Rif Pesachim 21a {Pesachim 103a continues ... 104a; }

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21a

{Pesachim 103a continues}
They brought before him a light and spices {besamim}. Rava began by blessing on the spices and only afterwards on the light.
He said to him {Rava}: But according to both Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel it should be light and afterwards spices.
For they learnt {tnan}: Bet Shammai say: Ner {=light}, Mazon {=birkat haMazon}, Besamim and Havdalah. And Bet Hillel say: Ner, Besamim, Mazon and Havdalah.

Rava answered after him: Those were the words of Rabbi Meir. But Rabbi Yehuda says: Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel do not argue about the Mazon that it is first or about Havdalah that it is last. About what do they argue? Regarding the light and the spices. For Bet Shammai say that it is light and afterwards spices, and Bet Hillel say that it is spices and afterwards light. And Rabbi Yochanan said: The nation conducts themselves {nahagu} like Bet Hillel, according to Rabbi Yehuda.

{Pesachim 103b}
Amemar, Mar Zutra, and Rav Ashi were sitting at a meal, and Rav Acha bar Rava waited upon them.
Amemar blessed upon each cup.
Mar Zutra blessed upon the first cup and upon the cup of blessing {of birkat haMazon}.
Rav Ashi blessed upon the first cup and then made no subsequent blessing {Bach: after it}.
And Rav Acha bar Rava said: And like whom are we conducting ourselves?
Amemar said: I was changing my mind {about having each cup}.
And Mar Zutra said: I acted like the students of Rav.

For Rav Brona and Rav Chanina the students of Rav were sitting at a meal and Rav Yeiva the Elder was waiting upon them.
They said to him {=the waiter}: Give {the cup} and we will bless {birkat haMazon}. In the end they said to him: Give us and we will drink.
He said to them: So said Rav: Once you say "give and we will bless" it is forbidden for you to drink.

To explain - because they uprooted their thoughts from drinking. Therefore if they wish to return and drink, they need to bless borei peri hagafen.

Rav Ashi said: The halacha is not like the students of Rav. For there is the case of Yom Tov after Shabbat, and Rav said yakneha {=yayin kiddush ner havdalah} and behold the blessing does not interrupt, and so certainly if he said "give and we will bless" {and did not actually bless}.

And it is not so - there, where he said "give and we will bless" he uprooted his thoughts from eating and drinking. Therefore if he wishes to return and drink he needs to bless {anew}. Here {by yakneha} he did not uproot his mind from drinking, for there is the cup in his hand, and all of the blessings that he arranges are like one blessing.

And we establish like Mar Zutra and like the students of Rav. And where he changes his mind, we establish like Amemar - that if he blessed upon one cup and he only had in mind to drink that cup, and he changes his mind to drink another cup, he needs to bless borei peri hagafen and then drink.

When they came to havdala, his attendant arose to light a torch {avuka} from a candle.
He said {Bach: to him}: Why does Master need all this? There is a candle resting before us!
He said to him: so said Rav: a torch for havdala is the best fulfillment of the precept.
He began, saying, "who divides holy from profane, and between light and darkness, and between Israel and the nations, and between the seventh day and the six days of work."
He said to him: Why does Master need all this? Rav Yehuda cited Shmuel that "who divides between holy and profane" is the havdala of Rabbi Yehuda haNasi.
He said to him: This is what I hold - for Rabbi Eleazer cited Rabbi Hoshaya: he who decreases should not decrease to less than three, and he who increases should not increase more than seven.
He said to him: But Master did not say three and did not say seven! {but rather four!}
He said to him: The division between the seventh day and the six days of work are like the closing.
{Pesachim 104a}
For Rav Tachlifa bar Avdimi cited Shmuel: For all blessing must say something similar to their closing in proximity to their closing.
And those of Pumpedita say similar to the opening in proximity to its closing.
And we establish like Shmuel. Therefore, Yom Tov which occurs after Shabbat, one needs to say "between the holiness of Shabbat and the holiness of Yom Tov you have divided.

And the halacha is that a torch for havdala is the best way of fulfilling the precept. And one who makes havdala should not decrease less than three nor increase more than seven. And even though Rav Yehuda cited Shmuel that "who divides between holy and profane" is the havdala of Rabbi Yehuda haNasi, and Ulla also conducted himself like him, and in perek Shoel Adam meChaveiro {Shabbat 150b, perek 23} Rav Ashi said, "when we were in the house of Rav Kahana we {our gemara: he} said "who divides between holy and profane," and then we chopped up logs, even so, the nation is accustomed to say three. And we establish in something like this that custom is relevant. Therefore, he needs to say three: "who divides between holy and profane, and between light and darkness, and between Israel and the nations." And "between the seventh day and the six days of work" is like the closing, and is not part of the count.
When he closes, how shall he close?
Rav said: who sactifies Israel.
And Shmuel said: who divides between holy and profane.
And the halacha is like Shmuel, for Abaye, and some say Rav Yosef, criticized that of Rav.

And the halacha is that he says havdala on Motzaei Shabbat, Motzaei Yom Tov, and Motzaei