The beautiful little ceremony that closes Shabbat, wine, spices, and a braided flame.
Havdalah is the short, sensory ceremony that ends Shabbat on Saturday night, a cup of wine, a braided candle with several wicks, and a spice box, the besamim, passed around so its sweetness carries a little of Shabbat into the week ahead. A Havdalah set gathers those pieces into one lovely object.
It is often overlooked as a gift, which is exactly why it makes such a thoughtful one. Anyone who keeps Shabbat has candlesticks and a Kiddush cup; a beautiful spice box and Havdalah candle holder are the pieces they may not have splurged on themselves.
The spice box in particular is a small work of art in many traditions, tower-shaped, filigreed, endlessly inventive. Give a Havdalah set and you are giving the graceful close of the Sabbath, week after week.
A Shabbat-keeping household, a wedding couple, or anyone who has the basics and would love the pieces that complete the week.
Judaica shops, Jewish museum stores, and silversmiths and woodworkers selling handmade spice boxes and holders on Etsy.