Mark the end of Shabbat with a hand-crafted Havdalah candle

Havdalah is a little space in time when we separate the end of Shabbat from the beginning of a new week. It takes place on Saturday evening when three stars are twinkling in the sky.

In a special ceremony, we engage our senses in a beautiful way. We taste wine (or grape juice) overflowing from a cup, we breathe in fragrant besamim (spices) to uplift our spirits, we see flames of light join together from a braided candle, and for each of these (wine, spices and fire) we can say a special blessing.

The braided Havdalah candle is truly special. It has at least three wicks and produces more light than three single candles. The three wicks symbolize the diversity of the Jewish people -woven together in unity, strength and love.

I had the wonderful opportunity to plan a Havdalah candle workshop and dessert fondue with my dear friend Aleah, at her beautiful historic home in Winter Park, Florida. It was truly a wonderful (and delicious) evening.

If you would like to hand-craft your own havdalah candle, you only need a few items. (Since this was an adult workshop, please scroll down to the very end of the post for a special tips for making Havdalah candles with children).

For each candle you will need:

One sheet of natural or smooth beeswax
Cotton candlewick
Kraft knife
Ruler
Scissors
Hair dryer

Place your sheet of beeswax on a cutting board. Use your ruler to carefully cut three pieces of wax, approximately 2” wide by 8” long with your Kraft knife. Next, cut three pieces of cotton candlewick with your scissors, each about 9” long. (Note: for our workshop, we pre-cut the beeswax sheets and candlewick, and packaged it up for each participant).

Now that the prep work is done, you’re ready to roll the candles!

Put the three pieces of beeswax in front of you. You’ll notice that the wax is very stiff. To make it more pliable and easier to roll, turn on your hair dyer to a low setting and carefully warm up the wax for about 15 to 20 seconds.

Take the long side of one of the pieces, and gently bend the edge up a very small amount, about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. (If it doesn’t bend easily, warm it again with the hairdryer).

Take one piece of candlewick, and lay it inside the bend. Carefully fold over the wax edge over the candlewick. Now that the candlewick is securely tucked in, slowly roll the beeswax carefully pinching the wax (but not cracking it with too much pressure) as you roll to keep the candle tight. When you reach the end, gently roll it back and forth on the table to seal the edge. Repeat for the other pieces of beeswax and candlewick.

To braid your candle, lay the three pieces touching side by side on the table. Gently warm them together with the hairdryer. Starting on the far right side, begin your braid going down the candle. When you reach the end of the candle, gently press the three ends together at the end, and finally trim the candle wicks the same length, about ½ inch long.

Your candle is now ready for a havdalah ceremony or a special keepsake. If you’d like, you can say the blessing when lighting the candle for “fire’s lights.”

Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha’olam, boray me’oray ha’aysh.

After a Havdalah ceremony (or seeing three stars in the sky on a Saturday night), you can say to your family and friends “Shavua tov” (may you have a good week)!

We hope you engage your senses with a Havdalah ceremony (don’t forget the dessert fondue - we had bananas foster, dark chocolate and white chocolate) and try hand-crafting a braided candle too. Let us know if you make one in the comments below, and if you’d like to make your own DIY Havdalah spice bag, click here.

If you would like to have your own Havdalah workshop, and skip the prep work, we will pre-cut and package all the materials for the candles and everything needed to make besamim (spice bags)! Send us an email for more information!

May you have a good week, a week of peace, may gladness reign and joy increase. Shavua tov!

~Jennifer

Our dessert fondue…

Havdalah is even sweeter when paired with dessert.

We say yes to year round twinkle lights in the kitchen!

I love you Aleah. Thank you for being my friend. <3

Note: Making Havdalah candles with young children:

After parents cut the beeswax and wicks, children can carefully help warm up the beeswax with the hairdryer on the low setting. To make each candle, parents can get the candle started by gently bending up the edge of the long side of the wax. Children can place the wick in the little bend, and then parents can help their child start the rolling of the candle. Work together on the braiding! Continue your time together by making a Havdalah spice bag!