Arba Kosos
[1] (Halacha 242)
Question: Is there a reason to specifically drink the four cups of red wine?
Answer: It is written in the Yerushalmi1: 'Rav Yirmiyah said: it is a mitzvah to fulfill [the obligation] with red wine, as it says2 "Do not look at wine when it reddens"'. And in the Bavli, Maseches Pesachim3: 'Rabbi Yehudah says: it must have taste and appearance. Rava said: what is Rabbi Yehudah's reason - as it is written "Do not look at wine when it reddens"'.
The Rokeach wrote4: 'And since it is stated in the chapter "Three Kinds" in Nazir (folio 38), five [times] red and one [time] the four cups of Pesach, we learn that the mitzvah is with red, like Rabbi Yehudah; and if the white is superior to the red, one takes white, as it is stated in the chapter "One Who Sells the Ship"'.
And so ruled the Mechaber5: 'It is a mitzvah to seek out red wine6', and the Rema wrote: 'if the white is not superior to it'.
The Taz wrote7: 'seek out red wine. As it is written "Do not look at wine when it reddens", we learn that redness is a superior quality; and the Tur was particular here regarding the four cups about this and not regarding Kiddush in siman 272, for there is a further allusion to red, a remembrance of the blood that Pharaoh would slaughter the children of Israel; and nowadays they refrain from taking red wine because of false accusations, in our many sins'.
The Alter Rebbe wrote8: 'It is a mitzvah to seek out red wine if the white is not superior to it, as it says "Do not look at wine when it reddens", implying that the importance of wine is when it is red; and even though for Kiddush of other festivals and Shabbosos we follow those who say that one need not seek out red wine if it is not superior to the white, as is explained in siman 272, nevertheless for the four cups one should follow the one who says that one must seek it out, since it contains a remembrance of the blood that Pharaoh would slaughter the children of Israel; and now that they are accustomed to fabricate false accusations, they refrained from taking red wine for Pesach'.
Thus, even though all year there is no need to specifically seek red wine, on Pesach there is a reason to drink the four cups specifically from red wine, unless the white is superior.
[And note the letter of the Rebbe Rashab (Igros Kodesh vol. 1, letter 180, and vol. 4, letter 992): 'Surely there will be found grape wine required for the coming festival of Pesach that has no mixture of sugar in it, and that it should be white and not strong' - but it is possible that this was for reasons of health, or that the white was superior.]
★ ★ ★
Question: One who has white wine, may he pour a little red wine into it during the festival in order to gain also the merit of red?
Answer: When the white wine is superior to the red, or when in addition to the white wine he has only a little red wine, he may mix a little red wine into it, and some wrote9 that thereby he gains the remembrance of the blood.
The Responsa Shevet HaLevi wrote10: 'That which your honor asked, regarding one who on the night of Pesach places red wine into white wine, whether there is in this a prohibition of dyeing, since they are particular then that it be specifically red, and whether it would help to place the red first and afterward the white .. certainly the plain halacha, siman 320:19, is that there is no [prohibition of] dyeing with foods in any manner, even red into white, as agreed by the Pri Megadim and the poskim; and the Mishnah Berurah there brings the stringency of the Chayei Adam in Nishmas Adam who wished to be stringent about red into white also with foods, from the Talmud Shabbos 75 regarding dyeing in slaughter according to Rav — but this has already been challenged, for it is different there since it stands for sale; and see what I wrote about this in Responsa Shevet HaLevi vol. 9 siman 71; and nevertheless I wrote there that a priori one should be concerned for the stringency of the holy Gaon [author of] Rav Pealim vol. 3 siman 11, not to place black into white also in a liquid food; indeed, that which he wrote the reason being that there is no dyeing with foods, specifically with a solid food and not with a liquid (food), requires much study, for it is against the implication of all the poskim; at any rate, one who wishes to be stringent about this, like the Nishmas Adam, has grounds to rely upon. And in this it will be seen that there is no distinction even on the night of Pesach when they are particular about red wine as a remembrance of the blood — ultimately the matter under discussion is dyeing with foods, and it is permitted by law both red wine into white and white into red; and one who refrains, refrains only from red into white, but white into red is certainly permitted, even though thereby the cup becomes red to fulfill the minhag, for let us not add to the stringency, and it is all simple'.
And so wrote the Ketzos HaShulchan11: 'And the conclusion of the matter is that we hold as halacha like the Shulchan Aruch that there is no dyeing with foods, and the same applies to liquids; as I wrote regarding coffee [=coffee] which is done for taste, and also chicory extract which is done for taste and not for appearance; and white tea will prove it, for it is more expensive even though it has no color, only that its taste is superior; therefore, from the standpoint of the law of dyeing it is permitted to place the chicory extract into the cup in any manner, and likewise milk which is white into black coffee, and likewise red wine into white wine, and likewise red syrup into water (and likewise water into brandy, even though the appearance of the brandy is changed to resemble the appearance of milk, see Kaf HaChaim), and so is the custom; and one who wishes to be stringent may be stringent for himself not to dye at all, as the Avnei Nezer wrote; and that which is customary to dye water and place it in a glass vessel for beauty, one should be stringent, although according to the Chacham Tzvi it is permitted as long as it is fit for drinking. The Chayei Adam wrote that one is liable for this, and the reasons to be stringent were explained through all that was written above'12.
Thus, in practice the poskim wrote that by placing a little red wine into white wine one gains one of the reasons for the preference of red wine; and since there is no dyeing with foods and liquids, it is permitted to do this on the festival, [and one who wishes to be stringent should place the red wine into the cup first and then introduce the white into it13].
Notes:
1 מסכת פסחים פ"י ה"א ↩
2 משלי פכ"ג, פל"א ↩
3 קח, ב ↩
4 סי' רפג ↩
5 או"ח סי' תעב סי"א ↩
6 כתב בחזו"ע 'פסח' ח"ב קדש אות יב שמנהג הספרדים עפ"י שיטת הרמב"ן בבא בתרא צז, ב (וראה בשו"ת הרשב"ץ ח"א סי' פה) לקדש בדוקא על אדום גם כשהלבן משובח ממנו, אא"כ היין גם לא לבן יותר מדאי, וגם משובח מהאדום ↩
7 שם סק"ט ↩
8 סי' תעב סכ"ו ↩
9 ראה הגדת ויגד משה ז, ד ↩
10 ח"י סי' נו ↩
11 סי' קמו בדה"ש אות טז מספר 12 ↩
12 וראה שבת כהלכה ח"ג פרק כ סעיף י וביאורים אות ב. שהגם שסיבת הצביעה היא סיבה צדדית ולא מועילה לאיכות היין, אך סו"ס הצביעה נועדה כדי לשתות את היין כשהוא בכזה צבע ולכן זה מותר ↩
13 כמבואר בשבת כהלכה שם ↩
[2] (Halacha 243)
Question: For the four cups, is there an advantage to raw wine over cooked wine?
Answer: It is written in the Yerushalmi, Maseches Pesachim1: 'One fulfills [the obligation] with conditon [spiced wine] .. one fulfills [the obligation] with cooked wine'.
The Tur wrote2: 'Wine that was cooked even a little, and likewise if one placed a little honey into it, one recites "shehakol" over it; and so wrote Rav Hai, and since fire [=fire] was placed beneath it and it boiled, there is no concern of exposure [gilui] nor of yayin nesech regarding it, and one does not recite Kiddush of the day over it. And this does not seem correct to the Baal HaIttur, for it is no worse than conditon which is stated in the Yerushalmi that one fulfills with it on Pesach for the four cups; and so wrote Rabbeinu Tam and Rabbeinu Yitzchak, that one makes Kiddush over cooked [wine], and to this agreed my father, my master, of blessed memory. And the Rambam, of blessed memory, wrote: one makes Kiddush only over wine fit for libation upon the altar; therefore, if honey or leaven became mixed into it, even a drop of mustard in a large barrel, one does not make Kiddush over it — thus we instruct in all the West; and there is one who permits making Kiddush over it, for they said "wine fit for libation upon the altar" only to exclude exposed [wine], or [wine] whose smell is foul, or cooked [wine], upon none of which does one make Kiddush'.
And in practice the Mechaber ruled3: 'One makes Kiddush over cooked wine and over wine that has honey in it, and some say that one does not make Kiddush over them'. And in the laws of Pesach4 he wrote: 'One fulfills [the obligation] with cooked wine and with conditon'. And he did not mention at all the opinion of those who forbid.
The Rema wrote5: 'And the minhag is to make Kiddush over it [=cooked wine] even if one has other wine, only that it is not as good as the cooked [wine] or as one that has honey in it'.
And so wrote the Alter Rebbe6: 'All wines that are valid for Kiddush on other festivals and Shabbosos are valid for the four cups, such as cooked wine and conditon, which is wine into which one mixes honey and pepper; and even a priori one may fulfill [the obligation] with them if he has no other wine as superior as they are, as is explained in siman 272'.
And in siman 2727 he wrote: 'Some say that one does not make Kiddush over cooked wine and over wine that has honey in it, for one makes Kiddush only over wine fit for libation upon the altar; and some say that they excluded only wine that is unfit for libation because of an inferiority in it, such as exposed [wine] or [wine] whose smell is foul, but the cooked [wine] — its disqualification for the altar is only because it changed from its original state, but it did not change for the worse, only for the better, as stated in siman 204; therefore one makes Kiddush over it. And needless to say, wine that has honey in it, whose disqualification for the altar is not on its own account but on account of the honey, as it says "for no leaven and no honey etc.", and so is the essential [ruling]; and so they are accustomed to make Kiddush over them even if one has other wine, only that it is not as good as they are'.
It is implied from the words of the Alter Rebbe that one should prefer raw wine that is not cooked, unless the cooked is better, in which case they are accustomed to make Kiddush over it8.
[Note also what is brought in the Sefer Maharil - Minhogim9: And likewise they asked the Maharash regarding one who does not drink wine, how he should act regarding the four cups, and he answered: better that he drink cooked wine which is called "ulant" and not neglect the mitzvah of four cups. But not mead at all, for the reason explained above].
However, it is important to clarify that many times there are among those assembled with us on the Seder night those who may spoil the wine by their gaze or their touch, and therefore in such situations it is obvious that one should prefer cooked wine.
Notes:
1 פ"י ה"א ↩
2 או"ח סי' רעב ↩
3 באו"ח סי' רעב ס"ח ↩
4 בסי' תעב סי"ב ↩
5 בסי' רעב ס"ח בהגה ↩
6 סי' תעב סכ"ז ↩
7 ס"ט ↩
8 וראה ג"כ במשנ"ב סי' רעב ס"ק כג שכתב כן ברמ"א ↩
9 הלכות מאכלות אסורות בפסח אות יא ↩
[3] (Halacha 244)
Question: What is the law of grape juice for the four cups?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Bava Basra1 says: 'As Rava said: a person may squeeze a cluster of grapes and recite Kiddush of the day over it'. That is, one may make Kiddush not only over aged wine but also over fresh grape juice squeezed from grapes before Shabbos, and many Rishonim wrote2 that this law is a priori.
However, we find an opinion among the Geonim who hold that one may squeeze grapes and make Kiddush only when he has no aged wine, and so wrote the Behag3: 'And if he has no wine, he brings grapes and presses them on the eve of Shabbos and on the eve of a festival, and at night he makes Kiddush over it, as Rabbah said: a person squeezes a cluster of grapes and recites Kiddush of the day over it'.
And likewise in the Sefer HaIttim4 he wrote: 'And the Nagid wrote thus: and to me there are among the Rabbanan who say from this teaching that one does not squeeze a cluster of grapes and does not bring raisins for Kiddush except when it is not possible for him; and likewise you find in the Pesukos regarding squeezing'.
The Alter Rebbe wrote5: 'Wine from its vat — one makes Kiddush over it, and a person squeezes a cluster of grapes and recites Kiddush of the day over it; nevertheless, the choicest form of the mitzvah is with aged wine, which is superior'. (Wine from its vat is grape juice that has not yet fermented and not yet turned into gladdening wine).
Now, regarding the four cups, the Responsa Maharash of the House of Levi wrote6: 'And after I said this, they told me that the distinguished rav, my teacher, the honorable Rabbi Chaim [Shabtai], may God protect and preserve him, would say .. regarding the four cups, it appeared to his wisdom that one does not fulfill his obligation with raisin water, because the Sages instituted four cups for joy, and therefore they must be of wine, and this does not gladden.
And according to the words of Rav Chaim Shabtai, some wrote7 that this deficiency exists also in grape juice regarding the four cups, since because it is juice and without alcohol it is not gladdening wine, and accordingly one does not fulfill the obligation with grape juice.
But the Maharash HaLevi disagrees with the words of Rabbi Shabtai, and this is his language: 'But after great and abundant pardon I say, that this would be regarding one who is able to drink wine, [in which case] certainly he should not drink the four cups from raisin water, for it is obvious that it would not be the choicest form of the mitzvah, and he would be obligated to drink wine; but one who is unable, such as one who took an oath not to drink wine as in the present case, it is obvious that it would be called the choicest form of the mitzvah if he fulfills the four cups with raisin water'.
And so wrote the Pri Chadash8: 'In the Responsa of Maharash HaLevi .. he wrote in the name of Rav Chaim Shabtai that regarding the four cups one does not fulfill the obligation with raisin water, because the Sages instituted four cups for joy and this does not gladden. And this is not so, for we say in the chapter "Arvei Pesachim" [108b] that if one drank them raw he has fulfilled [the obligation], and as written above in siman 472 se'if 9, even though it does not gladden; and even a priori he may drink it, since he has only this, it is considered as after-the-fact'.
And in practice, so it appears from the words of the Alter Rebbe9 that one fulfills the obligation with grape juice, for he wrote: 'All wines that are valid for Kiddush on other festivals and Shabbosos are valid for the four cups'; but as stated, also regarding Kiddush it is written that the choicest form of the mitzvah is with aged wine, which is superior.
However, the above is when the juice did not undergo a process that prevents its fermentation, in which case there is the reasoning that its law is like wine since it is fit to become wine, as the Rashbam wrote10: 'Wine that has gone sour [yayin koses] — this is wine sold in a shop, and it is disqualified, for it is not intoxicating and not fit to become intoxicating, unlike wine from its vat whose end is at any rate to become intoxicating'.
But see what is written in the Responsa Minchas Shlomo11: 'It appears that even though cooked or pasteurized grape juice may possibly no longer be fit to ferment and become truly wine, nevertheless, since immediately when it was squeezed the name "wine" already applied to it regarding Kiddush and bracha, and it is also valid after-the-fact even for libations, therefore it properly remains with the bracha of "hagafen" that was upon it beforehand, since even now it is good for drinking'12.
And regarding the conduct of the Rebbe, it is told13 that in the year 5738, after the heart event, they suggested to the Rebbe to make Kiddush over grape juice, and the Rebbe said that Kiddush is made over wine!
But in the year 5707 the Rebbe celebrated the festival of Pesach in Paris, and there was no wine there, and the Rebbe used juice that was squeezed for him from grapes14. And so it was with the Rebbe Rayatz on the festival of Pesach 570015.
Thus, in practice it is certainly the choicest form of the mitzvah to make Kiddush and the four cups over wine, and therefore when one has wine one should make it over wine16; but in a case where one has no wine or is unable to drink wine (such as for a medical reason and the like), a priori he should add grape juice to the wine, and if even this is not possible, one may fulfill the obligation with genuine grape juice.
Notes:
1 צז, ב ↩
2 רשב"ם על הסוגיה ועוד ↩
3 הלכות קידוש והבדלה ↩
4 הלכות קידוש אות קן ↩
5 בשו"ע או"ח סי' רעב ס"ב. וסי' תר ס"ו ממג"א ס"ק ג ↩
6 יו"ד סי"ב ↩
7 ראה מקראי קודש להרצ"פ פרנק ע' קל וראה שו"ת משנה הלכות ח"י סי' סז בשם הרב משה פיינשטיין (וראה גם בהגדת קול דודי ג, ח) ↩
8 או"ח סי' תפג ס"א ↩
9 סכ"ז ↩
10 ב"ב צז, ב ↩
11 ח"א סי' ד. וראה גם שו"ת הר צבי או"ח ח"א סי' קנח ↩
12 ויש להוסיף שיש ייננים שכתבו שגם מיץ ענבים אחרי פיסטור והוספת חומר 'ביסלופיט' יכול לחזור ולתסוס ↩
13 גליון כפ"ח מ' 497 ↩
14 וראה מ"ש הרבי אג"ק חי"ט ע' ריג: 'במענה לשאלתו אודות יין לארבע כוסות, כשידבר עם הרופא שלו, יתיר לו לעשות מיץ מענבים מבושלים, וישאל אותו מה עדיף עם סוכר (כמובן מאליו, סוכר של פסח) או ללא סוכר כלל, מיץ תפוזים לא בא בחשבון כלל להשתמש בו לארבע כוסות' ↩
15 אוצר מנהגי חב"ד ניסן ע' קלט ↩
16 אך כמובן צריך שהשתיה תהיה עריבה דרך חירות (ראה שוע"ר סי' תעב סי"ז) ↩
[4] (Halacha 245)
Question: What is the size of the cup that one must prepare for Kiddush as well as for the Seder night for drinking the four cups?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Pesachim1 says: 'Rav Chisda said: the revi'is of the Torah is two thumbs by two thumbs, at a height of two and a half thumbs and a fifth of a thumb'.
The Tur2 OC siman 472 wrote: 'And the measure of the cup is a revi'is, and the dimension of the vessel that holds it: its length as the width of two thumbs, and likewise its width, and its height as the width of two and a half thumbs and a fifth of a thumb'.
And the Alter Rebbe explained3: 'The measure of the cup that holds a revi'is: its length as the width of two thumbs, its width as the width of two thumbs, and its height as the width of two and a half thumbs and a fifth of a thumb; and this measure is when the cup is square along its entire height; and in this manner you should estimate for a round cup, for a circle is less than a square by a quarter (which is four fifths and a half); and thus, if the cup is two thumbs in length and two thumbs in width, its height must be three thumbs and three fifths of a thumb'.
The Bach wrote4: 'In these lands where wine is expensive and they drink little, every person should take care not to take a large cup, but rather a cup that has in it only a revi'is, and he should drink it a priori all of it, or after-the-fact most of it'.
And so wrote the Alter Rebbe5: '..nevertheless it is good to be concerned for the first opinion and to take a small cup and drink all of it; and in places where wine is expensive, drinking most of it suffices'.
We thus learn that the cup must be at least a revi'is, and since it is good to be concerned for the opinions that one must drink the entire cup [this topic will be explained in the next halacha], it is important not to take a cup that is too large.
Question: What is the measure of a revi'is in our measurement?
Answer: The Gaon Rav Chaim Naeh wrote6: 'The measure of a cup of a revi'is for Kiddush and Havdalah, and for the obligation of the after-bracha, and for anything whose measure is a revi'is, is a vessel that holds 86 grams of water. And your sign: "kos" [cup] in gematria equals 86'. But he noted there in a footnote: 'And know that the measures in weight and volume are in a minimal manner according to the law, but one must be stringent that the measure be with a margin, and this is part of hiddur mitzvah'.
And indeed, in the words of our Rebbeim, our leaders, we find that they mentioned and used measures that were common in their times, such that there are various measures in this7; some wrote in the opinion of the Alter Rebbe that the measure of a revi'is is 108.8 ml.
The Tzemach Tzedek wrote8: 'I heard a true tradition from the Rebbe of blessed memory, may his memory be in the Garden of Eden, that the measure of a revi'is is nine lot of water', and according to his words it emerges that the measure of a revi'is is 115.2 ml.
Rav Chaim Naeh himself brings in his sefer Shiur Mikveh9 that Rav Landa wrote to him the measure that the Rebbe Rashab calculated, and according to this it emerges that the measure of a revi'is is 118.6.
And he further wrote there10: 'And now new matters have been revealed to me in this. For I heard from the distinguished chassid Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, may he live, Raskin of Leningrad, that in Russia they would reckon, according to the opinion of the Rebbe of blessed memory, the measure of the "sotka" as a revi'is, which is 1/100 of an "emer", and the "emer" is 20 "butl", and the "butl" is 5 "sotkes", and the weight of the "butl" is 600 grams (the "emer" accordingly is 12 liters); it emerges that the "sotka" is 120 grams and it is a revi'is'11.
.
And in the continuation of his words he wrote12: 'The distinguished chassid Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, may he live, mentioned above also testified to me in the name of the chassid Rabbi Zalman Ziblin, of blessed memory, that he himself measured the Kiddush cup of our holy Rebbe, the Rebbe Rayatz, may his memory be in the Garden of Eden, may his merit protect us, when he was in Rostov, and it was 100 grams of water precisely'.
Therefore, in practice it is proper that a priori the size of the cup should not be of a minimal measure13 [especially since one should also be concerned that a little will spill], but rather to take a larger cup [100 - 120 as brought above]; but on the other hand it is not proper to take too large a cup, so that he will be able a priori to drink all of it.
Notes:
1 קט, א ↩
2 או"ח סי' תעב ↩
3 או"ח סי' תעב סי"ח ↩
4 סי' תעב ↩
5 סי' תעב סי"ט ↩
6 שיעורי ציון ע' סט ↩
7 ראה בשוע"ר עם ביאור 'דברי שלום' מהרשד"ב לוין ↩
8 בשו"ת או"ח סי' פד (במהדו"ח) ↩
9 ע' פו ↩
10 עמ' פג ↩
11 וראה רשימת דברים (חיטריק) ע' 143. שו"ת אגרות מרדכי (בלינוב) סי' ד ע' מ ↩
12 ע' פה ↩
13 שהוא כנ"ל 86 מ"ל לדעת ר"ח נאה ↩
[5] (Halacha 246)
Question: How much must one drink from each cup?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Pesachim1 says: 'Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: and that is provided that he drinks most of the cup'.
But the Rishonim disagreed about this, as the Orchos Chaim wrote2: 'And one must drink from each and every cup a full cheekful, and without this he has not fulfilled [the obligation]; therefore one does not fulfill with a cup that has in it only a revi'is, [for] two [people]. And if it were a large cup that has in it two revi'is or more, two drink from it according to the revi'is measures, one after the other, and they fulfill [the obligation]; and after one has drunk a full cheekful, even from a small cup that holds only a revi'is, he gives to drink to his children and to the young members of his household. And the Ramban and the Ra'ah and Rabbi Yehudah ben Aba Mari, of blessed memory, wrote that regarding the four cups of Pesach one must drink from all of them most [of the cup], even if they hold several revi'is'.
That is, the Rishonim disagreed whether most of a revi'is suffices or whether most of the cup is required.
And regarding the opinion of the Ramban that one must drink most of the cup, the Bach wrote3: '..behold it is clarified that a priori he should drink the entire cup .. rather he says "and that is provided that he drinks most of the cup", whether a small cup of a revi'is or a very large cup, and that is specifically after-the-fact, but a priori he must drink all of it, and as I explained. Nevertheless, it appears that even a priori one should not fill the entire cup literally, but rather fill it up to most of it, for this too is called a cup of wine, and he should drink all of it a priori, and after-the-fact he has fulfilled [the obligation] by drinking most of it; and in these lands where wine is expensive and they drink little, every person should take care not to take a large cup, but rather a cup that has in it only a revi'is, and he should drink it a priori all of it, or after-the-fact most of it'.
Thus the Bach innovated a stringency in the opinion of the Ramban, that a priori one must drink the entire cup, except that the Bach is lenient that one may a priori fill only most of the cup. And that it is preferable to take a priori a small cup in order to drink all of it.
And the Maamar Mordechai wrote4: 'And after great pardon, his words are not clear to me, and his stringency turns out to be his leniency, for he wished to be concerned for the opinion of the Ramban stringently, and through this he was too lenient; for it appears to me obvious that at any rate, with the cup of Kiddush and Birkas HaMazon, one must fill it to the brim, for anything requiring a cup must be full, as explained above siman 183 and siman 271:10 and elsewhere .. and therefore it appears that the remedy that the rav the Bach mentioned after this, to take a small cup that holds only a revi'is, is the correct one; and so I have been accustomed to take a cup that holds a little more than a revi'is and not a large cup, to be concerned for the opinion of the Ramban of blessed memory; and one who is accustomed to take a large cup, it appears that he is obligated at any rate to fill it, and even though he will not drink all of it or most of it, at any rate he has fulfilled according to the first opinion which is the primary one according to Maran of blessed memory; and nevertheless it is fitting and proper to be concerned for the opinion of the Ramban of blessed memory'.
And as halacha the Mechaber wrote5: 'The measure of the cup is a revi'is .. and he should drink all of it or most of it. And if it has in it many revi'is, as many people drink from it as the number of revi'is in it. And some say that one must drink most of the cup, even if it holds several revi'is'.
And the Pri Chadash wrote there: 'And regarding the law, a priori one should be concerned for the opinion of the Ramban and one must drink the entire cup, and after-the-fact, whoever drank most of a revi'is has fulfilled [the obligation]. And likewise if the cup has in it many measures and each one drank most of a revi'is from it, all of them have fulfilled, like the opinion of the Mechaber, and such is the opinion of the Ran6'.
And in practice the Alter Rebbe wrote7: 'Some say that a priori it is a mitzvah to drink the entire cup even if it holds several revi'is; even though for Kiddush of other festivals and Shabbosos, even a priori drinking a full cheekful suffices, that is, most of a revi'is, nevertheless for the four cups of Pesach the Sages were stringent to drink the entire cup a priori; and after-the-fact, if he drank most of the cup he has fulfilled, but if he drank only half the cup, even though its half holds several revi'is, he has not fulfilled.
And some disagree with this and say that even a priori drinking most of a revi'is suffices, even if the cup holds several revi'is, and so is the essential [ruling] and so is the widespread minhag.
Nevertheless it is good to be concerned for the first opinion and to take a small cup and drink all of it, and in places where wine is expensive, drinking most of it suffices'.
And such is the Chabad minhag in practice, as the Rebbe writes in the Haggadah shel Pesach in the paragraph beginning "On Pesach one drinks the cup": all of it (Bach 472) .. minhag of the House of the Rebbe. And likewise for the other three cups.
Thus, in practice, even when the cup is larger than the measure of a revi'is, one should a priori fill all of it and drink all the wine in the cup (and therefore one who finds it difficult to drink much wine should take a small cup, as the measure was explained in the previous halacha); but after-the-fact, whoever drank most of a revi'is has fulfilled the obligation.
Notes:
1 ח"א סדר ליל הפסח אות ו ↩
2 או"ח סי' תעב ↩
3 סימן תעב ס"ק ז ↩
4 סי' תעב ס"ט ↩
5 וראה חידושי הצ"צ יומא פ"ח ד"ה השותה מלא לוגמיו ↩
6 סי' תעב סי"ט ↩
[6] (Halacha 247)
Question: Are women obligated in the four cups?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Pesachim1 says: 'And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: women are obligated in these four cups, for they too were part of that miracle'.
And Rashi and the Rashbam wrote2: 'As we say3, in the merit of the righteous women of that generation they were redeemed'. But Tosafos there wrote: 'And it is difficult, for "too" implies that they are not the primary [factor]; and furthermore, in the Yerushalmi the reading is "for they too were in that danger", implying [they were] in that same peril of "to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate"'.
That is, that even though generally women are exempt from a positive time-bound mitzvah, here they are obligated, either because they too were part of the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt (as understood by Tosafos), or because in their merit they were redeemed (as understood by Rashi and the Rashbam).
The Mechaber wrote4: 'Women too are obligated in the four cups and in all the mitzvos practiced on that night'. And the Magen Avraham explained5: 'Because the women were the primary [factor] in that miracle, for in the merit of the righteous women they were redeemed, unlike Sukkah (Tosafos6)'.
The Alter Rebbe wrote7: 'So too regarding all the other mitzvos practiced on this night, there is no distinction between men and women, for although women are exempt from every positive time-bound mitzvah, whether of the Torah or of the words of the Scribes, nevertheless the Sages obligated them in all the things they instituted on this night, since they too were part of that miracle of the Exodus from Egypt8; and regarding the eating of matzah they are obligated by the Torah, for the positive commandment of eating matzah was juxtaposed to the negative commandment of eating chometz, as it says "you shall not eat leaven with it, seven days you shall eat matzos with it", to tell you that just as women are warned regarding the negative commandment of eating chometz, as it says "for whoever eats what is leavened, that soul shall be cut off etc.", "for whoever" to include women, so too they are warned regarding the positive commandment of eating matzah'.
Thus women are obligated in the rabbinic positive mitzvah of drinking the four cups, just like men.
Question: Is it possible to fulfill the obligation without drinking, by listening to another person who makes Kiddush and drinks himself, as on the other Shabbosos of the year?
Answer: The Rambam wrote9: 'And each and every one, whether men or women, is obligated to drink on this night four cups of wine'.
The Rosh wrote10 (and similarly in Tosafos11): 'Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: and that is provided that he drinks most of the cup, and the members of his household drink the little that remains; this implies that a priori he need not give them to drink, but rather he drinks the entire cup and they fulfill [the obligation] by listening. Know [this], for even when they drank they fulfilled only by listening, for we require most of the cup, and they drank only the little. However, one may reject this, for it deals with a case where each one has a cup before him, as they are accustomed, and he poured into them; and the language of the Mishnah implies that there are no four cups except for him, from that which it teaches "and they should not give him fewer than four cups", which implies that only for him is it required, and not for the members of his household, each and every one. However, in the Baraisa brought after this it implies that each and every one requires his cup, for it teaches "both women and men and children; Rabbi Yehudah said: what benefit is there for children in wine", which implies that according to the first tanna a cup is required; and they were accustomed to place before each and every one his cup, and so it is proper to do'.
And in practice the Alter Rebbe ruled12: 'But for Kiddush of other festivals and Shabbosos, one need not press himself to drink the cup, but rather he may hear the Kiddush from another, as explained in siman 272; unlike the four cups of Pesach, where even the members of the household who hear the Kiddush and the Haggadah from the master of the house, nevertheless each and every one is obligated to drink the four cups in the manner of freedom'.
Thus, in practice one cannot fulfill the obligation by hearing the Kiddush from another person, but rather each and every man and woman is obligated to drink the four cups themselves.
Question: Do women themselves recite the text of the Kiddush, or do they fulfill the obligation through the recitation of the Kiddush and only drink the wine?
Answer: In this matter there are among Anash various minhogim; some wrote13 that the women fulfill the obligation from the one making Kiddush, and afterward drink; and according to their words this is precise from the language of the Alter Rebbe here who wrote: 'that even the members of the household who hear the Kiddush and the Haggadah from the master of the house', and as explained in siman 473:24 that only the master of the house recited the Haggadah and everyone fulfilled the obligation through him14. And some wrote15 that they are accustomed that everyone recites the text themselves.
But it is important to note that the bracha of Shehecheyanu she certainly should not recite again at Kiddush, since she already recited it at the lighting of the candles16, but rather she should answer amen after the Shehecheyanu of the master of the house17.
Notes:
1 קח, א ↩
2 שם ע"ב ↩
3 סוטה יא, ב ↩
4 או"ח סי' תעב סי"ד ↩
5 שם ס"ק טז ↩
6 וראה בנתיב חיים שהקשה שאדרבה זה דעת רש"י ולא תוס' ↩
7 שם סעי' כה ↩
8 ומציין לתוס' וכנ"ל שהיו בנס יציאת מצרים ↩
9 הל' חמץ ומצה פ"ז ה"ז ↩
10 פסחים פ"י סי' כא ↩
11 פסחים צט, ב ↩
12 סי' תעב סכ"ב ↩
13 ראה שבח המועדים ע' 214 אות ז. קובץ שואלין ודורשין להגרמש"א ז"ל תשע"ד ע' 18 ↩
14 ולהעיר שכיום לגבי אמירת ההגדה נהוג שכולם אומרים, ולא רק בעל הבית, ועפי"ז אולי כך צריך להיות בקידוש ↩
15 ראה שו"ע עם דובר שלום הערה קמח. (וראה בויגד-משה (עמ' צג-צה). ולהעיר גם מאוצר מנהגי חב"ד ניסן ע' קמד אות נט ↩
16 ראה שבח המועדים שם אות ח. אוצר מנהגי חב"ד שם ע' קמה וש"נ. וראה מ"ש בלוח יומי (להרב ברוין) הערה 241 ↩
17 ראה מ"ש בהלכות ליל הסדר (הרב אשכנזי) סי' תעב סכ"ב אות ד. שואלין ודורשין ע' 18 - 19. ---------------------------------------------- ↩
[7] (Halacha 248)
Question: Are young children obligated in the four cups?
Answer: The Gemara in Maseches Pesachim1 says: 'The Rabbanan taught: all are obligated in these four cups, both men and women, and children. Rabbi Yehudah said: and what benefit is there for children in wine? Rather, one distributes to them parched grain and nuts on the eve of Pesach, so that they will not sleep, and will ask'.
And the Rishonim disagreed as to the ruling of the halacha:
From the words of the Rambam it appears that he ruled like Rabbi Yehudah, for in the laws of chometz and matzah2 regarding the obligation of matzah he wrote: 'All are obligated in the eating of matzah, even women and slaves; a child who can eat bread, one educates him in mitzvos and feeds him a kezayis of matzah'. But regarding wine the Rambam wrote3: 'And each and every one, whether men or women, is obligated to drink on this night four cups of wine'.
And the Pri Chadash noted there4 on the words of the Rambam: 'Except that the Rambam did not mention chinuch [education] for children regarding wine, only regarding matzah, which implies that he rules like Rabbi Yehudah; and it appears to me that his reason is from that which we bring on it [there 109a] "they said about Rabbi Akiva that he would distribute parched grain etc.", which implies that he holds like Rabbi Yehudah, and therefore he ruled like him. And it is also possible that to this the rav of blessed memory intended in what he wrote [there 7:9] "all according to the wine and according to the mind of the drinker", which I wrote in se'if 9 in his name, that he means that if the children were accustomed to drink wine during the rest of the days of the year, that according to Rabbi Akiva they are obligated to drink it on Pesach because of chinuch, for now they have benefit in wine. And nevertheless there is not in this enough to reject the opinion of the Rabbanan who are the majority, since it teaches them anonymously; and so is the essential [ruling], that every person is obligated to educate his young sons in the mitzvah of the four cups like all the other mitzvos, and like the opinion of the Rabbanan it appears to me, and note [this]'.
However, the Rosh ruled like the first tanna, for he wrote5: 'And they should not give fewer than four cups, both men and women, and children who have reached the age of chinuch; a cup must be before each one'.
A third opinion among the Rishonim is the opinion of the Maharil6 who wrote: 'And for each and every one his cup. And for a child who has reached the age of chinuch, the Rosh wrote that it is required. However, the sugya of the Talmud implies, seemingly, even one who has not reached the age of chinuch, and there should be a revi'is for reaching the age of chinuch'.
As halacha the Mechaber ruled7 like the opinion of the Rosh, and this is his language: 'Children who have reached the age of chinuch, it is a mitzvah to give each one his cup before him'. And so ruled the Alter Rebbe as follows.
What is the age of chinuch for children regarding the drinking of the four cups?
Answer: The Alter Rebbe wrote8: 'And even the young children, their father is obligated to educate them in the mitzvos, to give them the cups to drink according to the order that will be explained, if they have already reached the age of chinuch (that is, that they have reached the age at which it is fitting to educate them to hear the things said over the cups, such as that they know of the matter of the sanctity of the festival, and therefore it is fitting to educate them to hear the Kiddush that is recited over the first cup (see siman 269), and also that they have the understanding to comprehend what is told to them of the Exodus from Egypt in the recitation of the Haggadah, and therefore it is fitting to educate them to hear the Haggadah that is recited over the second cup; and likewise he is obligated to educate them to hear Birkas HaMazon that is recited over the third cup, and the conclusion of Hallel and the Great Hallel and Nishmas that are recited over the fourth cup).
And even the young girls who have reached the age of chinuch, their law is like the young boys; and so too regarding all the other mitzvos practiced on this night, there is no distinction between men and women'.
That is, the obligation of chinuch for each cup is conditional upon the child's understanding of the content of the matter performed over that cup.
And thus there could be a reality in which we would need to educate a child only in some of the cups. [A child of age 6 generally already understands all the things said with the cups, and one must educate him in all of them9].
Question: Is it permitted to let a tired child drink all the cups quickly in succession?
Answer: The Sages instituted for each and every cup that which is said over it, and one who drank in succession has not fulfilled the obligation; and in the language of the Alter Rebbe10: 'One must drink the four cups according to the order that will be explained, that is, that between the first cup and the second, and between the third and the fourth, one interrupts with the recitation of the Haggadah and Hallel, and between the second and the third one interrupts with the eating of matzah and Birkas HaMazon; and if he did not interrupt between them with these things but drank the four cups one after the other, he has not fulfilled [the obligation of] four cups, but rather they are all counted for him as one cup, and he is obligated to drink another [three] cups according to the order that will be explained'.
Thus it does not help to drink the four cups in succession, and even when one wishes to hurry, one must fulfill with each cup the matter required for that cup.
Question: In what may one be lenient regarding the drinking of children?
Answer:
a. To children one gives, a priori, grape juice to drink.
b. Although as halacha the essential [ruling] is that one must drink at least most of a revi'is, the poskim wrote11 that for children, when necessary, one may be lenient with drinking a full cheekful of the child, even though this is less than most of a revi'is.
Notes:
1 פ"ו ה"י ↩
2 פ"ז ה"ז ↩
3 סי' תעב סט"ו ↩
4 שו"ת כלל יד סי' ו ↩
5 מנהגים - סדר ההגדה ↩
6 שו"ע או"ח סי' תעב סט"ו ↩
7 סי' תעב סכ"ה ↩
8 שואלין ודורשין ע' 19 ↩
9 שם סט"ז ↩
10 משנ"ב סי' תעב ס"ק טז. סי' רעא ביאור הלכה ד"ה והוא רובו ↩
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