Saturday, June 8, 2013

Adapting A Jewish Ritual for Ending the Sabbath

I've adapted a Jewish custom for concluding my Sabbath on Sunday evenings.
The Jewish ceremony for ending the Sabbath (Shabbos or Shabbat) is called
Havdala, and it is beautiful.  (I've never actually seen it, but I've read about it.)
One part of the ritual... the part I've adapted... consists of sniffing fragrant spices before saying the final prayer that closes the Sabbath. In order to incorporate this into my own Sabbath-ending ritual, I first needed something to serve as a spice box.  So, I ordered  this olive wood Rosary box from the EWTN catalog.
 It comes, quite fittingly, from Israel.  I keep the box next to my electric (for safety) Sabbath candle. The spices I've placed in it are whole cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  (These are among the spices traditionally used as part of Havdala; but any good-smelling spices may be used.)





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