This is a basic havdalah ceremony. For fuller blessings and songs, the Shabbat Table Companion.
To begin, light the candle and lower or turn off the lights. Let candlelight fill the room and illuminate faces.
Raise the cup of grape juice or wine (don’t drink — yet) and say or sing,
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen.
Dear God, Creator of our world, thank You for the delicious fruit that grows on vines.
Raise the spices and say or sing,
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei minei vesamim.
Dear God, Creator of our world, thank You for the amazing smell of these spices.
Pass the spices around so everyone can take a deep sniff. (Carry the scent of Shabbat with you into the new week.)
Raise the multiwick candle. Everyone should hold their hands in front of them, palms up, and curl their fingers slightly, watching shadows form on their palms. (Light contrasts with shadow, just as Shabbat contrasts with the rest of the week.)
Say or sing,
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei me’orei ha’eish.
Dear God, Creator of our world, thank You for the beauty of these fiery lights.
Now raise the cup again and say or sing,
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, hamavdil bein kodesh lehol.
Dear God, Creator of our world, thank You for separating the holy from the everyday.
Take a tiny sip of grape juice or wine, making sure to leave a bit in the cup.
Dip the candle into the wine or grape juice, dousing the flame. Or pour that remaining wine or juice onto the plate for dousing the flame.
Everyone says, “Shavua tov” (shah-VOO-ah TOHV) — have a good week!
It’s traditional to finish havdalah by singing in the new week. One popular havdalah song is about Elijah the Prophet, the same mysterious figure who visits our Passover seder each year and represents Jewish dreams for a future filled with peace and justice. (For lyrics, see the Shabbat Table Companion.)