Pesachim 103a — the Talmud in English

And Rabba said: wine, havdala, light, kiddush.

For he holds in accordance with Shmuel, that havdala precedes kiddush. However, it is not proper to juxtapose havdala to kiddush, since they contradict one another: in kiddush, the day of the festival is sanctified, whereas in havdala it is lowered to “lesser holiness” [for the entire matter of havdala is to distinguish between holiness and the ordinary, and even a festival in relation to Shabbat is considered a lesser sanctity]. Therefore, he interrupts between havdala and kiddush with the blessing over the light.

In any event, the blessing over the wine is first of them all, because it is frequent. Thus, the order is: wine, havdala, light, kiddush.

And Levi said: kiddush, light, wine, havdala.

For he holds in accordance with Rav, that kiddush precedes havdala. However, it is not fitting to recite the blessing over the wine at the beginning, since the blessing over the wine would then be distant from havdala, and it would not be evident that he is making havdala over the wine. For the principal enactment of havdala was only over wine, whereas kiddush can also be performed over bread.

Therefore, he recites kiddush first, and afterward light, wine, and havdala at the end—as on every conclusion of Shabbat. [

Although in havdala one always recites wine before light, here, since there is also kiddush, if he were to do so, they might err and think that the wine comes only for the sake of the adjacent kiddush and not for havdala; therefore, he must juxtapose it to havdala. This is not so with other havdala, which does not have kiddush with it.]

And the Rabbis say: kiddush, wine, light, havdala.

For they too hold in accordance with Rav, that kiddush precedes havdala, and they also hold in accordance with Levi, that it is necessary to juxtapose the wine to havdala more than to kiddush. However, they do not wish to depart from the regular order of havdala. Therefore, he recites first kiddush and afterward wine, light, and havdala, as on every conclusion of Shabbat.

Or their reason is because they hold in accordance with Rabba, that it is necessary to distance kiddush from havdala [although in their view kiddush precedes havdala, in accordance with Rav].

Therefore, he places kiddush before the wine, so that the wine and the light will be between kiddush and havdala, and will distance them from one another as much as possible [and the wine precedes the light, as in every havdala], and havdala at the end.

Mar, the son of Ravina, said: light, kiddush, wine, havdala.

For he holds in accordance with Rav, that kiddush precedes havdala. And also, that wine must be juxtaposed to havdala. However, the light must precede kiddush, just as it precedes havdala on every conclusion of Shabbat. And the reason for this is that he derives benefit from the light first. Therefore, it also precedes kiddush. The order is thus: light, kiddush, wine, havdala.

Marta said in the name of Rabbi Joshua: light, wine, kiddush, [

the reason for this was not explained in the words of the early authorities].

The father of Shmuel sent to Rabbi: Our teacher, teach us: the order of havdalot—

how

is it when a festival falls on the conclusion of Shabbat?

He sent to him: Thus said Rabbi Ishmael the son of Rabbi Yosei, who said in the name of his father, who said in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Hanania: light, wine, havdala, kiddush.

For he held that havdala precedes kiddush, and he places the blessing over the light before havdala, so that the blessing over the wine will be between havdala and kiddush, and adjacent to both of them, since both of them were enacted over wine. This is not so with the blessing over the light, which is not specifically over wine, for when one has no wine, he can recite it by itself.

Rabbi Hanina said: The parable of Rabbi Joshua ben Hanania,

who places havdala before kiddush, resembles

a king who is departing and a viceroy

a ruler who is lower than the king in rank

who is entering. They escort the king

first,

and afterward go out toward the viceroy.

So too, they first escort Shabbat with havdala, and afterward recite the kiddush of the festival.

And we raised it

What became of it

what is the halakha in the disputes above?

Abaye said: wine, kiddush, light, havdala.

Rava said: wine, kiddush, light, havdala.

For both of them hold in accordance with Rav, who says: kiddush, wine, havdala, and they disagree only when there is also the blessing of Shehecheyanu.

Abaye holds that he recites the blessing of Shehecheyanu immediately after kiddush, before havdala, because kiddush causes Shehecheyanu: if there were no kiddush, there would be no Shehecheyanu. But havdala has no connection to Shehecheyanu, for even when there is no havdala, one recites the blessing of the season.

And Rava holds that just as the blessing of Shehecheyanu is always after kiddush, so too it is after havdala. And the reason is that the principal enactment of the blessing of Shehecheyanu was not specifically for the cup; rather, he can recite it even in the marketplace. Therefore, he recites it at the end.

And we conclude

And the halakha is in accordance with Rava!

Both with regard to his disagreement with Abaye and with regard to the disputes above.

Rav Huna bar Yehuda happened to come to Rava’s house,

on an ordinary conclusion of Shabbat.

They brought before them

they brought before them

a light and spices.

Rava recited the blessing over the spices first, and afterward

he recited the blessing

over the light,

as is our practice in havdala.

He said to him

Rav Huna bar Yehuda said to Rava:

But both Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel

hold that one recites the blessing over

the light first, and afterward over the spices?

And what is it?

Where do we find that they said this?

As we learned

in tractate Berakhot:

Beit Shammai say:

One who ate the third meal on Shabbat and continued his meal until the conclusion of Shabbat, and has only wine, only one cup, in which case he makes havdala over the cup of the Grace after Meals—the order of the blessings is as follows:

light, and food

the Grace after Meals,

spices and havdala.

And Beit Hillel say: light, and spices, food, and havdala.

According to both of them, the light is first, since he derives benefit from it immediately when it is brought, and havdala is at the end, in order to delay as much as possible the departure of Shabbat.

They disagreed only regarding food and spices: according to Beit Shammai, they place food first, since he became obligated in it first; and according to Beit Hillel, the blessing over the spices should be juxtaposed to the blessing over the light, since both are connected with the matter of Shabbat. [Rav Ovadiah of Bertinoro and Tiferet Yisrael, Berakhot, chapter 8, mishna 5].

It follows that according to everyone, the light precedes the spices; if so, why did you recite the blessing first over the spices?

Rava answered him

Rava replied to him,

and said: This—

is the words of Rabbi Meir

it is! For the anonymous Mishna is in accordance with him, and he holds that this is the subject of the dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel.

But Rabbi Yehuda says: Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel did not disagree concerning the food, that it is first,

since at the completion of his meal he immediately becomes obligated in the Grace after Meals, and one does not pass over mitzvot.

And concerning havdala, that it is last.

Over what did they disagree?

Over the light and over the spices

which of them comes first.

Beit Shammai say: light, and afterward spices.

And Beit Hillel say: spices, and afterward light.

And Rabbi Yohanan said: The people followed Beit Hillel and in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda,

that the spices come before the light, and I too practice this way.

Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba happened to come to Rava’s house

at a Shabbat meal.

He saw him,

he saw him,

reciting the blessing “Who creates the fruit of the vine” over the first cup,

over the first cup that he drank during his meal,

and afterward reciting the blessing over the cup of the Grace,

and again reciting the blessing over the cup of the Grace after Meals, after the Grace after Meals, as we practice,

and he drank.

He said to him

Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba said to him:

Why do you need all this

to recite a blessing again over the cup of the Grace?

Did our master not recite a blessing for us once already?!

He said to him

Rava said to him:

When we were at the house of the Exilarch—

this is how we acted!

He said to him

Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi said to him:

This is understandable at the house of the Exilarch, where he acts this way

because

it is uncertain whether they will bring us [another cup], and it is uncertain whether they will not bring us [another cup],

for those reclining at the meal do not know whether they will bring them additional wine to drink, and they did not have the intention at the time of the blessing for the cup that would come; therefore, they must recite a blessing over every cup that they bring before them, since every additional cup is like the beginning of his meal.

But

here, behold, the cup is set before us, and our intention is upon it.

We intend to drink it after the Grace after Meals, so why do you need to recite a blessing over it again?

He said to him

Rava said to him:

I—

I act as the students of Rav!