YET.

The cup is then passed to the left hand. The spice box (usually cloves or sweet pepper, not cinnamon since it is edible in spice form) is picked up with the right hand and the following blessing is recited:

For the spices:

“Baruch atha Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei meinei vesamim.

("Amein")

“Blessed are You, G-d our God, the King of the universe, Who creates various kinds of spices.”

The leader then smells the spices and passes them around for all to do the same.

With the wine cup still in the left hand, the blessing over the fire (candle flame) is said:

For the flames:

“Baruch atha Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei me’orei ha-eish.”

("Amein")

“Blessed are You, G-d our God, the King of the universe, Who creates the lights of fire.”

Everyone should now extend their arms toward the flame to create shadows and light on their hands (to take advantage of the light of the candle).

The cup of wine is now passed back to the right hand for the concluding blessing:

“Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, ha-mavdil bein kodesh le-chol,

bein or le-choshech, bein Yisrael la-amim, bein yom ha-shevii le-sheishet

yemei ha-ma’aseh. Baruch atah Adonai, ha-mavdil bein kodesh le-chol.”

("Amein")

“Blessed are You, G-d our God, the King of the universe, Who makes a distinction between sacred and secular, between light and darkness, between Isreal and the other nations, between the seventh day and the six working days. You are blessed, G-d, who makes a distinction between the sacred and the secular.”

All are then seated to drink at least 2 ounces of the liquid.

The balance of the leader’s wine is used to extinguish the flame.