Havdalah

Rabbi Yoḥanan replied that that would be impossible, as the customs associated with havdala went through several stages. He said to him: Initially, during the difficult, early years of the Second Temple, they established that havdala is to be recited in the Amida prayer. Subsequently, when the people became wealthy, they established that havdala is to be recited over the cup of wine. When the people became impoverished, they again established that it was to be recited in the Amida prayer. And they said: One who recites havdala in the Amida prayer must, if he is able (Shitta Mekubbetzet, Me’iri), recite havdala over the cup of wine as well. Due to all these changes, it was not clear when exactly havdala was to be recited. It was also stated: Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The members of the Great Assembly established for Israel blessings and prayers, sanctifications and havdalot. Initially, they established that havdala is to be recited in the Amida prayer. Subsequently, when the people became wealthy, they established that havdala is to be recited over the cup of wine. When the people again became impoverished, they established that it was to be recited in the Amida prayer. And they said: One who recites havdala in the Amida prayer must recite havdala over the cup of wine as well.

(1) It is biblically mandated positive commandment to sanctify the Sabbath with speech, as it is written (Exodus 20, 7): "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." i.e. Remember through remberance of praise and through Kiddush. And it must be remembered when it begins and when it ends. When it begins - with Kiddush, and when it ends - with Havdala...

It is the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam that Havdalah is a mitzvah dirabanan, and the pasuk of zachor is just an asmachta.

The Mishnah Berurah notes that the Rambam holds that havdalah is a mitzvah dioraisah, while others disagree. A person needs to use a cup (of wine) in order to make havdalah just as by kiddush, and if someone already stated havdalah in davening, then according to everyone, the havdalah recited over the cup (of wine) is only dirabanan.

We learned in the mishna: But one may wait for nightfall at the Shabbat boundary in order to guard one’s produce. The Gemara asks: And is this the case even if he has not recited the blessing of distinction [havdala] marking the end of Shabbat? But didn’t Rabbi Elazar ben Antigonos say in the name of Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov that it is prohibited for a person to tend to his weekday affairs after Shabbat before he recites havdala? And if you say that this is referring to a case in which one already recited havdala during prayer, as formulated by the Sages in the blessing of: Who graciously grants knowledge, didn’t Rav Yehuda say that Shmuel said that one who recites havdala in prayer must still recite havdala over a cup of wine? And if you say that this is an instance in which one already recited havdala over a cup of wine, does one have a cup of wine in the field? Rabbi Natan bar Ami explained this before Rava: They taught this halakha with regard to a unique case in which the edge of the Shabbat boundary was situated among wine presses, and one took wine from the wine press and recited havdala over it. Rabbi Abba said another explanation to Rav Ashi: In the West, in Eretz Yisrael, we say this at the end of Shabbat: The One who distinguishes between the sacred and the mundane, and then we attend to our needs, as reciting havdala over a cup is unnecessary in order to begin doing labor after Shabbat. It is therefore possible that the mishna addressed a similar case. Similarly, Rav Ashi said: When I was in the house of Rav Kahana, he would say: The One who distinguishes between the sacred and the mundane, at the end of Shabbat, and we would cut wood to burn for light and heat.

(6) It is from the words of the Sages to sanctify over the wine and to separate over the wine. And even though one separated during the Prayer [i.e. Amidah], one needs to separate over the cup. And after one separates [during the Prayer] and one says "between holy and ordinary", it is permitted for one to do creative labor, even though one has not separated over the cup. And one blesses of the wine first, and after that sanctifies. And one does not wash one's hands until one sanctifies.

Shulchan Aruch: It is forbidden to perform melacha before reciting havdalah, but if one recited havdalah in davening then it is permitted to do melacha even though he has not yet recited it on a cup (of wine). If a person needs to perform melacha before he davens he should say hamavdil ben kodesh uvein ha'chol. This is to be said without a bercha and permits one to perform melacha. Ramah: Women who did not recite havdalah in davening should be sure to say hamavdil ben kodesh l'chol before performing melacha. This applies to performing full-on melachot like writing or weaving, but to light a candle or leave the rishus does not require one to say this.

It is forbidden to eat until one makes havdalah on a cup (of wine).

One is not able to use beer for kiddsuh, but is able to use it for havdalah.

S"A: We can't make havdalah on bread (as is done for kiddush if there is no wine), but we can make it on beer if it is a good quality drink of the location, and the same is true of other beverages except for water. Ramah: It is better to use a cup of wine that is pagum (someone had drunk from that cup) rather than use beer.

We only make havdalah on beer if there is no wine, but when there is wine, that takes precedence.

Rabbi Josh Flug "The Mitzvah of Havdalah Part II" - The reason for smelling spices on Motza'ei Shabbat is that on Motza'ei Shabbat one experiences the loss of the neshama yeteirah (the additional soul) and the spices serve to restore the body to normal. For this reason, Tosafot suggest that if Yom Tov occurs on Motza'ei Shabbat, it is not necessary to smell spices because the additional food items that are eaten on Yom Tov have the same effect as the spices. Additionally, at the conclusion of Yom Tov, one does not smell spices because there is no loss of the neshama yeteirah.

(There are different berachos we make on items that have a good fragrance. The most generic of these berachos is borei minei b'samim. Even though not every item actually gets this specific beracha, on motzei Shabbos we make this beracha on any good fragrance we use to avoid making a mistake. Therefore, it is best to choose an item whose actual beracha is borei minei b'samim.

but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Proverbs 20:5). Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; that is a reference to Ulla, who had a thought but did not articulate it. But a man of understanding will draw it out; that is a reference to Rabba bar bar Ḥana, who understood the allusion even though it was not articulated. The Gemara asks: And in accordance with whose opinion do Ulla and Rabba bar bar Ḥana hold, leading them to reject Rabbi Abba’s statement of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s opinion? The Gemara answers: They hold in accordance with that which Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One recites the blessing over fire both at the conclusion of Shabbat and at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. And that is how the people act. The Gemara raises an objection from that which was previously taught: One recites a blessing over fire only at the conclusion of Shabbat and not at the conclusion of Festivals or Yom Kippur, since the conclusion of Shabbat is the time of its original creation. And once he sees it, he recites the blessing immediately. Rabbi Yehuda says: One does not recite the blessing immediately; rather, he waits and arranges and recites the blessings over fire and spices over the cup of wine that accompanies the recitation of havdala. And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda. The Gemara asks: Since the blessing over fire commemorates the creation of fire, why is this blessing recited after Yom Kippur? The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. Here, where Rabbi Yoḥanan said that one recites the blessing at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, it is referring to fire that rested on Yom Kippur, i.e., fire for which no prohibition was involved in its kindling, either because it was kindled before Shabbat or because it was kindled in a permitted manner, e.g., for a dangerously ill person. There, where Rabbi Yoḥanan said that the blessing is recited only at the conclusion of Shabbat, it is referring to fire generated from wood and from stones after Shabbat, similar to the primordial fire, which was created at the conclusion of Shabbat.

One makes a borei m'orei ha'eish on the candle, but if one doesn't have one, there is no need to search after one. This is for havdalah on motzei Shabbos, but after Yom Kippur, one would have to go find a candle for havdalah​​​​​​​.

We learned in the mishna: And one does not recite the blessing over the candle until he derives benefit from its light. Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Benefit does not mean that the one reciting the blessing must have actually benefited from the light of the candle. Rather, as long as one could stand close to the candle and utilize its light, anyone who sees it may recite a blessing over it, even if he is standing at a distance. And similarly, Rav Ashi said: We learned this halakha, that one may recite a blessing over the light of a candle even with regard to those standing in a place that is distant.

The Gemara answers: Are the cases comparable? This case, of a false oath, is as it is and that case, of an oath taken in vain, is as it is. What, then, is the meaning of the assertion of the baraita that they are one? It is that both were spoken in a single utterance at the giving of the Torah, like that which is taught in a baraita: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), and: “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Deuteronomy 5:12), were spoken in one utterance, in a manner that the human mouth cannot say and that the human ear cannot hear. The Gemara asks: Granted, there, “remember” and “observe” were spoken in a single utterance in order to teach the halakha that Rav Adda bar Ahava says; as Rav Adda bar Ahava says: Women are obligated to recite kiddush sanctifying the seventh day, by Torah law, even though it is a positive, time-bound mitzva, since the verses state: “Remember,” and: “Observe,” indicating that anyone who is obligated to observe, i.e., is prohibited from performing labor on Shabbat, is obligated to remember, by reciting kiddush. And these women, since they are obligated to observe, they also are obligated to remember...

We equate the zechira and the shemira to obligate women in reciting kiddush, even though women are typically exempt from performing time-bound mitzvot. Since women are obligated in the shemira (prohibitory acts) they are obligated in zechira (positive acts) whether they are time-bound or not.

(1) It is a positive duty to express the sanctity of the Sabbath day in words, for it is written: "Remember to sanctify the Sabbath day" (Exodus 20:8); that is to say, remember it in terms of praise and sanctification. One should remember it at its beginning and its conclusion by reciting the Kiddush when the Sabbath begins and the Havdalah when it ends.

(8) Women are obligated in Havdalah, just as they are obligated in Kiddush. And there is someone who argues. Hagah: Therefore, they should not recite Havdalah to themselves, rather they should hear Havdalah from men.

The Ramah hold like the Orchos Chaim, and when he says that women shouldn't make havdalah themselves, it means they are prohibited to make it themselves, and they must hear it from a man. But why is this the case? Whether we hold (like the Rambam) that women are obligated according to the Torah to make havdalah, or like those who say it is only a rabbinic obligation; even if they aren't obligated at all, why should this be different then other time-bound mitzvos like lulav or shofar which women are exempt from but can perform them if they please? When the Orchot Chaim says that a women doesn't make havdalah herself, it means that she doesn't need to make havdalah herself and she can be yotzei through a man. He holds that a women's obligation is lower than a man's since this mitzvah is not part of zachor (positive mitzvot for Shabbos) and so if men are present she should hear from a man, but if there are no men present she can certainly make havdalah herself.

After quoting the Bach, the Magen Avraham gives support for the Ramah and says, "the permissibility for women to perform time-bound mitzvos is when there is an action that is done, but when the mitzvah is only a beracha, as in our case, they are not permitted to take part in this time-bound mitzvah; and it is possible this is the same logic used for why women to not have the custom to say kiddush levanah. (The Magen Avraham goes on to side with the Bach). The Rosh explains that any beracha that does not say v'tzivanu (ex. havdalah) a woman is allowed to recite, and therefore, if a woman missed the recitation of havdalah by a man, they are certainly permitted to make their own.

Typically women do have the ability to perform time-bound mitzvos, but that is when men are obligated to perform it on a biblical level. By havdalah, some hold that a man's obligation is only rabbinic, and therefore the Ramah states that it is ideal for a women to be yotzei with a man.

The Mishnah Berurah holds like the Bach, that women can perform the mitzvah of havdalah.

If a man was already yotzei the mitzvah of havdalah then he should not recite it again on behalf of a woman (as he can by kiddush), and a woman should make havdalah herself.