Four Cups

Q: Why do we drink four cups of wine on Pesach?

A: Four is a number that reappears throughout the seder.  There are four sons, four cups, four questions, four exiles, four sections of the Haggadda…

It might well be asked why this number is repeated time and again.

In the Exodus story, God promises four different times in four different modes, to free the Children of Israel.  The first time it occurs, God states, “I will bring you out…”.  This first redemption is a physical one as we are freed from slavery.  The second occurrence, “I will deliver you,” refers to a future ingathering in the land of Israel.  The third promise is “I will redeem you.”  No matter the obstacle, the Jewish people will survive.  Many forces will attack the newly freed Israelites but they emerge.  Finally, “I will take you to Me as My people,” is the binding covenant that was assured at Sinai.

Wine

Q: What kinds of wine are permissible to use for Kiddush?

A: Halachically, we drink only good wine for kiddush. There are essentially two reasons for this ruling. 1) What do we call wine that has gone bad? Vinegar. If we recite the blessing over wine on Friday evening and discover -after the fact- that the liquid had soured and become vinegar, we will have been guilty of taking God’s name in vain. As you are aware, the blessing over wine is boray pree ha-gafen, while vinegar is sh’hakol n’hiyeh bidvaro.   In using the Holy One's name for the wrong blessing we sin. Therefore, in order to reduce the chance of reciting a beracha l’vatayla, purposeless blessing, we use only good wine.  2) Applying the principle of hiddur mitzvah, we use only the finest wines for the chanting of kiddush. Less costly ones are appropriate for other times. On Shabbat and festivals only the best will do.

A wide variety of wines exist for kosher consumption: apricot, almond, peach, raisin... It is the correct procedure to using exclusively wine made from grapes for Kiddush, though. The words of the blushing are boray pree ha-gafen, which means literally “fruit of the vine.”  There are many kosher wines available, not all of them made from grapes.  Raisin wine is an acceptable alternative as raisins are dried grapes.

Here are several colors of wine, each dependent upon the type of grape used; red, white, purple, etc. And of course there are blends of different groups to please a variety of tastes. The most favorable color, according to our sages, is red. It has the richest color and is the most aesthetically appealing.  In fact, one revered rabbi of the medieval period, Nachmanides, was so convinced of the superiority of red wine that he banned use of white for Kiddush. Nachmanides, however, it was overruled by his colleagues and prevailing view is that any kosher wine made from grapes is acceptable. But red is still the favorite.