Because the Sabbath is holy, there has been an historical need to separate it from ordinary days. In Judaism, the ‘hav•da•lah’ (Havdalah) is the ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat or Yom Tov (holidays) and Yom Kippur, and serves as the transition to weekdays. Check a previous Hebrew Word from the Lord to learn more about ‘Yom Tov.’
The word is pronounced a little differently in English-speaking countries where the stress (lingering) is put on the syllable ‘da.’
The first actions of differentiation between elements were made by the Creator Himself:
“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness”
The Hebrew word that was used here for ‘divided’ is ‘va•yav•del’ (the same root word as in ‘hav•da•la’), which actually means ‘and He differentiated.’ The second differentiation also took place in the same chapter:
“And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so”
Once again, the Hebrew word that was used here for ‘divided’ is ‘va•yav•del’: ‘and He differentiated.’ One of the most pleasant blessings that is said during the ‘Hav•da•la’ service after the Sabbath is the blessing over aromatic spices. The participants recognize the gifts of God in these pleasant herbs (myrtle is commonly used).
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