Releasing The Power of Transitions

When people think of the Havdalah ritual, they often think of the transition between Shabbat and the rest of the week. Our Jewish tradition incorporates a beautiful ceremony that helps us make a distinction between the sacred and the mundane. We bid farewell to the holiness of Shabbat and we welcome the week, aspiring to bring some of that holiness to our everyday activities. The wisdom of this tradition is to remind us that G-D is accessible not only on Shabbat, but at all times.

However, the end of Shabbat is not the only time we perform the Havdalah ritual. We also observe Havdalah at the end of holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Similar to the Shabbat Havdalah, transition from the sacred time of Rosh Hashanah to the rest of the year brings an awareness of the holiness we felt during this special holiday into the everyday activities of the coming week and rest of the year.

During Rosh Hashanah, we set intentions for the coming year, things we’d like to improve in ourselves and in our world. The Havdalah ritual at the end of the holiday can lodge these intentions deeper into our hearts. The Havdalah that ends Rosh Hashanah omits two of the blessings from the Shabbat Havdalah, including only the blessing over wine and the blessing of distinction between the sacred and the mundane. We omit the spices and candle blessings as they are ritually connected to the creation story by which Shabbat is the culmination of the week. For the Rosh Hashanah Havdalah, we sanctify this powerful transitional moment with the blessing of wine like we do with all sacred moments. Before the blessing of distinctions, I invite you to articulate your intentions for the year. What do you want to bring with you from your mind and heart during the holiday into your day-to-day life? Then, we say the blessing Hamavdil ben kodesh l’chol, and we’ve concluded the holiday.

In the back matter of my book, SHIRA THE SINGING PUPPY, you will find the full Havdalah ritual in the Hebrew with English translations. You can use these same blessings to perform the Havdalah ritual after Rosh Hashanah or other holidays (knowing that the blessings over the candle or the spices are omitted). It is my hope that any child who reads this book will want to perform this beautiful ritual. It is also my wish for all of us to have a blessed, peaceful and sweet New Year. Shanah Tovah!