24 Friday, November 23, 1979
'
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Havdala Customs Are Defined
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)
It is customary to pour a
little wine out on a plate
after the Havdala (separa-
tion ceremony at the end of
the Sabbath) and to extin-
guish the flame of the Hav-
dala candle in this wine.
Some claim (L'vush) that
this is done to demonstrate
that the Havdala candle
was lit–for the exclusive
purpose of the Havdala
ceremony and not for the
need for light.
Others claim that this is
done to tie the "Mitzvot" to-
gether which would indi-
cate that the various acts
that are ceremoniously per-
formed with the various ob-
jects used for the Havdala
ceremony are not isolated
- acts but connected parts of a
single ceremony.
Some of this wine used
after this practice is
smeared on one's eyelids.
It is claimed that. this is
done so that the spilled wine
would not be wasted (since
it is forbidden to waste edi-
ble foods). It is thus smeared
on one's eyelids to give extra
comfort to the individual.
Others claim that this is
done to indicate that one
should use his eyes to dis-
tinguish between what is
holy and what is profane
just as the Havdala cere-
mony indicates the need
and virtue of making dis-
tinctions in life. Still others
claim that this is a demon-
stration of how precious the
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performance of a mitzva
(commandment) is that we
utilize every ounce of mate-
rial to enhance our spiritu-
ality.
Some people sniff the
fumes of the extinguished
Havdala candle which has
been dipped into the wine.
The extinguished • can-
dle which has been di-
pped into the wine gives
off a pleasant aroma.
The mystics claim that
this practice will help avoid
the hazards of polluted air.
Generally, the divine gift of
the sense of smell is hereby
portrayed as one of the Al-
mighty's gifts to mankind.
Some claim that this is done
so as to indicate that even if
the direct physical experi-
ence of the light is gone, the
memory of the pleasant ex-
perience remains through
the aroma, telling us how
the Sabbath spirit 'never
leaves the Jew for the whole
week until the next Sabbath
comes.
Reasons for Shaddai'
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX . _
(Copyright 1979, JTA Inc.)
The Almighty's name,
"Shaddi," is written on the
outside of the parchment of
the mezuza for a number of
reasons.
First of all, it is claimed
that • the presence of a
mezuza on the doorpost is an
indication of the presence of
the Almighty. The choice of
this particular name for the
Almighty (who has a
variety of names) is claimed
by some to be because it
indicates that the Almighty
affords a means of protec-
tion from the evil spirits.
Others claim that the
name "Shaddai" may be
an abbreviation for one of
the attributes of the Al-
mighty regarding the
Jewish people in that its let-
ters represent Him as the
"Watchman of the doors of
Israel" (Shomer Dalsos Is-
rael).
There are also claims
that the name "Shaddai"
indicates the self-control
that is exhibited by the
Almighty "She-omer L'
olam Dar (i.e. He said to
the world "Enough").
This would indicate the
element of privacy which
is involved in having
'doors and doorways.
It is also mentioned by
some that the two main
names of the Almighty may
not be written out in full ex-
cept as part of a verse of the
Scriptures. Therefore this
name is used instead. It is
either a secondary name or
it is only part of a full name
(i.e. Kel Shaddai).
He who teaches his
neighbor's son is as if he had
created him.
—Talmud
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