The term Motza'ei Shabbat ( he, מוצאי שבת—literally, the going out of the Sabbath) in
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
refers to the time in the evening immediately following
Shabbat, that is
Saturday
Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday ("Saturn's Day") for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. The day ...
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 "small"
stars appear in the
sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
. There are varying
opinions
An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts, which are true statements.
Definition
A given opinion may deal with subjective matters in which there is no conclusive finding, or it may deal with ...
as to how much time elapses following
sunset until this occurs. This difference of opinions results in different ways to predetermine the fixed time when the Shabbat will end on a given Saturday night. The time varies, depending on one's geographic location and the time of year.
Regardless of location, the time that Shabbat ends, which is approximately one hour later than the time for
candle lighting the day before, fluctuates approximately four hours throughout the calendar year and by up to 17 minutes from one week to the next (or by more than an hour if the
time has changed during the previous week).
There are three ways one can declare the end of Shabbat in order to be allowed to resume activities forbidden during Shabbat:
#Reciting ''Ata Honantanu'': This special paragraph is added to the
Amidah during
Maariv
''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''.
The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms ...
on Saturday evening, and is generally recited by men to end Shabbat
#Reciting ''Baruch Hamavdil'': The verse ''"Baruch Hamavdil Bein Kodesh LeHol"'' is generally recited by women, who traditionally do not recite the Maariv prayer
#
Havdalah
Havdalah ( he, הַבְדָּלָה, "separation") is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week. The ritual involves lighting a special havdalah candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of ...
: Havdalah is a required ritual on Motza'ei Shabbat. Reciting or listening to Havdalah defines the end of Shabbat. But one who lights the Havdalah 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 permitted to resume activities that are prohibited on Shabbat after any one of the three methods.
[Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim ]
References
External links
Chabad calendar
{{Shabbat
Shabbat