What is Havdalah? The ceremony that ends Shabbat
By the My Daily Torah team · Updated
In short
Havdalah (Hebrew for "separation") is a short ceremony on Saturday night, after dark, that closes out Shabbat. You hold a cup of wine or grape juice, smell some sweet spices and look at a braided candle with several wicks, with a short blessing over each. A last blessing marks the line between holy time and the regular week. The whole thing takes a few minutes.
What is Havdalah, in plain English?
״ויבדל אלוקים בין האור ובין החשך״
“And God separated the light from the dark.”
Shabbat, the weekly day of rest from Friday sundown to Saturday night, doesn't just fade out. It gets a send-off, and that send-off is Havdalah.
The word means "separation." The whole ceremony draws one clean line: this is where the rest day ends, and this is where the regular week starts.
The idea goes back to the very first page of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses. Right after God creates light and sees that it's good, God draws a line between it and the dark. Havdalah does the same thing every Saturday night.
Where does Havdalah come from?
״אנשי כנסת הגדולה תקנו להם לישראל ברכות ותפלות, קדושות והבדלות״
“The Great Assembly set up the blessings and prayers for the Jewish people, the words that bring holy days in and the words that close them out.”
The Talmud, the huge ancient record of Jewish debates and stories, says Havdalah was set up by the Great Assembly. That was the council that led the Jewish people after they came back from exile in Babylon, more than 2,000 years ago.
Almost nobody knows what happened next. The same page says Havdalah started out as a few lines inside the evening prayer. When people got richer, it moved onto a cup of wine. When times got hard again, it went back into the prayer.
In the end, the Talmud records, it landed in both places: a line in the prayer and a cup at home. So Havdalah today happens with a drink in your hand, around a table, with whoever's there.
What actually happens at Havdalah, step by step?
״המבדיל בין קודש לחול בין אור לחשך בין ישראל לעמים בין יום השביעי לששת ימי המעשה״
“Who separates holy from ordinary, light from darkness, Israel from the nations, the seventh day from the six days of work.”
It takes about five minutes. One person leads and everyone else gathers around. This is the usual order.
1. Wine. The leader holds a full cup of wine or grape juice and says the blessing over it, but doesn't drink yet.
2. Spices. Next comes a blessing over besamim, sweet-smelling spices like cloves or cinnamon, often kept in a little box. It gets passed around and everyone takes a sniff.
3. Fire. Then there's a blessing over the braided candle, whose several wicks burn together like a small torch. Many people hold up their hands and look at the light on their fingernails.
4. Separation. The last blessing thanks God for separating holy from ordinary, light from darkness, Israel from the other nations, and the seventh day from the six working days. Then the leader drinks.
Many families pour a little of the wine into a dish and put the candle out in it. For a lot of people, that sizzle is the moment Shabbat feels over. Then everyone says "shavua tov," have a good week.
The Talmud even has a scene about the flame. At one Havdalah, an attendant lit a torch from a lamp. A guest asked why bother when there was already a lamp. He was told the attendant did it on his own, and the guest figured the attendant must have learned it from his teacher. The Talmud takes from this that a torch is the best way to do it.
Havdalah closes the week with a few good minutes. One short page of Torah on WhatsApp each morning opens the day the same way. Try it for $1
Why do people still do it?
Most weekends don't end, they leak. One minute you're relaxed, and the next you're answering work messages on the couch. Havdalah gives the rest day a real edge.
It also uses every sense: you taste it, smell it, see it and hear it, in a dark room, with the people around you. Kids tend to love it, and so do adults who swear they're not into ritual.
It's also short. In five minutes you get a pause, a nice smell, a flame, and a reason to look everyone in the eye and wish them a good week.
How to try Havdalah with zero background
You don't need a fancy set. A Havdalah set (cup, spice box, candle holder) is nice, but any glass, a few cloves from your kitchen and two regular candles held so the flames touch get you most of the way there.
Most people wait until it's fully dark on Saturday night. The traditional sign is three stars in the sky, and Jewish calendar sites list the exact time for your city.
Look up the blessings in transliteration, or play a recording and follow along. Lots of people finish by singing a simple song about Elijah the prophet, someone who delivered God's words.
If the Hebrew feels like a lot, start in English. Lights off, candle on, a sip of grape juice, and "shavua tov" to whoever's in the room. That counts as a start.
Questions people ask
What is Havdalah in Judaism?
Havdalah is the short ceremony that ends Shabbat on Saturday night. Its name means "separation." People say blessings over a cup of wine or grape juice, sweet spices and a braided candle, then a final blessing about the line between holy time and the regular week. It takes about five minutes.
What is a Havdalah candle?
It's a braided candle with several wicks, so it burns with one big flame, almost like a small torch. People say a blessing over its light during Havdalah, and many hold up their hands to see the glow on their fingernails. At the end, many families put it out in a little of the wine.
What time is Havdalah tonight?
Havdalah happens on Saturday night once it's fully dark, traditionally when three stars can be seen. That's usually around 40 to 50 minutes after sunset, depending on where you live and the time of year. Most Jewish calendar websites and apps list the exact time for your city each week.
Is there Havdalah after Rosh Hashanah?
Yes. Havdalah is also said when a holiday like Rosh Hashanah ends and a regular weekday begins. That version is usually shorter: people commonly say the blessing over the wine and the final blessing about separation, and leave out the spices and the candle.
Sources
Every Hebrew line on this page is copied word for word from the source and checked against Sefaria, the free online library of Jewish texts. The English is our own translation.