Silver Havdalah Sets

The Havdalah is an ancient wonderful tradition in which the Jew bids farewell to the holy Sabbath. Although there is no question as to the popularity of this ceremony, which taking place in many Jewish households, there are quite a few people who are not aware of the deep meaning that this custom and all that accompanies it holds.

The meaning of the Havdalah

The Havdalah is a ceremony attended by the entire family, taking place in Jewish homes and often in synagogues as well, ending the Sabbath and the different Jewish holidays, setting them apart from weekdays. The ceremony consists of prayers being recited over a goblet of wine, natural aromatic spices and a decorative braided candle with a minimum of two wicks. The main object of the Havdalah is to praise the lord for distinguishing the Holy days from the secular days, light from darkness, and Jews from Gentiles. The reason for lighting of the candle, among others, is to distinctly set apart the holy Sabbath from the secular weekdays due to the fact that according to G-d's laws, it is forbidden to light fire during the entire Sabbath.

Moreover, according to the mystical Kabala, it is very hard for any Jewish soul to separate from the beloved Sabbath. Tradition has it that a Jew acquires an extra soul or special spirit throughout the Sabbath which exists him as soon as the Sabbath comes to an end. In an attempt to sweeten the harsh departure, this ceremony consists of different things which are known to add joy to the soul. For example, wine, spices and fire, which reminds us of the infinite light that was constantly in the Garden of Eden. The special Havdalah candle is usually an amazingly long braided candle containing at least two wicks which burn at the same time, thus symbolizing the unity of that which is holy and that which is secular, which can both be found at the end of the Sabbath.

Silver Havdalah Sets

Over the many years, it has become an established practice for a Jewish family to purchase an entire Havdalah set, which consists of a matching Havdalah candle holder and spice box. Most often than not, these sets do not include matching Kiddush cups as many families use the same goblet like cup for both the Kiddush blessing and the Havdalah blessing.
One of the beautiful sayings of the Jewish sages states that if one of the commandments, a Mitzvah, is well loved by the Jew, it is a fine thing to glorify it. Because the Havdalah ceremony has long since been a well adored tradition amongst the Jewish people worldwide, it has for generations been the custom to purchase sterling silver Havdalah sets, adding a great amount of prestige to the tradition, although pewter and other materials are used as well.
In order to keep the silver from blackening quickly, one can often find different Judaica pieces, including Havdalah sets, behind glass doors, in a displayed decorative cabinet. This sort of prestigious furniture adds much glory to a Jewish living room.  
In addition, because people are cautious about harming their silver sets, they are often reluctant to take it with them when traveling. This is the reason one can find wonderful traveling Havdalah sets, fit for carrying anywhere, using minimum space and applying maximum protection to the set.

No doubt, in recent years there has been a renewed interest in all that is spiritual. As the popularity of special Jewish jewelry is on the rise, so are beautiful Judaica gifts connected to the Sabbath, including silver Kiddush cups, silver candle holders and of course, beautiful silver Havdalah sets.