13
votes
Where does this Havdala-oriented prayer come from?
This looks like an English translation of the Yiddish prayer גאט פון אברהם:
גאט פון אברהם און פון יצחק און פון יעקב!
באהיט דיין פאלק ישראל פון אלע בייזן אין דיינעם לויב, אז דער ליבער שבת קודש ...
13
votes
Accepted
Why is there no havdallah when going from Yom Tov into Shabbat?
The source is the last Mishna in the first chapter of Chullin. Rav Ovadiah of Bartenura explains that indeed we only have a Havdala ceremony when moving from a higher holiness to a lower holiness, and ...
10
votes
Accepted
Doing Havdolah with no flame or spices
You are essentially correct. There is a blessing to be said when you see fire on Saturday night. It is essentially entirely independent of Havdalah. If you're making Havdalah anyway (99% of cases) ...
8
votes
Accepted
Can you do late havdalah after yom tov
Maharshal (to OC 299:6) rules that Havdala after Yom Tov has no late option and must be said that night. Rabbi Akiva Eiger (ibid.) quotes opinions who rule similarly, but he disagrees and rules that ...
7
votes
Accepted
Benefiting from work done by a non-observant Jew after Shabbat
The short answer is that this is allowed. There are two issues here
Is work forbidden before havdala?
Can you benefit from work done by a Jew after shabbat if he hasn't done havdala?
The answer to ...
7
votes
Forgot chonantanu after already making havdalah over wine
The Shulchan Aruch rules (O.C. 294:1) that in general one need not repeat Shemonah Esrei for forgetting Atah Chonantanu. The exception where one does have to repeat it is if he also ate before making ...
7
votes
Accepted
What is the reason for specifically using a Havdala candle made of beeswax?
This is beyond my pay grade, but the source that you cite in your question provides the reference that explains the custom (Pri Etz Ḥaim, gate 18, ch. 24).
There, R. Vital teaches that the gematria ...
6
votes
Dipping fingers in Havdalah Wine
An early source for this is the Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer (ch. 20) which states that it is a mitsvah to add some water to the havdala cup and drink it to show love for the mitsvot, and to put some of the ...
6
votes
Accepted
Can ground coffee beans or instant coffee be used for b'samim during Havdalah?
Good question! Short answer: yes, but probably only freshly-ground beans.
Mishna Brurah 216.16 writes, concerning the blessings on spices anytime you smell them during the week:
כתבו האחרונים המריח ...
6
votes
Accepted
Does 'atah chonantanu' replace the first line of 'atah chonein,' or is it said in addition?
The "add" option is certainly not immediately intuitive, since there's a clear duplication of the phrase "you have graced אתה חונן". It seems reasonable to expect that אתה חוננתנו was composed as a ...
6
votes
When Pesach falls on Motzei Shabbos, should women make Havdallah?
R. Moshe Stern in Be'er Moshe V:136 writes that that a woman should not deviate from her regular custom when seder night falls on motza'ei shabbat, but instead should say havdalah as part of kiddush.
...
5
votes
What to do regarding postponed havdalah on a plane?
The criterion for beverages for havdalah (and kiddush, and the four cups at Pesach) is that they be chamer medina, a "national drink" or something you would serve guests. According to the OU:
In a ...
5
votes
Where does this Havdala-oriented prayer come from?
Thanks to Scimonster and ezra identifying this as an abridged form of Gott fun Avrohom, some persistent Googling, and the Library of Congress, I've confirmed that this particular English abridged ...
5
votes
Where does this Havdala-oriented prayer come from?
You have found an English abridgement of the old Yiddish prayer, Gott fun Avrohom.
גָאט פוּן אַבְרָהָם - G-d of Abraham. It was customary in many European communities for the women to recite the ...
4
votes
Accepted
Havdalah on Motzaei Shabbos Tishah B'Av
The final bracha of havdala must be recited with the cup of wine. The original institution of havdalah was with a cup of wine and therefore the bracha after the wine was invalid without it. However, ...
4
votes
brachah on besamim during havdalah when only one species is used
Mishnah Berurah 297 Seif kattan 1 says the minhag is always to say borei minei besamim at Havdalah, regardless of what you're using for spices. He writes the reason is to avoid people making a mistake ...
4
votes
Accepted
Havdallah Eish on a lightbulb
I found some answers online for this -- I will excerpt:
1.
The issues are essentially the same with regards to Havdala [as with Shabbat candles], and many authorities rule that one may use an ...
4
votes
Can you fly from American Samoa on Friday evening to Upolu? (30 minute flight, 24 hour difference)
1 - Your assumption that if one changes his location, his Shabbos will depend on his present location, is true according most poskim (see תאריך לישראל סי' ה' אות ה', ט', וי"ג). However, שו"ת ארץ צבי ...
4
votes
Why are so many besamim cases decorated with flags?
Tower-shaped besamim boxes first appeared ca. the 16th century CE and rose in popularity ca. the 18th century (article in the Forward).
The significance of the flags and occasionally bells is not ...
3
votes
Lady drinking Havdalah wine
There is a Machlokes whether Havdalah is a mitzvah D’orasia (Rambam) or a mitzva d’rabbanan (Maggid Mishna). The difference is whether havdallah is connected to kiddush which women are obligated in, ...
3
votes
Making Kiddush/Havdalah Twice
Mishna Berura covers this exact scenario regarding havadalah in O.C. 296:8 s.k. 36. He says someone who has already made havdalah, or already heard havdalah, should not make it again on behalf of ...
3
votes
Can one recite havdalah during daytime?
Yes, Havdala can be recited during the daytime if it wasn't said on Saturday night. (See ShA OC 299:6 where the two opinions given for the latest time to make up Havdala are "all of Yom Rishon" (ie. ...
3
votes
Is it OK to say Havdala before Arvit?
Yes it appears to be permitted
Shulchan Aruch Harav (293:1) writes
as soon as three stars can be seen next to each other, it is
permitted to recite Havdalah and perform labors [forbidden on ...
3
votes
History of Braided Havdalah Candle
You're supposed to use a candle with multiple wicks for Havdalah. The easiest, if not only, way to make candles like that is to braid them. Hence the braided candles. This wouldn't be just Ashkenazim, ...
3
votes
Holding Havdala Candle
The Shulchan Aruch in 298 - סימן רחצ - דיני נר הבדלה - lists 15 Halachot regarding the Havdala candle - and yet does not mention the need to hold it.
Even the fact that it's held is not mentioned.
...
3
votes
On Motzei Shabbat/Tisha B'Av how is the Havdalah candle extinguished?
Mishna Berura 556:1 says that the candle used to say the Bracha of Borai Meorai Haish on Motzei Shabbos that is Tisha B'Av should be used for reading Aicha. Thus the proper manner is to not put out ...
3
votes
Burning the alcohol after havdallah
The idea isn't to 'burn the alcohol', but to extinguish the flame in the wine (or whatever was used for the kos of Havdala).
גם נוהגין לשפוך על השלחן מן יין הנשאר בכוס אחר שתיית המבדיל
ומכבין בו ...
3
votes
May one use bread for havdallah?
One cannot use bread for havdalah. If one has no wine or grape juice, one can use chamar medinah. (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayyim 296:2)
3
votes
Besamim on a Cinnamon Bun or Danish
The Beis Yosef Orach chaim 297 quotes an opinion which the Magein Avraham 297,1 supports, that one can make a Brocho of Borei minei Besamim on smelling a Regular bun that emits a nice smell when its ...
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