Havdalah Workshop

(1) It is biblically mandated positive commandment to express the sanctity of the Sabbath day in words, for it is written: "Remember to sanctify the Sabbath day" (Exodus 20:8); that is to say, remember it in terms of praise and sanctification. One should remember it at its beginning and its conclusion by reciting the Kiddush when the Sabbath begins and the Havdalah when it ends.

There is a custom to overflow the cup with wine, thereby to depict bountiful Divine blessings, as Psalm 23 ("Cosi revaya/My cup runneth over...") refers to. Hold the cos/cup of wine in your right hand/side of chesed/compassion and recite:

1) Here is G?d my savior, I will trust and not be afraid. For Hashem i smy might and Divine strength and will be my redemption.

2) And you will draw water in joy from the wellsprings of salvation.

3) Salvation is Hashem's Your blessings upon Your people, selah (yay).

4) Abundant Hashem is with us. The G?d of Yaakov is our fortress, selah.

5) Abundant Hashem, happy is the one who trusts in You.

6) Hashem will save, the Ruler will answer us as soon as we call/say "YES!"

7) The Jews had light, joy, jubilation and glory.

8) So too for us:

9) I will raise the cup of redemption and call out in Hashem's name.

(translation by David Zvi Kalman, Sarah Wolf and Joshua Schwartz)

Still holding the cos, say:

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

[Put the cos down. The person reciting Havdalah does NOT drink the grape juice yet.]

Lift up the spice box and say:

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates the various spices.

[The spices are passed around for everyone to smell]

Elevate the candle for everyone to see and say:

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who creates the lights of fire.

[At this point, many have the custom to hold their fingernails to the flame so that the light reflects off them.]

Pick the cos back up in your right hand and say:

Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who distinguishes between sacred and secular, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, LORD, who distinguishes between sacred and secular.

[At this point, the flame is put out (many do so by dipping it in spilt wine/grape juice), and the person who said Havdalah drinks the wine/grape juice. Many also have the custom of dipping their pinkies in the spilled wine and touch their wine-covered pinkies to their eyes to embody a desire to be guided by the light of the mitzvah, touch to behind the ears to embody hearing only good news, the back of the neck to invoke protection and to the pockets to invoke an influx of parnassa/monetary resources.]

And the thought arose in God’s mind to create our fire on Shabbat eve; however, it was not actually created until the conclusion of Shabbat, as it was taught in a baraita/source outside of the Mishnah that Rabbi Yosei says: The thoughts of two phenomena arose in God’s mind on Shabbat eve, but were not actually created until the conclusion of Shabbat. At the conclusion of Shabbat, the Holy One, Blessed be He, granted Adam, the first man, creative knowledge similar to divine knowledge, and he brought two rocks and rubbed them against each other, and the first fire emerged from them.

We do not bless over the flame until its light is used/benefitted from.

Also because the fingernails are a sign of blessing, since they always grow [literally, that they are fruitful and multiply forever].