Havdalah step by step: wine, spices, flame and Hamavdil
Havdalah is the moment Shabbat takes its leave, and it is done with wine, a pleasant fragrance and light. Here are all the steps, in the order we do them.
What you need
- A cup of wine or grape juice, filled to the brim.
- Spices: a spice box, or a fragrant spice such as clove or cinnamon.
- A Havdalah candle: a braided candle with several wicks that make one large flame. If you do not have one, hold two candles together.
- And: wait until Shabbat ends at the time shown on the site.
It is best to make Havdalah right at the end of Shabbat, but if you did not, it may be made until the end of Tuesday. Women also make Havdalah for themselves, and some women have the custom of hearing it from another. As always, local custom and your rabbi decide.
The opening verses
The Ashkenazi custom is to begin with the verses "Hinei El yeshuati evtach velo efchad," which end with the cup of salvation. Some Sephardic communities begin with other verses, and our site shows the text "Rishon leTziyon hinei hinam" as a Sephardic version. The verses are a custom and not part of the blessings themselves, so different communities treat them differently. The full text with transliteration and translation is on the blessings page.
The blessings in order
After the verses come four blessings:
- Wine: "borei peri hagafen." Hold the cup in your right hand.
- Spices: "borei minei besamim." After the blessing, smell the spices. In some communities people say "borei atzei besamim" or "borei isvei besamim" when the spice is from a tree or an herb, and the site shows those versions too.
- Flame: "borei meorei haesh." Look at the light, and some look at the light and shadow on their fingernails and palm, in order to benefit from it.
- Hamavdil: "hamavdil bein kodesh lechol, bein or lechoshech, bein Yisrael la'amim, bein yom hashevii lesheshet yemei hamaaseh."
At the end, drink the wine and extinguish the candle in the wine left in the saucer or in a little wine that remains. Then people say "shavua tov," and in many homes they sing "Eliyahu Hanavi."
If you have no wine, you may use grape juice. For other drinks, ask a rabbi.
Havdalah after Shabbat and after Yom Tov
Not every Havdalah is the same:
- Motzei Shabbat: all the blessings, with wine, spices, flame and Hamavdil.
- Motzei Yom Tov that falls on a weekday: Havdalah is made over wine alone, with no opening verses, no spices and no flame. This is also how the app shows it.
- Motzei Yom Kippur: Havdalah is made over wine and over a flame that has been burning since before the fast began. Spices only when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat.
- When Yom Tov begins on Motzei Shabbat: Havdalah is said within Kiddush, in the order known as Yaknehaz, with no special candle.
Yaknehaz is an acronym for the order of the blessings: yayin, kiddush, ner, havdalah, zman. The guide on Yom Tov candle lighting goes further into lighting from an existing flame.
Common questions
I forgot to make Havdalah, what now? If Tuesday has not yet passed, make it when you remember. Should children take part? Very much so, since it is a good time to involve them with the fragrance and the song.
And what if there is no braided candle? Hold two candles together so the flame is large. What matters is that the light is clear and that it is not an electric light, because the blessing "meorei haesh" is said over fire.
A note
All the details here are common practice. If you are unsure how to proceed in a particular situation, especially regarding the order of blessings on Motzei Yom Tov, ask your rabbi. The main source is Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, chapter 296 and following, and the Mishnah Berurah on it.
More guides
- When Shabbat ends: nightfall, 8.5 degrees and Rabbeinu Tam
- Yom Tov candle lighting: an existing flame, Shehecheyanu and Yom Kippur
- The meaning and history of Shabbat candles: shalom bayis and customs