What is Havdala anyway?
Havdala is a ceremony that marks the end of the Sabbath (or other Jewish festivals), after dark on Saturday night, and the beginning of the new week. The same way we recite the Kiddush on Shabbat or a festival to usher in and sanctify the special day, so do we recite the Havdala prayer to usher out the sacred day before withdrawing to our every-day activities.
Why use Havdala Sets?
Because Havdala is a special prayer, we don't want to use just any utensils for the ceremony – we want to use a dignified, elegant Havdala set that is presentable and respects the ceremony.
What do Havdala sets consist of?
Traditionally, a Havdala set consists of these three elements:
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a candle or candle with holder. The candle must have at least two wicks.
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a spice box with assorted aromatic spices
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a special cup of wine, similar to a Kiddush Cup
Today, some of the Havdala sets leave out the cup because many people use their own special cup or one of their existing Kiddush Cups for this purpose too.
The meaning of the Havdala Ceremony
Havdala is the ceremony that concludes the Sabbath and Jewish festivals. After the Havdala benedictions are recited, one can go back to doing routine, daily activities. Havdala literally means "separation" – being the key ceremony that separates between the holy day that just ended and the week day that is about to begin.
Each one of the Havdala sets' elements has it's own meaning too:
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The cup is for reciting the blessing over wine, in accordance with all Jewish ceremonies.
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The spices have their own blessing because we want the sweetness of Shabbat to be carried into the days that follow. These spices also give solace to the soul that's saddened by the departing of Shabbat.
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The candle symbolizes fire, said to be created by man at the end of the 7th day of creation, is a representation of the industrious actions one is allowed to perform during the week days, now that the Sabbath is over.
This is why Havdala sets are important and a useful item in every Jewish house. A set like this would be a great choice of Judaica gifts and a perfect present for a happy occasion, such as an anniversary, birthday, or house-warming gift.