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Between Light and Darkness
I have to say that when choosing my favorite Jewish ritual, there is really very little competition. Without a doubt, I’d say havdalah, the ritual marking the conclusion of Shabbat. There’s something that reaches me in havdalah, like very few other experiences have reached me in life. Havdalah is the service that seems most spiritual to me. Maybe it’s because it’s after I’ve had a full day to reflect and relax. Maybe it’s that almost every time I’ve done havdalah it’s been outside under the stars. But something about the havdalah service sets sparks off within me.
The first havdalah service that I remember was at Camp Hess Kramer, in Malibu. The whole camp stood in a circle, candles burning, under the stars, with their arms around each other. They swayed back and forth, singing, hugging each other, praising and thanking God for such a lovely and peaceful Shabbat. I went to camp there for a few years and each week I’d look forward to havdalah. I know it seems strange: Most people look forward to Shabbat; I looked forward to the end of Shabbat. But it wasn’t the end of Shabbat in my mind, so much as the full encapsulation of the essence of Shabbat. When I went into USY, the feeling was the same there as well. This was when I realized that it wasn’t the location or the group of people that made havdalah so special to me. Rather, it was the actual service. The people and the location add to the beauty of it, but the service itself is what I cherish. I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter where I am or who I’m with, as long as there is a havdalah service, it will always be special and meaningful to me. The aura and the beauty of havdalah are beyond words. [Posted 4/7/05]
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By Brielle Goodman