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Modern Interactive Hadvalah Ceremony

a blue and white havdalah candle
Source Of All Life, Generous, Loving Oneness, we have drawn close to you on Shabbat. We have felt your harmony and peace; we have joined our souls to yours. Now we stand at the boundary of the new week, ready to bring some of your Ruach, your spirit, your Chesed, your kindness, your Ahava, your love, into the new week. We have tasted restful joy; we have flowed in the excitement of being truly free and expanded and alive. Now we linger for one more moment in the feeling of Shabbat to remember this feeling as a resource, for us to return to in the week ahead.
 
Everything is as it should be! Everything is in Divine order!
Now we are at the perfect, expectant moment: the balancing point between rest and action.
 
We raise our cup of joy together and bless the Source of Joy.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּֽפֶן
Ba-ruch a-ta, A-do-nai elo-hei-nu, me-lech ha-o-lam, bo-rei p’ri ha-ga-fen.
Blessed are You, Eternal, our God, ruler of all worlds, who creates the fruit of the vine.

 

We smell sweet spices to enjoy one more Shabbat moment and bless the Source of Beauty.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מִינֵי בְשָמִים
Ba-ruch ata Adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam borei minei besamim.
Blessed are You, Existence, our God, Guide of all worlds, who creates a world with many different spices.
 
We see the braided candle, speaking to us of the union of all people and of all the different parts of ourselves that we will express in the week to come. We now gaze at the flame, that is so like our human urge to be more than merely human, to also be Divine, and we bless the Source of Soul Expansion.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא מְאוֹרֵי הָאֵשׁ
Baruch Atah Adonai eloheinu melech ha-olam borei me-orey ha-esh. Blessed are you, Radiance, our God, Flow-er of Energy to all worlds, who creates the lights of fire.
 
We now separate the sacred from the profane, knowing that, in truth, there is no separation if we allow it to be so. We say Ki Tov! For it is all good! just as the Divine said during creation.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמַבְדִיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל, בֵּין אוֹר לְחֹשֶךְ,
בֵּין יִשְרָאֵל לָעַמִים, בֵּין יוֹם הַשְבִיעִי לְשֵשֶת יְמֵי הַמַעֲשֶה, בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, הַמַבְדִיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחוֹל
 
Baruch Atah Adonai eloheinu melech ha-olam hamavdil beyn kodesh lechol, beyn or l’choshech, beyn Yisrael ha’amim beyn yom hashevi’i lesheshet yemey ha-ma’aseh. Baruch Atah Adonai hamavdil beyn kodesh lechol.
Blessed are You, Eternal One of Being, Provider of all worlds, who separates between the holy and the ordinary, light from dark, the seventh day from the rest of the week. Blessed are you, Source of All, who separates the holy from the ordinary.
 
Elijah was the prophet who envisioned that time of peace and harmony that we and God have dreamed of together. We now sing of Elijah, knowing that each of us is a small part of the legendary Messiah who will bring that time of peace and harmony just a little closer.
 
אֵלִיָהוּ הַנָבִיא, אֵלִיָהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי, אֵלִיָהוּ הַגִלְעָדִי
בִּמְהֵרָה יָבוֹא אֵלֵינוּ עִם מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן דָוִד:
Eliyahu hanavi, Eliyahu hatish’bi, Eliyahu hagil’adi –
Bim’herah beyameinu, yavo eleinu, im Mashi’ach ben David. (2X)
Elijah the prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah the Giladite –
May he soon, in our days, come to us, with the messiah son of David. (x2)
 
Our wish is that all people be free, safe, well housed, well fed, peaceful, prosperous, blessed,  and happy.
שָׁבֽוּעַ טוֹב!
Shavua Tov!
Shavua Tov! A good week, may gladness reign and joy increase!
Shavua Tov! A good week to all: a week of blessing, goodness, love, and joy!
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