havdalah

Alternative Spellings

havdole, havdala

Definitions

• "literally 'separation'. The ceremony that marks the end of [the Sabbath] on Saturday evening" (JPS)

Example Sentences

• "Come to our house after havdalah."

Languages of Origin

Textual Hebrew

Etymology

הבדלה

Who Uses This

Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
JPS: The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001)

Notes

There are three main ritual objects used during the ceremony: a double wicked candle, wine or grape juice, and spices.