Just as we welcome Shabbat with a ceremony, we bid it farewell with a ceremony, called Havdalah (“separation”), on Saturday evening when it is dark enough to see three stars in the sky. We light a special candle with several wicks (usually plaited), drink wine, and smell spices which represent the sweetness of Shabbat – by smelling them and breathing them in we represent our hope of taking some of the sweetness of Shabbat into the week ahead. We say four short prayers of thanksgiving: for the wine, the spices, the candle, and for the difference between Shabbat and the rest of the week.

 

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