A Religion of Rituals
The Jewish religion is full of rituals and ceremonial prayers that date back since times immemorial. The Jewish religion is full of age old customs, traditions and practices that are centuries old.
Meaning of the word ‘Havdalah’
Havdalah sets refer to sets containing objects required for the Havdalah ritual. Spelt as Havdalah or Havdalahh, the word means separation; distinction or differentiation. The Havdalah is a religious ceremony in Jewish religion. It marks the end of Shabbat; holidays or other festivities and the beginning of a new week or working day. The Havdalah is attended by the entire family. This makes the presence of Havdalah sets a must. It takes place in Jewish homes and at synagogues. In the house, the head of the family recites the Havdalah prayer while at the synagogue; the prayers are recited by the Rabbi. In these prayers, the Lord is praised for having separated the holidays from the other working days. The ceremony of Havdalah begins when three stars appear in the sky. The ceremony involves a person to indulge all five of his or her senses:
- to see the flames of a burning candle
- to hear the Havdalah prayers and blessings
- to smell the aromas of sweet scented spice
- to take a sip of wine or any other beverage other than water and to feel the heat of the burning candle
Havdalah sets
The grandeur of the Havdalah ceremony is multiplied with the use of Havdalah sets. Complete Havdalah sets comprise of a braided candle; a Kiddush cup that contains wine and a box that contains sweet scented spices. These are three-piece Havdalah sets. If a tray is attached along with three-piece Havdalah sets, then the Havdalah sets become four-piece Havdalah sets. Likewise, there are also two-piece Havdalah sets that comprise of only the candle and the spice container. This is because in many families the same cup is used both for the Havdalah as well as for the Kiddush ceremonies. So they buy Havdalah sets without the matching wine cup. The Havdalah sets are made of a variety of materials like gold, silver, brass, nickel, wood, ceramic and glass. But it is the sterling silver Havdalah sets that are immensely popular with the Jews. The silver Havdalah sets are kept in protective glass cabinets because silver Havdalah sets are easily prone to blackening. Besides serving the usual ritualistic purpose, the silver Havdalah sets couple the role of decorative furniture. Other than silver Havdalah sets, there are travelling Havdalah sets that are made of ceramic or porcelain.
Havdalah sets can serve as good Judaica gifts. Gifting of Havdalah sets are a common practice worldwide. To increase the value of the Havdalah sets as gifting object, various designers and artists have taken to improvising the design of Havdalah sets. As a result, various designer Havdalah sets are available in the markets worldwide.
To make Havdalah interesting for the kids, colorful Havdalah sets are available in the markets. Various web portals offer Havdalah sets at reasonable prices and discounts. Price of Havdalah sets varies anywhere between $70 and $130.It has become easier nowadays to buy Havdalah sets, both for the ritual as well as for the gifting purpose. However, while opting for Havdalah sets one should always insist on quality because Havdalah sets are passed on through generations as a great possession.
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