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HAVDALAH
*Shabbat is The Sabbath Day. We keep it Holy.

Havdalah marks the end of Shabbat. It is, therefore, a ceremony which is both melancholy and yet optimistic. Saddened by the passing of Shabbat, we look forward to the time when each day can be as special and holy as Shabbat. Clinging to Shabbat, we anticipate the work week with its creativity and satisfaction. Havdalah recognizes the separation of the peace of Shabbat and rush of the normal week, and as we sing Eliyahu Hanavi, we express a hope that Elijah will soon return with his message of a world of peace.

Havdalah is recited with a special candle that has at least two wicks, a cup of wine and fragrant spices. Each of these represent an aspect of Shabbat and our hopes for the future.

The twisted candle represents light, the first element created by God at the beginning of the first week. It also represents the creation of fire. A midrash teaches that, at the end of the first Shabbat, Adam was struck by fear with the coming of darkness. To abate this fear, God gave him knowledge and the tools to create fire, thus his fear was abated. Therefore, we recite the blessing over fire, because it was at the end of Shabbat that it was created. We hold our hands to the light in order to use it -- seeing the reflection of the flame on our fingernails, or the shadow on our palms. The candle also can remind us of the light of the righteous that will shine on the world when our labors bring the messianic age.

The wine represents the sweetness and peace of Shabbat. We taste the wine at the very end of Shabbat to remind us of its beauty and we hope that we can take some of its peace into the remainder of the week. It is customary in some communities to dip fingers in the wine and then to put them in one’s pockets, perhaps as a representation of this hope.

The spices represent that special "spice" of Shabbat — the feelings of peace and hope — that comes with Shabbat. The Rabbis taught that we receive a second soul (neshamah yiterah) on Shabbat and that this soul leaves us at Shabbat’s conclusion. The spices revive us as the soul departs and they remind us of our task to bring that spice to the rest of the week.

Havdalah may be recited as soon as darkness falls, that is when at least three stars can be seen in the sky; if the sky is overcast, about 50 minutes after the time for candle lighting. It can also be recited later in the evening. Begin your Havdalah by going out and looking at the stars. See if you can identify some of the constellations. The immensity of the universe can help to engender a feeling of awe and wonder of God’s creation, feelings appropriate to Havdalah. Then, begin the Havdalah service in a darkened room (or outside).

Havdalah is an ideal service to be held in the home for friends and family. It can be a time for creative liturgy when friends and members of the family share their feelings about Shabbat, the world and their hopes for the coming week.
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The Havdalah service marks the end of Shabbat. It should be performed no earlier than nightfall on Saturday night. Nightfall is the time when three stars can be seen in the sky. It is normally about 45 minutes to an hour after sundown, depending on your latitude. For the precise time when Shabbat ends in your area, consult the list of candle lighting times provided by the Orthodox Union.
You will need three things for this ritual: a glass of wine or other liquid, some fragrant spices, and a special Havdalah candle.

Wine
The first of the four havdalah blessings is made over wine or another liquid. If the blessing is made over wine, recite this blessing:

Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, borei p’riy ha-gafen. (Amein)
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

If the blessing is made over another liquid, recite this blessing:

Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, she-ha-kol nih'yeh bid'varo. (Amein)
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, by Whose will all things exist. (Amen)

Spices
The second blessing is recited over fragrant spices. The spices represent a compensation for the loss of the special sabbath spirit. The spices commonly used are cloves, cinnamon or bay leaves. They are commonly kept in a special decorated holder called a b'samim box.

Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, borei minei b'samim. (Amein)
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates varieties of spices. (Amen)

Fire
The third blessing is recited over the special, multi-wicked Havdalah candle. Havdalah candles can be obtained from Jewish gift stores. If you cannot obtain a Havdalah candle, you can hold two candles close together, so their flames overlap. I have also used party candles (long, very thin candles) that I warmed up and twisted together.
Lighting a flame is a vivid way of marking the distinction between the sabbath and the weekday, because we cannot kindle a flame on the sabbath.

After the blessing is recited, hold your hands up to the flame with curved fingers, so you can see the shadow of your fingers on your palms. This is done because it would be improper to recite a blessing for something and then not use the thing.

Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, borei m'orei ha-eish. (Amein)
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the light of the fire. (Amen)

Havdalah
The final blessing is the havdalah blessing itself, the blessing over the separation of different things. The blessing is recited over the wine. After the blessing is complete, the wine is drunk. A few drops of wine are used to extinguish the flame from the candle.

Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu melekh ha-olam, ha-mavdil bayn kodesh l'chol,
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who distinguishes between the sacred and the secular,

bayn or l'choshekh, bayn yisrael la-amim, bayn yom ha-sh'vi'i l'shayshet y'may ha-ma'aseh
between light and dark, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor

Barukh atah Adonai, ha-mavdil bayn kodesh l'chol. (Amein)
Blessed are You, Lord, who distinguishes between the sacred and the secular. (Amein)

No prayers for *lots of silver*, reprobate. But prayers of hope for the future. What the man was eluding to, is that Jews who benefit from their labors and do well have NO REASON TO FEEL GUILTY. ..and that it is NOT a sin to ask for your conditions to improve. What ISN'T right, is to have a gift within yourself and be selfish with it. It ISN'T right to murder for it. It isn't right to be so jealous of what your neighbor has that you steal it. But it is NOT a sin to ask G-d's help in helping yourself to improve your lot.
You obviously don't know our laws and can't seem to recognize a metaphor for good fortune when you see it.
We do daily, double daily, many times daily, Mitzvahs. We help whenever we are asked for unselfish purposes because that is the true soul of Judaism. NONE of you know us by any others than those Jesse Jackson wannabes and Joe Lieberman charades, or the leftist secularists who care nothing about my religion or yours, or anyone else's.
You should learn to know us before you jibe us, because most people do not...and forgive me for the rant, but it is what you don't know and have refused to even try and understand who give power into the hands of the Jesses and the Foxmans, and the traitorous Hamas lawyer whose name is an epithet to me such that I would rather spit than say it.