Havdalah According to Rav Amram for a Successful Week

The Order of Havdalah According to Rav Amram

The Order of Havdalah has been preserved to this day as a segula for a successful week, according to Rav Amram. It is recorded in the Seder of Rav Amram Gaon. It can also be found in Rav Yitzhak ibn Ghiyyat's Hilchot Havdalah, in the Tur (Orach Chaim, siman 299), and in the Siddur of Rashi.   Mar, Rav Amram, said: “They bring him the Havdalah candle, and he recites ‘Who creates the fruit of the vine,’ ‘Who creates the lights of fire,’ and ‘Who distinguishes between the sacred and the mundane.’ And he says:

• משביע אני עליך פותה שר של שכחה, שתסיר ותעביר ממני לב טפש, אני פלוני בן\בת פלוני ותשליך אותו על טורייא רמתא בשם שמהתא קדישתא בשם ארימס ארמימס אנסיסיאל ופתחיאל
• “Mashbia ani aleicha Puta—sar shel shichchah, she-tasir ve-ta'avir mimeni lev tipesh, ani—Ploni ben/bat Ploni, ve-tashlich oto al Turya Ramta be-shem Shemhata Kadishta, be-shem Arimas, Armimas, Anasisi'el ve-Petachi'el.”.
• (I adjure you, Pura (Puta), prince of forgetfulness, to remove from me a dull heart and cast it upon the high mountains, in the Holy Name, in the name of Arimas, Armimas, Anasisi'el, and Petachi'el.)

Afterward, they recite the following pesukim:

• וְנֹחַ מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה
• “Ve-Noach matza chen be-einei Ado-nai”—(And Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem.)
• וַיְהִי דָוִד לְכָל דְּרָכָו מַשְׂכִּילוַיהוָה עִמּוֹ
• “Va-yehi David le-chol derachav maskil va-Ado-nai imo”—(And David prospered in all his ways, and the L-rd was with him.)

  And he recites the psalm “A Song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains” through its final word:

• שִׁיר, לַמַּעֲלוֹת אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי, אֶל-הֶהָרִים— מֵאַיִן, יָבֹא עֶזְרִי ב עֶזְרִי, מֵעִם יְהוָה— עֹשֵׂה, שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ ג אַל-יִתֵּן לַמּוֹט רַגְלֶךָ; אַל-יָנוּם, שֹׁמְרֶךָ ד הִנֵּה לֹא-יָנוּם, וְלֹא יִישָׁן— שׁוֹמֵר, יִשְׂרָאֵל ה יְהוָה שֹׁמְרֶךָ; יְהוָה צִלְּךָ, עַל-יַד יְמִינֶךָ ו יוֹמָם, הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לֹא-יַכֶּכָּה; וְיָרֵחַ בַּלָּיְלָה ז יְהוָה, יִשְׁמָרְךָ מִכָּל-רָע: יִשְׁמֹר, אֶת-נַפְשֶׁךָ ח יְהוָה, יִשְׁמָר-צֵאתְךָ וּבוֹאֶךָ— מֵעַתָּה, וְעַד-עוֹלָם
• “Shir la-ma'alot, essa einai el he-harim, me-ayin yavo ezri. Ezri me-im Ado-nai, oseh shamayim va-aretz. Al yiten la-mot raglecha, al yanum shomerecha. Hineh lo yanum ve-lo yishan, shomer Yisrael. Ado-nai shomerecha, Ado-nai tzilcha, al yad yeminecha. Yomam ha-shemesh lo yakeka, ve-yare'ach ba-lailah. Ado-nai yishmarecha mi-kol ra, yishmor et nafshecha. Ado-nai yishmor tzetcha u-vo'echa, me-atah ve-ad olam.”.
• (A Song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains—from where will my help come? (2) My help is from the L-rd, Maker of heaven and earth. (3) He will not let your foot falter; your Guardian will not slumber. (4) Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. (5) The L-rd is your Guardian; the L-rd is your shade at your right hand. (6) By day the sun will not harm you, nor the moon by night. (7) The L-rd will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. (8) The L-rd will guard your going out and your coming in, from now and forever.)

  Then the following pesukim are recited:

• בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵתהַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
• “Bereishit bara Elo-him et ha-shamayim ve-et ha-aretz”—(In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.)
• יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ מִשְׂגָּבלָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה
• “Ado-nai Tzevaot imanu, misgav lanu, Elo-hei Yaakov, selah”—(The L-rd of Hosts is with us; the G-d of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah!)

  After this, the following prayer is recited:

• אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו החל עלינו את ששת ימי המעשה הבאים לקראתינו לשלום חשוכים מכל חטא ופשע ומנוקים מכל אשמה ועון ורשע ומדובקים בתלמוד תורתך, וחננו דעה ובינה והשכל מאתך, ותשמיענו בהם ששון ושמחה, ולא תעלה קנאתינו על לב אדם ולא קנאת אדם תעלה על לבנו, וכל היועץ עלינו ועל עמך ישראל עצה רעה בטלו ובטל עצתו כדכתיב ה' הפיר עצת גוים, עוצו עצה ותופר, רבות מחשבות בלב איש ועצת ה' היא תקום, כי ה' צבאות יעץ ומי יפר, וכל היועץ עלינו עצה טובה קיימו וקיים עצתו כאמור וחנותי את אשר אחון ורחמתי את אשר ארחם, ברוך המפר עצות רעות מעלינו ומעל כל עמו ישראל ומקיים עלינו עצתו ועצתם של צדיקים לטובה, ברוך שלא עזבנו, כן ה' אלהינו אל יעזבנו ואל יטשנו ואל יכלימנו ואל יחפירנו לא בעה"ז ולא בעה"ב ועם הצדיקים נפטר בשלום, הנה אל ישועתי אבטח ולא אפחד, כי עזי וזמרת יה ה' ויהי לי לישועה
• “Elo-heinu ve-Elo-hei avoteinu, ha-cheil ha-cheil aleinu et sheshet yemei ha-ma'aseh ha-ba'im likrateinu le-shalom, chashuchim mi-kol chet va-fesha, u-menuim mi-kol ashamah ve-avon ve-resha, ve-medubakim be-talmud Toratecha, ve-choneinu de'ah u-vinah ve-haskel me-itcha. Ve-tashmi'einu va-hem sasson ve-simchah, ve-lo ta'aleh kin'ateinu al lev adam ve-lo kin'at adam ta'aleh al libeinu, ve-chol ha-yo'etz aleinu ve-al amcha Yisrael etzah ra'ah batlu u-vatlu etzato, ka-katuv: Ado-nai heifer atzat goyim, utzu etzah ve-tufar, rabot machshavot ba-lev ish, ve-atzat Ado-nai hi takum, ki Ado-nai Tzevaot ya'atz u-mi yafer. Ve-chol ha-yo'etz aleinu etzah tovah kayemu ve-kayem etzato, ka-amur: Ve-chanoti et asher achon ve-richamti et asher aracham. Baruch ha-meifer etzot ra'ot me-aleinu u-me-al kol amo Yisrael, u-mekayem aleinu etzato ve-atzatam shel tzadikim le-tovah. Baruch she-lo azavanu; ken, Ado-nai Elo-heinu, al ya'azveinu ve-al yitosheinu, ve-al yachlimeinu ve-al yachpireinu, lo ba-olam ha-zeh ve-lo ba-Olam Ha-Ba, ve-im ha-tzadikim nipater be-shalom. Hineh E-l yeshuati—evtach ve-lo efchad, ki ozi ve-zimrat Yah Ado-nai, va-yehi li li-shu'ah.”.
• (Our G-d and G-d of our fathers! May we begin the six weekdays that are approaching us in peace, free from every sin and transgression, cleansed of every guilt, iniquity, and wickedness, and attached to the study of Your Torah. Grant us knowledge, understanding, and discernment from You, and let us experience joy and gladness during them. May our envy not arise in the heart of any person toward us, nor the envy of others arise in our hearts. May hatred toward us not arise in anyone's heart, nor hatred toward anyone arise in our hearts. And may all who advise evil against us and against Your people Israel be nullified, and may their counsel be nullified, as it is written: “The L-rd frustrates the counsel of nations; He thwarts the designs of peoples. Many are the plans in a person's heart, but the counsel of the L-rd will stand. The counsel of the L-rd stands forever, the designs of His heart throughout the generations. For the L-rd of Hosts has purposed—who can annul it? His hand is outstretched—who can turn it back?” May all who advise and think good on our behalf endure, and may their counsel be fulfilled, as it is said: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” Blessed is He who frustrates evil counsels against us and against all His people Israel, and fulfills for us His counsel and the counsel of the tzadikim for good. Blessed is He who has not abandoned us. So, may the L-rd our G-d not abandon us, forsake us, disgrace us, shame us, or humiliate us, neither in this world nor in the World to Come. And may we depart this world in peace together with the tzadikim. Behold, G-d is my salvation; I trust and will not fear, for the L-rd is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.)

  After this, he drinks a full mouthful of wine from the cup and gives his sons and household members a drink. Rav Saadia Gaon, however, says that one should not give others a drink from the cup.   Added in the Tur: Rav Amram further writes: “It is customary for us to pour water into the cup of blessing after drinking the wine from it. We wash with it and drink it. Thus we heard from our teachers that it is a mitzvah to do so, because the remnants of a mitzvah hold back misfortunes. We also run the water remaining on our hands after washing (netilat yadayim) over our eyes, to show how dear this mitzvah is to us.”   (Based on a lesson by Rav Alexander Tzvi Sypkov)