Midway through the FIELD MEETING pilgrimage, on a Saturday evening in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, participants paused amid the bustling energy of the Bukhara Biennale opening festivities to gather and take part in the Jewish ritual of Havdalah, meaning “separation” or “distinction.” Traditionally marking the transition from Shabbat into the workweek—a passage between sacred and ordinary time—the ritual offers a framework for reflecting on thresholds, transition, and change. Held in a city long shaped by Bukharan Jewish communities who have carried these traditions across centuries, the gathering resonated with Bukhara’s layered cultural and spiritual histories.

 

Participants lit a braided blue-and-white Havdalah candle (Ner Havdalah), two or more intertwined wicks forming a single flame that symbolizes the transition from sacred to ordinary time and the blessing over fire (Borei Me’orei Ha’Esh); listened to songs of prayer together, and passed fragrant spices among one another. Situated at a midpoint in the FIELD MEETING pilgrimage, the gathering became a practice of integration rather than closure. While Havdalah marks separation, it also offered the group a way to carry forward the insights, relationships, and heightened attentiveness formed together through the journey, allowing the boundary between the pilgrimage and everyday life to remain fluid.