הִנֵּה אֵל יְשׁוּעָתִי...
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּֽפֶן.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָׂמִים.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מְאוֹרֵי הָאֵשׁ.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמַּבְדִיל בֵּין קֹֽדֶשׁ לְחוֹל, בֵּין אוֹר לְחֹֽשֶׁךְ, בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַמִּים, בֵּין יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לְשֵֽׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, הַמַּבְדִיל בֵּין קֹֽדֶשׁ לְחוֹל.
The Koren Siddur
Behold, God is my salvation...
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the various spices.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the lights of fire.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who distinguishes between sacred and secular, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and six days of work. Blessed are You, Lord, who distinguishes between sacred and secular.
דאמר ר' שמעון בן לקיש נשמה יתירה נותן הקב"ה באדם ערב שבת. ולמוצאי שבת נוטלין אותה הימנו שנאמר (שמות לא, יז) שבת וינפש כיון ששבת ווי אבדה נפש:
Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 16a
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The Holy One, blessed be He, gives the Jew an extra soul ("Neshamah Yetayrah") on Shabbat eve. After Shabbat ends, it is taken away from the person, as it says, "He ceased working and rested - Shavat Va'Yinafash" (Exodus 31:17), since it ceased, the soul is lost.
Mark Berch, Tifereth Israel Congregation, Washington, DC
The third blessing is over the light of the Havdalah candle flame, which is lit just before the ceremony starts. This is a braided candle, used for no other purpose. It is said to symbolize the unity found at the end of Shabbos. For example, mystics see the female principle dominant on Friday night, the male principle dominant Saturday morning, and the two are united at the end of Shabbos. Thus, there are separate fires for each wick, but, unlike at Hanukkah, there is just one blaze of flame. The fire represents physical creativity avoided during Shabbos but now available again, and so this is the first blessing of the new week. This blessing thus asserts the sacredness of work itself. Fire can be seen as symbolic of man's ability to escape the physical limitations of the natural world, and reshape the world.
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser, Temple Sinai, Cranston, RI
This is not just a ritual for saying goodbye to Shabbat. Havdalah is a moment in which we rehearse the divisions that separate the world of material reality from the world of spiritual reality. Shabbat is understood as a gateway to the supernal world and havdalah marks the transition in which the two worlds meet.