Rav Hirsch on Havdalah Part I
Rav Hirsch says that, popular perception aside, Havdalah is not a prayer of farewell to Shabbos, but a prayer of greeting for the week. He sees it as a Kiddush for the week!
G-d. Thus, when the Sabbath enters into our midst, we usher it in by reciting the Kiddush over a cup, thus marking the Sabbath as an institution appointed by Divine decree for our sanctification.
In the same manner, when we are about to return to the workday week, we remind ourselves of the meaning of the week to come by reciting the Havdalah over a cup, thus symbolically indicating that the workday week, no less than the Sabbath, is also ordained by G-d Himself, a period set aside for the fulfillment of specific tasks that He has set for us."
The Hirsch Siddur, 1992 edition, pg. 567
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 5:45 PM
2 Comments:
i think the havdala candle works similarly — after 24+ hours of giving the world back to God, we make our first creative act the most primeval creative act of all, and hold up our hands to it as if to say "this is mine, i created it; God gave me that power"
That makes sense Steg. Thanks.
I've heard a nice idea about how we start Shabbos with separate candles/flames and then re-enter the week with a umified flame from candles bound together.
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