Havdalah Compendium

Rafi Landau (b. Israel 1954)
Israel, 1992
Sterling silver, anodized aluminum, tray: diam. 8 in.; cup: h. 3 ½ in.; candle holder and spice container: h. (each) 2 ¾ in.
Cincinnati Skirball Museum; gift of Rosa Hable Flegenheimer Schwartz and David Miller Schwartz, 28.12a–d

Shabbat, or the Sabbath, is the most important weekly celebration in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the day of rest following creation. Shabbat is stressed in the story of creation (Ex. 20:8) and in the fourth of the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

At the end of the Sabbath, after sunset on Saturday evening, a ceremony called Havdalah takes place. Havdalah means “separation,” and this ceremony marks the separation of the Sabbath from the rest of the week, the sacred from the secular. A special braided candle of several wicks is lit. A blessing over wine is recited followed by a blessing over fragrant spices, through which the scent of the sweet Sabbath is remembered. The third blessing is over the candle’s flame, symbolic of the initial act of creation.

This silver compendium has a kiddush (sanctification) cup formed to represent a full moon. The Hebrew inscription along the rim reads, “Who creates the fruit of the vine.” The candle holder takes the shape of a half moon and is inscribed, “Who creates the lights of the fire.” The spice container is in the shape of a quarter moon and is inscribed, “Who creates the kinds of spices.” The moon imagery is a reference to the separation of light from darkness. The Hebrew inscription along the rim of the large tray reads, “Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.”

Rafi Landau, artist and silversmith, studied industrial design and jewelry-making at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. His designs are created in his studio at Kfar Adumim, a village in the Judean Desert, with a view of Jerusalem.

Publications:
Artistic Expressions of Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, ed. Abby S. Schwartz, 1997, p. 6.