This week, Rabbi Mansour shall be in South Florida. On Tuesday, March 20th through Thursday March 22nd, the Rabbi shall give the Daf class each morning at 6:00 AM from The Safra Synagogue in Turnberry.
** We would like to inform our listeners of a new publication just written by Rabbi David Sutton. The book, "Stories of Spirit and Faith" contains over 130 fascinating stories about our ancestors in Aleppo. The stories are heartwarming, wholesome, spiritual, clever and witty.
Click "Stories of Spirit and Faith" to order it directly from its publisher ArtScroll at a special 20% discount. You can also order the Sephardic Heritage Haggadah co-authored with Rabbi Eli Mansour at the same 20% discount. For the discount, use the promotion code "yadyosef" when you check out. **
Today’s Halacha…
It is preferable to drink for each of the four cups of wine at the Seder the amount of a Revi'it, or approximately 3.2 oz.; one who finds drinking this amount difficult may drink the majority of a Revi'it, or approximately 1.7 oz.
With regard to this Halacha, Chacham Ovadia Yosef (in Chazon Ovadia, page 17) draws an important distinction between the first cup and the final three. The first cup of wine, besides constituting the first of the four cups required on Pesach, serves as well to fulfill the obligation of Kiddush. A fundamental Halacha states that one fulfills the obligation of Kiddush only "Be'makom Se'uda," in the context of a meal. Generally, of course, we satisfy this condition on Shabbat and Yom Tov by reciting Kiddush and then immediately beginning the meal. At the Seder, however, if one conducts the Seder properly by engaging in detailed discussions of the Exodus, the meal will begin only several hours after Kiddush. Therefore, one should endeavor to drink a full Revi'it of wine for Kiddush, as this amount of wine suffices to qualify as a "meal" with respect to the requirement of "Be'makom Se'uda." Even if one finds it difficult to drink a full Revi'it for all four cups, he should try – if possible – to drink this amount for the first cup.
Nevertheless, if drinking a full Revi'it entails difficulty even for the first cup, one may drink the majority of a Revi'it. In such a case, one may rely on the authorities who maintain that the meal eaten at the Seder suffices to render the Kiddush "Be'makom Se'uda" despite the fact that one spends several hours discussing the Haggadah in between Kiddush and the meal. The Torah (Devarim 16:3) refers to Matza as "Lechem Oni," which is understood to mean "Lechem She'onin Alav Devarim Harbei" – "bread upon which many words are spoken." The obligation of Matza at the Seder requires that one discuss the Exodus at this meal. Hence, the discussion of the Haggadah is deemed an integral part of the meal, and thus does not constitute an interruption between Kiddush and the meal. This is the position of a number of Halachic authorities, and therefore somebody who finds it difficult to drink a complete Revi'it for the first cup may drink the majority of a Revi'it and thereby fulfill his obligation of Kiddush.
When drinking each of the four cups at the Seder, one should preferably drink the required amount of wine all at once, without any interruption. If a person finds this difficult, then he must at least drink the entire amount within the period of "Kedei Achilat Pares," which is usually defined as somewhere in the range of 4-7 minutes. Preferably, however, as mentioned, one should endeavor to drink the minimum required amount without any interruption at all (in Chazon Ovadia, page 16.)
Summary: For each of the four cups, one must drink at least 1.7 oz., though it is preferable to drink 3.2 oz., particularly for the first cup, which also serves to fulfill the obligation of Kiddush. The required amount should preferably be drunk all at once, without any interruption; one who finds this difficult may drink the amount within the period of 4-7 minutes.
