HABHDĀLĀH (“separation”). - Jewish religious ceremony at the end of the Sabbath (and, in abridged form, of every feast day) and at the beginning of the period of working days: corresponding to the practice of qiddās (“consecration”) at the beginning of the feast day (the feast day begins after sunset on the day preceding the feast).
In ancient times, “the departure of the Sabbath” was celebrated with a communal banquet, at the end of which, at nightfall, a lighted lamp and burning spices were brought, as at the conclusion of every celebration of the communal meal. At this point the scriptural texts were recited (Ps. 144, 67, 91; Gen. 27, 28-29), intended to invoke blessing, abundance, and purity of morals in the period beginning, and to avert evil influences. “Separation” between sacred and profane time, between Israel and the peoples far from God. Distinguishing, separating, presupposes intelligence, and thus the mention of h. was inserted into the prayers of the “18 blessings,” and specifically into that in which the gift of intelligence is asked of the Lord.
In the Middle Ages, the popular belief had spread that, at the end of the Sabbath, the souls of the wicked returned to their punishments, and thus the recitation of Ps. 91 was inserted into the ceremonial.