[Avodah] Besamim and Havdala

[Akiva Miller]

.
I asked why Besamim (and Aish) are inserted between Hagafen and
Hamavdil. R' Micha Berger seemed to share my question, and then
suggested:

> However, besamim and aish give you the hana'ah necessary for
> the berakhah of lehavdil. One braces the soul for the departure
> of Shabbos, the other uses hav'arah, proving hana'ah from it
> being chol. (Hana'ah? Looking at the shadows of your fingertips
> and your nails? Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger.) Without
> both, you'd be making a berakhah more like Dayan ha'emes --
> kesheim shemivorkhim al hatov...

It's an intriguing idea, except that I've never before heard of
"hana'ah necessary for the berakhah of lehavdil." Do you have a
source? I always considered Havdala a Shevach, just like Kiddush is.

On the other hand your wording suggests a marvelous way that Havdala
MIGHT have developed: Step 1, say the bracha of besamim, and smell
them, to "brace the soul for the departure of Shabbos". Then, say
Hamavdil to actually mark the end of Shabbos. And in step 3, now that
Shabbos has officially ended, light the ner and say the bracha, as
Adam HaRishon did.

But alas, that's NOT how Havdala developed. For some reason, the Ner
and Aish got stuck in the middle, which seems odd because of the
apparent hefsek. (A second problem I have with our procedure is that
[unless you're going to use a flame that's been burning since Erev
Shabbos] it *requires* a volunteer to do the sub-optimal act of saying
Hamavdil Without Shem Umalchus in order to light the candle.)

Akiva Miller