Posted by Brittany R

Program Host	Regional
Host Region	Connecticut Valley
Program Type	Convention Havdalah Judaic Prayer/Services Separates Spirituality
Time Required	Less then 2 hours
Target Population(s)	Girls (BBG) Boys (AZA) Members Convention Participants
Folds Targeted	Judaic Jewish Heritage Creativity
People Participating	30-60

Program Summary:

Used at CVR's Spring convention, this Havdallah has different activities that pertain to the different prayers we say on havdallah

Full Description:

Supplies: Different Spices, Plastic Bags, Yarn
Atmosphere: Dim the lights and have it quiet so your coordinator can be heard easily. Have girls sitting or standing in a circle.
Planning time line: Doesn't take much to plan just make sure you get supplies ahead of time
Cost: shouldn't be more than $20

Wine:  The sweetness of life is something that we cherish, something that we savor. This is the role of wine in Havdallah, to remind us of the happiness that comes in life, even when it is not Shabbat. A tradition practiced by many Jews every week during Havdallah is to pour so much wine into the Havdallah cup so that just a little bit flows over.  This is supposed to symbolize our wish that the Joy of Shabbat will carry into the coming week until we are able to refresh ourselves again on the following Sabbath. Part of this rejuvenation is allotting time to relax and reflect on aspects of life that make you happy. In order to do this, please join me in this simple meditation exercise in order to relieve tension and stress. Sit with a straight back, but do not overdo it so that the back becomes tense and then, be quiet and close your eyes. Concentrate on focusing your attention on specific muscles of your body. Starting with your head, feel the tension drain downward out of your face. Move your awareness down the neck – imagine that you can push the tension downward and that the muscles relax and soften. Continue down the body, especially work on the shoulders and stomach muscles. Keep moving the tension downward until you reach your feet. At this point imagine all the accumulated tension is forced out of your feet and into the floor. Now bring your awareness to the centre of your chest. Imagine that there is a vast sea of peace in the centre of your chest. Spend a few minutes enjoying the serenity within you and reflecting on the past week.

Spice: During Shabbat we receive an extra soul, a Nefesh Yetera and during Havdallah we lose it again until the next week.  The physical purpose of this soul is to heighten our senses and perception of life.  Our capacity to see beauty, taste flavor, and appreciate sound is thus elevated to a sensitivity that we can perceive through no other high.  The inner purpose of the additional soul is to focus the mind.  As a result we increase the power to comprehend and sense the divine. During Havdallah each of us should play a role in letting ourselves down from the elevated state in a way to cushion the loss of the Nefesh  Yetera for ourselves.  At home you have the choice of many different styles of relaxation, but tonight we would like to do a takeoff on the traditional way of comforting the loss of the extra soul. Generally the Havdallah spice box is used like a spiritual smelling salts to revive you after the loss of the Nefesh Yetera.
In front of you (the people can be in circles or smaller groups) there should be different cups containing
different scents.  Please take a minute to choose a small assortment of your favorites and place them in the plastic bag we give you.  Twist the top of your bag several times to close it when you are done.  As we recite the blessing over the spice box allow your bag to untwist and inhale the scents you have chosen to revive yourself.

    Candle: The Havdallah flame itself symbolizes the separation between the Shabbat and the rest of the week. However, tonight we are more interested in the actual candle which symbolizes the interconnectedness of the Jewish people. Judaism has many denominations which create a very rich heritage with many different facets.  Whereas other religions with different denominations fight and have issues with each other, the Jews are unified by this, even cherish it. Tonight, we too are going to link ourselves through our Judaism. Please stand in a circle with your group. Each person in the group needs to think of one specific aspect of Judaism that is special to them. It can be a certain tradition, a belief or even your grandmother’s chicken soup. Then, each group needs to select one person to start who shares first and then throws it to another person in the group who shares and so on until there is a web of Judaism in the center of the circle to show how connected by our Jewish roots we are.

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