Let us see, he reasoned, for all blessings [of kiddush] we first say '. who createst the fruit of the vine'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence it would be fitting for that to be called the Great kiddush, since it is recited on every occasion.');"><sup>12</sup></span> [So] he recited'. who createst t fruit of the vine,' and tarried over it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He paused before drinking it in order to see whether this was deemed sufficient for the kiddush by day.');"><sup>13</sup></span> [and then] he saw an old man bend [his head] and drink. Thereupon he applied to himself [the verse], The wise man, his eyes are in his head.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. II, 14.');"><sup>14</sup></span> The sons of R'Hiyya Said: He who did not recite habdalah at the termination of the Sabbath proceeds to recite habdalah anytime during the week. And, until when? -Said R'Zera: Until the fourth day of the week.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Exclusive. From the fourth day onward the days are counted with the following Sabbath, and it would be inappropriate to recite habdalah then for the preceding Sabbath.');"><sup>15</sup></span> Even as R'Zera sat before R'Assi - others state, R'Assi sat before R'Johanan - and he sat and stated: In respect to divorces the first day of the week, the second, and the third [are defined as] after the Sabbath; the fourth, the fifth, and the eve of the [Sabbath] day [rank as] before the Sabbath.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., if a man divorces his wife on condition that she performs a certain acton after a particular Sabbath, it must be done not later than the third day following; if he stipulates, before the Sabbath, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday are meant.');"><sup>16</sup></span> R'Jacob B'Idi said: But [he does] not [recite a blessing] over the light.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When he recites habdalah later in the week. Rashbam: the reason is presumably because the blessing for light can be recited only at the termination of the Sabbath (v. supra 54a) , since it was then created for the first time.');"><sup>17</sup></span> R'Beruna said in Rab's name:
Shulchan Shel Arba
Now that I have explained to you the topic of Kiddush, I will explain the topic of Havdalah, so that nothing will be missing from your table whether it is an ordinary day or Shabbat, for indeed Havdalah is a way of honoring Shabbat, to remember the day of Shabbat both when it comes and goes, as our rabbis z”l taught in a midrash, “’Remember the Sabbath day’279Ex 20:8. – remember it both at its entrance and its departure.”280Maimonides, Sefer Ha-Mitzvot, M”A 155, and in Hilkhot Shabbat 29a. And know that Havdalah with its four blessings is hinted at in the first parshah of Genesis: the first blessing – borei pri ha-gafen – “who creates the fruit of the vine” – is hinted at in the first verse in the word ha-aretz – “the land”281Gen 1:1. – which is the garden and the vine in the garden, and this is the wine preserved in its grapes from the six days of creation.282B. Berakhot 34b. The wine that will be served at the messianic banquet at the end of time comes has been preserved in the grapes of the first vine God created in the six days of creation.The second blessing: “atzei besamim”– “spices from a tree”283Technically, one needs to specify in the blessing the type of spice: atzei besamim – “spices from a tree,” such as cinnamon or nutmeg; esvei besamim, “spices from grasses,” such as mint or tarragon. However, taking into account that not everybody knows how to tell the difference between types of spices, the more inclusive formulation minei besamim– “different kinds of spices” was instituted, to avoid having people say the wrong blessing (Chavel). is hinted in the expression, “a wind [ru’ah] from God sweeping over the water,”284Gen 1:1. because smell – re’ah – is sensed by means of the wind – ru’ah. The third blessing: bore’ me’orei ha-esh – “who creates the lights of fire,” is what is written in “Yehi ‘or” – “Let there be light!”285Gen 1:3: “’Or” and “me’orei” are from the same Hebrew root that means “light.” The fourth blessing – Ha-mavdil – “Who separates” is what is written in “and God separated [va-yavdel] the light.”286Gen 1:4. And just as we found the act of separation – Havdalah – in the Holy One Blessed be He at the beginning of His rule with the creation of the world and its renewal, so we found in Him the sanctification – kiddush287Its root, kadosh, in its adjectival and verbal forms means literally to “be set apart” or “to set apart.” – of the day of Shabbat on which work is forbidden, which is written: “God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy [va-yikadesh ‘oto].”288Gen 2:3. What follows is more or less a quotation from Genesis Rabbah Parshah 11, with some omissions. He “blessed” it providing an extra portion of the manna for it and “declared it holy” by prohibiting the gathering of manna on it.
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Sefer HaMitzvot
That is that He commanded us to sanctify the Shabbat and to say things at its beginning and its culmination. In them, we mention the exodus from Egypt, the holiness of the day and its elevation and distinction from other days that precede it and follow it. And that is His, may He be blessed, saying, "Remember the Shabbat day, to sanctify it" (Exodus 20:8) - meaning to say, mention it and sanctify it with a blessing. And in explanation they said (Pesachim 106a), "Mention it over wine at its beginning and its culmination" - meaning, Havdalah, which is also part of mentioning the Shabbat and the arrangement of its commandments. And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained at the end of Pesachim and in other places. (See Parashat Yitro; Mishneh Torah, Shabbat 29.)
