A short order for the home at the close of the Sabbath, when the stars are out on Saturday night. The Sabbath is commanded; this order is a custom, not a commandment. It marks the passage from the holy day into the six days of work with a cup, fragrant spices and a light, each with its traditional blessing and a verse of scripture, and it ends with a blessing for the week.
IThe going out of the Sabbath
Opening verses
When the Sabbath has ended and the stars are out. A cup of wine, fragrant spices and a candle are set ready. When alone, say every line.
הִנֵּה אֵל יְשׁוּעָתִי אֶבְטַח וְלֹא אֶפְחָד | כִּי עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ יְהוָה וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה׃
Hineh El y’shu’ati evtach v’lo efchad | ki azi v’zimrat Yah Yehovah vayhi li lishu’ah.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah1 Yehovah is my strength and song; and He is become my salvation.
וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם מַיִם בְּשָׂשׂוֹן | מִמַּעַיְנֵי הַיְשׁוּעָה׃
Ush’avtem mayim b’sason | mima’aynei hayshu’ah.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.2 Isaiah 12:2–3
The cup
Lift the cup. Do not drink yet.
כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא | וּבְשֵׁם יְהוָה אֶקְרָא׃
Kos y’shu’ot esa | uvshem Yehovah ekra.
I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of Yehovah. Psalm 116:13
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם | בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן׃
Baruch atah Yehovah Eloheinu melech ha’olam | borei p’ri hagafen.
Blessed art Thou, Yehovah our God, King of the universe, who createst the fruit of the vine.
Source: the blessing is a traditional Jewish blessing, not scripture; the verse before it is scripture.
The spices
Smell the spices, and pass them round.
שֶׁמֶן וּקְטֹרֶת יְשַׂמַּח לֵב׃
Shemen uktoret y’samach lev.
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart. Proverbs 27:9*
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם | בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים׃
Baruch atah Yehovah Eloheinu melech ha’olam | borei minei v’samim.
Blessed art Thou, Yehovah our God, King of the universe, who createst the kinds of spices.
* Part of the verse only.
Source: the blessing is a traditional Jewish blessing, not scripture; the verse before it is scripture.
The light
Light the candle. This is the first fire kindled after the Sabbath.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר | וַיְהִי אוֹר׃ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב | וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ׃
Vayomer Elohim y’hi or | vayhi or. Vayar Elohim et ha’or ki tov | vayavdel Elohim bein ha’or uvein hachoshech.
And God said: “Let there be light.” And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3–4
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם | בּוֹרֵא מְאוֹרֵי הָאֵשׁ׃
Baruch atah Yehovah Eloheinu melech ha’olam | borei m’orei ha’esh.
Blessed art Thou, Yehovah our God, King of the universe, who createst the lights of fire.
…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12*
* Part of the verse only.
Source: the blessing is a traditional Jewish blessing, not scripture; the verse before it is scripture.
The separation
וּלְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבֵין הַחֹל | וּבֵין הַטָּמֵא וּבֵין הַטָּהוֹר׃
Ulhavdil bein hakodesh uvein hachol | uvein hatamei uvein hatahor.
And that ye may put difference between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean. Leviticus 10:10
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם | הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל בֵּין אוֹר לְחֹשֶׁךְ בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַמִּים בֵּין יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה׃ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה | הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל׃
Baruch atah Yehovah Eloheinu melech ha’olam | hamavdil bein kodesh l’chol bein or l’choshech bein Yisra’el la’amim bein yom hash’vi’i l’sheshet y’mei hama’aseh. Baruch atah Yehovah | hamavdil bein kodesh l’chol.
Blessed art Thou, Yehovah our God, King of the universe, who dividest between the holy and the common,3 between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work. Blessed art Thou, Yehovah, who dividest between the holy and the common.
All drink. The candle is put out.
3 Hebrew chol: common, ordinary. The six days are not unholy; the seventh is set apart from them. The phrases of the blessing rest on Leviticus 10:10, Genesis 1:4, Leviticus 20:26 and Exodus 20:9–10.
Source: the blessing is a traditional Jewish blessing, not scripture; the verse before it is scripture.
IIInto the week
Blessing for the week
וִיהִי נֹעַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ | וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָה עָלֵינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנֵהוּ׃
Vihi no’am Adonai Eloheinu aleinu | uma’aseh yadeinu kon’nah aleinu uma’aseh yadeinu kon’nehu.
And let the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; establish Thou also upon us the work of our hands; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it. Psalm 90:17
The head of the house blesses the household:
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ׃
Y’varech’cha Yehovah v’yishm’recha.
Yehovah bless thee, and keep thee;
יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ׃
Ya’er Yehovah panav elecha vichuneka.
Yehovah make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם׃
Yisa Yehovah panav elecha v’yasem l’cha shalom.
Yehovah lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6:24–26
All greet one another: “Shavua tov,” a good week.
About this text
Havdalah, “separation,” is the Jewish custom of marking the close of the Sabbath with a cup, fragrant spices and a light. The Sabbath is commanded; this order is not. It is a custom, kept here because it helps a household honor the boundary the commandment draws. Each blessing is the traditional Jewish blessing, with the Divine Name rendered “Yehovah,” and each is set beside a verse of scripture. The verses, the closing blessing and the reading are scripture; the Hebrew verses follow the Masoretic text.
The transliteration follows the vowel points of the Hebrew and has not yet been fully proofread.
This order is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. You are free to copy, share and adapt it on the same terms.