Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=2026
open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft licenseDate: 2010-12-27
Last Updated: 2025-03-29
Categories: Motsei Shabbat
Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, first person, Kolot Chayeinu, paraliturgical havdalah, הבדלות havdalot
Excerpt: Three short havdallah meditations that culminate in a havdallah prayer/blessing. . . .
Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
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Ⅰ.
Praise the Before Praise the After Praise the Time In Between |
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Praise Kadosh, the holy
Praise Khol, the mundane Praise Ha Mavdil Bein Kodesh L’khol, the one who differentiates between them |
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Praise Kabbalah, welcome the Bride
Praise Shabbat, the deepest rest. Praise Havdallah, farewell to the departing soul |
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Ⅱ.
I construct four walls and a roof and no windows I put in only one door, open it once a year, and never go in. Inside the walls, Holy of Holies Outside the walls, everything else. All I did was build a temple. |
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I buy some fabric.
I put fringes on the corners and cover myself with the cloth. Inside the cloth, I am “kadosh” and I can pray. Outside the cloth, I am “khol” and I gossip. But all I did was cover myself with a piece of fabric. |
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I have a rimless cap.
I put it on my head and call it a kippah. Inside my kippah, I’m alone but in conversation with God and my kehillah. Outside my kippah, I’m by myself All I did was put on a cap. |
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I have a candle, wine, and sweet smelling spices
I light the candle and dip it in the wine, I smell the spices and call it havdallah. Before sunset, guilt and sin and begging for forgiveness After sundown, onto a year of new mistakes and hope. All I did was wait for it to get dark. |
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I make a flimsy hut with branches overhead and fruit within.
I call it a sukkah and sit down for a meal. From inside the hut, I see three stars appear. Outside the hut, I see the same three stars. Inside outside, same thing? All I did was build a hut. |
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Ⅲ.
Wine Growth, harvest, creation, sexuality, body, love. |
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Spice
Sweetness, Fragrance, art, luxury, flavor, comedy. |
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Fire
Sacrifice, spirit, usefulness, justice, inspiration |
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Ⅳ.
Blessed Was•Is•Will Be, that brings the harvest in its due time, And wine to drink, fire to light our way and spices to make us happy |
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Blessed HaMavdeel, that which Divides,
And separates the whole into increments that we may comprehend it. |
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Blessed Echad, that which Unites,
And connects us all that we may be one. |
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Amen.
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Contributor: Trisha Arlin
Co-authors:
Featured Image:
Title: Ed in Candlelight by Sam Cockman (CC-BY 2.0)
Caption: Ed in Candlelight (credit: Sam Cockman, license: CC-BY 2.0)