Motzei Shabbat
Encyclopedia
The term Motzei Shabbat in Judaism
refers to the time in the evening immediately following Shabbat
, that is Saturday
night. It is a time when, following one's declaration of the intention to end Shabbat, it is permissible to resume weekday activities that are prohibited on Shabbat. This may occur no earlier than when three star
s appear in the sky
, or at a fixed time that is predetermined, which varies, depending on one's geographic location and the time of year.
There are three ways one can declare the end of Shabbat in order to be allowed to resume these forbidden activities:
It is questionable if men are permitted to end Shabbat with method #2. Nevertheless, it should only be used by a male if absolutely necessary in order to ignite a havdallah candle.
The exact time in which Shabbat ends varies, depending on one's location on earth and the time of year. There are varying opinions
as to how much time must elapse following sunset
. Regardless of location, the time that Shabbat ends, which is approximately one hour after candle lighting
the day before, fluctuates approximately four hours throughout the calendar year by up to 11 minutes from one week to the next (or by more than an hour if the time has changed during the previous week).
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
refers to the time in the evening immediately following Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, that is Saturday
Saturday
Saturday is the day of the week following Friday and preceding Sunday.Saturday is the last day of the week on many calendars and in conventions that consider the week as beginning on Sunday, or the sixth day of the week according to international standard ISO 8601 which was first published in...
night. It is a time when, following one's declaration of the intention to end Shabbat, it is permissible to resume weekday activities that are prohibited on Shabbat. This may occur no earlier than when three star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s appear in the sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
, or at a fixed time that is predetermined, which varies, depending on one's geographic location and the time of year.
There are three ways one can declare the end of Shabbat in order to be allowed to resume these forbidden activities:
- Reciting Ata Chonantanu: This special paragraph is added to the AmidahAmidahThe Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
during MaarivMaarivMaariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
on Saturday evening, and is generally recited by men to end Shabbat - Reciting Baruch Hamavdil: The verse "Baruch Hamavdil Bain Kodesh L'Chol" is generally recited by women, who traditionally do not recite the Maariv prayer
- Havdallah: Havdallah is a required ritual on Motzei Shabbat. Listening to Havdallah defines the end of Shabbat. But one who lights the Havdallah candle or else wishes to perform any activity otherwise prohibited during Shabbat must declare an end to Shabbat by one of the above two methods.
It is questionable if men are permitted to end Shabbat with method #2. Nevertheless, it should only be used by a male if absolutely necessary in order to ignite a havdallah candle.
The exact time in which Shabbat ends varies, depending on one's location on earth and the time of year. There are varying opinions
Minhag
Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...
as to how much time must elapse following sunset
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
. Regardless of location, the time that Shabbat ends, which is approximately one hour after candle lighting
Shabbat candles
Shabbat candles are candles lit on Friday nights, 18 minutes before sunset, to usher in the Jewish Sabbath.Lighting Shabbat candles is a rabbinically mandated law. Candlelighting is traditionally done by the woman of the household, but in the absence of a woman, it may be done by man...
the day before, fluctuates approximately four hours throughout the calendar year by up to 11 minutes from one week to the next (or by more than an hour if the time has changed during the previous week).