Three-piece Havdalah Set

Ludwig Wolpert (1900-1981)
Sterling silver
New York, 1955
Abram and Frances Kanof Collection of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick
Collection of the Cincinnati Skirball Museum

Born in Hildesheim, Germany in 1900, Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert studied at the School for Arts and Crafts in Frankfurt-on-Main until 1920 where he specialized in metalwork. After emigrating to Palestine in 1933, Wolpert went on to teach metalworking at the New Bezalel School for Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem.  In 1956 he was invited to New York to establish the Tobe Pascher Workshop for Jewish ceremonial objects at the Jewish Museum. Wolpert is known for his pierced designs in silver. In this Havdalah set, each of the three objects—wine cup, spice box, and candle holder—is pierced with its associated blessing.

The Havdalah ceremony was a part of synagogue ritual by the Medieval period. Each object used during the ceremony has its own purpose. The braided candle represents the Jews from across the world who are a unified people regardless of how far we are from each other. The flame of the candle represents the Shabbat lights. The wine is a symbol of joy, and its sweet taste reminds us of the sweetness of Shabbat. The spice box also represents the sweetness of Shabbat, but we hope to carry that sweetness into the week ahead.

After the blessings for the different ritual objects are recited, the song, Eliyahu HaNavi, is sung to remind us of the hopes for the coming of the Messiah in the future. However, it can also represent a Messianic time, in which the sacredness, rest, and renewal of Shabbat will transition into all the days of our lives.