Shabbat concludes when one can discern three small stars in the sky, close to one another. To avoid error in identifying the stars, and also to extend the sanctity of Shabbat, it is proper not to bring Shabbat to an end before the time printed in synagogue calendars.

Further reading: For the source of the principle that one is supposed to extend the sanctity of Shabbat, see A Concise Guide to the Sages, p. 277.

Just as it is a mitzva to acknowledge the Shabbat verbally at its beginning, through Kiddush, it is likewise a mitzva to commemorate it and speak highly of it at its conclusion. This is done in the ceremony of Havdala, “separation,” which is performed on Saturday night. As its name indicates, Havdala separates between the sanctity of the Shabbat, which has just ended, and the mundane quality of the weekdays that lie ahead.

Much of Havdala is actually recited twice: in a passage in the Amida prayer of the evening service, which begins with the words “You have graced us” [Ata honantanu], and afterward during the Havdala ceremony over a cup of wine. One who forgot to add the paragraph “You have graced us” in the Amida prayer of the evening service does not repeat the prayer, as he will later perform Havdala at home over the cup of wine.

The recitation of “You have graced us” in the Amida prayer allows one to perform labor immediately after the service, and there is no need to wait until Havdala is performed on the cup of wine at home. Such labor includes, among other things, lighting the candle before Havdala.

If one forgot to say “You have graced us” in the Amida prayer, after the service he can say the formula, “Blessed is He who distinguishes between the sacred and the mundane” [Barukh hamavdil ben kodesh leĥol]; this too permits him to perform labors prohibited on Shabbat. This method can also be used by women who do not recite the evening service.

Although one may perform labor after saying “You have graced us” in the Amida, or after saying the formula “Blessed is He who distinguishes between the sacred and the mundane,” he may not yet eat or drink anything other than water. For that, he must first recite Havdala over a cup of wine.

Before Havdala, one must prepare a few items:

Wine, and according to many authorities, grape juice, is the main and preferred beverage for Havdala. If there is no wine available, or if it is difficult for the one reciting Havdala to drink wine, he can recite Havdala on a drink that is considered an important beverage in that time and place. There are differences of opinion among the halakhic authorities as to exactly which beverages are included in this category today, and one should consult his rabbi. Unlike Kiddush of Friday night, Havdala may not be recited over bread.

One must prepare spices for smelling during Havdala. The reason for this practice is that when Shabbat starts, every Jew receives an additional soul, which leaves him at the end of Shabbat. Smelling the spices helps the soul that remains in the body overcome the sadness of separation from that additional soul.

Ideally, it is proper to smell spices that come from plants. One may not use perfume for this part of Havdala. According to Sephardic custom, the wording of the blessing over the spices varies in accordance with its particular type (see p. 529). But according to the Ashkenazic custom, one recites the blessing “Who creates various spices” over all types of spices at Havdala, even if they are herbs or leaves of trees.

Further reading: For more on the additional soul, see A Concise Guide to Mahshava, p. 37.

One should also prepare a candle, preferably from wax, for Havdala. It is proper to light a candle with at least two wicks in order to increase the amount of light. If one does not have a specially prepared braided Havdala candle, he can bring together the flames of two candles, or even two matches.

The candle is lit before Havdala, and during Havdala one recites the blessing “Who creates the lights of fire.” The reason for this blessing is that upon the conclusion of the first Shabbat after the creation of the world, Adam discovered how to generate fire. The lighting of the candle and the blessing “Who creates the lights of fire” remind us of that seminal moment.

After the blessing, one brings his hands close to the candle and gazes at his fingernails. The reason is that in order to recite a blessing over the candle, one should benefit from its light by distinguishing between items that look somewhat similar, such as the fingers and the fingernails.

One extinguishes the candle at the end of Havdala, after drinking the wine. It is customary to extinguish it by means of the overflow of the wine from the cup, in order to emphasize that the candle was lit solely for the purpose of the mitzva. Some have the custom to dip their fingers in the wine and wet the corners of the eyes with it, for good luck.

The spices and the candle are not indispensable for the performance of the Havdala ritual; in their absence one can recite Havdala on a cup of wine alone.

First one pours wine into a cup. It is customary to pour the wine until it overflows, as this is a sign of a blessing for a good week. One also lights the candle.

One holds the full cup in his right hand and raises it, as for Kiddush.

The recitation begins with a collection of verses (each community according to its custom). One then recites the blessing over the wine. Next, one recites the blessing over the spices and smells them. Afterward one recites the blessing over the candle, brings his fingers close to the candle, and looks at his fingernails.

Havdala ends with the blessing “Who distinguishes between sacred and mundane.” The one performing Havdala then drinks the majority of the wine in the cup and extinguishes the candle.

For Ashkenazim:

“Here is the God of my salvation; I trust and will not fear, as my strength and song is God the Lord and He is my salvation. You will draw water with gladness from the springs of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2–3). “Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is on Your people, Selah” (Psalms 3:9). “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold, Selah” (Psalms 46:8). “Lord of hosts, happy is the man who trusts in You” (Psalms 84:13). “Deliver us, Lord. The King will answer us on the day we call” (Psalms 20:10). “For the Jews there was light, and joy, and gladness, and honor” (Esther 8:16), so may it be for us. “I will lift a cup of salvation, and I will call in the name of the Lord” (Psalms 116:130).

“Attention, (masters, rabbis, my teachers):”

Blessing over the wine: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates fruit of the vine.”

Blessing over the spices: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates various spices.”

Blessing over the candle: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the lights of fire.”

Havdala blessing: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who distinguishes between sacred and mundane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work. Blessed are You, Lord, who distinguishes between sacred and mundane.”

For Sephardim:

Leader: “The first to Zion, behold, here it is and to Jerusalem I will provide a herald” (Isaiah 41:27). “Do not rejoice, my enemy, on me; though I fell, I will rise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Micah 7:8). “For the Jews there was light, and joy, and gladness, and honor” (Esther 8:16). “David was successful in all his ways, and the Lord was with him” (I Samuel 18:14). “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8), so may we find grace and high favor in the eyes of God and man (see Proverbs 3:4). “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has shone upon you. For, behold, the darkness will cover the earth and peoples, a fog; but upon you the Lord will shine, and His glory will be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1–2).

Take the cup and recite: “I will lift a cup of salvation, and I will call in the name of the Lord” (Psalms 116:130). “Lord, save us, we beseech You! Lord, grant us success, we beseech You!” (Psalms 118:25). Make us successful; make our ways successful; make our studies successful, and send a blessing, relief and success in all the work of our hands, as it is written, “He will receive the blessing of the Lord, righteousness from the God of his deliverance” (Psalms 24:5); “for the Jews there was light, and joy, and gladness, and honor” (Esther 8:16), and it is written, “David was successful in all his ways, and the Lord was with him” (I Samuel 18:14), so may He be with us.

“Attention, masters.”

Others: “To life!”

Leader (blessing over the wine): “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates fruit of the vine.”

Blessing over the spices: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates various spices.”

Blessing over the candle: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the lights of fire.”

Havdala blessing: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who distinguishes between sacred and mundane, and between light and darkness, and between Israel and the nations, and between the seventh day and the six days of work, Blessed are You, Lord, who distinguishes between sacred and mundane.”

After drinking the Havdala wine, one recites the appropriate blessing, which is Al HaGefen (see p. 518).