What is a Havdalah?

The ritual conclusion of Shabbat is deferred until about an hour after sunset. When three stars are visible in the sky, it is time for the Havdalah ("separation") service. As a home ceremony, Havdalah is especially appealing because it makes use of all of our senses. The Havdalah ceremony uses a wine cup and a plate, a spice box containing aromatic spices (cloves or cinnamon), and a special braided candle (left) that has more than one wick. The blessing over the wine sanctifies our reentry into the secular world. The blessing over the spices symbolically ensures that the memory of Shabbat will be sweet and lingering. And the blessing over the braided kindle reminds us of G-d's first creation of light.