Kiddush Laws Part 1

what blessing does one recite? Rav Yehuda said: Before the meal, one brings a cup of wine and simply recites the usual blessing over wine: Who creates the fruit of the vine. The Gemara relates that Rav Ashi happened to come to the city of Meḥoza. The Sages of Meḥoza said to him on Shabbat day: Will the Master recite for us the great kiddush? And they immediately brought him a cup of wine. Rav Ashi was unsure what they meant by the term great kiddush and wondered if the residents of Meḥoza included other matters in their kiddush. He thought: What is this great kiddush to which they refer? He said to himself: Since with regard to all the blessings that require a cup of wine, one first recites the blessing: Who creates the fruit of the vine, I will start with that blessing. He recited: Who creates the fruit of the vine, and lengthened it to see if they were expecting an additional blessing. He saw a particular elder bending over his cup and drinking, and he realized that this was the end of the great kiddush. He read the following verse about himself: “The wise man, his eyes are in his head” (Ecclesiastes 2:14), as he was alert enough to discern the expectations of the local residents

(1) It is a positive duty to express the sanctity of the Sabbath day in words, for it is written: "Remember to sanctify the Sabbath day" (Exodus 20:8); that is to say, remember it in terms of praise and sanctification. One should remember it at its beginning and its conclusion by reciting the Kiddush when the Sabbath begins and the Havdalah when it ends.

(2) And this is the text of the Sanctification (Kiddush) of the [Shabbat] day: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us through His commandments and desired us and who has given us the Holy Shabbat in love and desire as an inheritance, a memorial for the acts of creation—first of all holy convocations, in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us above all peoples, and You gave us in love and desire Your holy Shabbat as an inheritance. Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctifies the Shabbat.

(3) And this is the text of the Separation (Havdalah) [of the Shabbat day]: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who separates between the holy and the mundane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the [other] nations and between the seventh day and the six days of activity. Blessed are You, Lord, who separates between the holy and the mundane.

(4) The essence of Kiddush is in the evening. [But] if one did not make Kiddush in the evening—whether inadvertently or volitionally—he should make Kiddush at any point in the whole entire day. And if one did not make Havdalah at night, he should make Havdalah the next day or at any point before the end of Tuesday. However, he does not recite the blessing on fire except on the night of Shabbat's conclusion alone.

(5) One must not eat anything or drink wine once the Sabbath has arrived until he has recited the Kiddush benediction. Similarly, when the Sabbath has come to an end, one must not begin to eat or to drink, to do any work or even to taste anything at all, until he recites the Havdalah; one may, however, drink water.

(6) The sages ordained that both the Kiddush and the Havdalah should be recited over wine. Even though he has already said the Havdalah as part of the evening service, he must recite it again over a cup of wine. And after one separates [during the prayer] and says "between the holy and the mundane", it is permissible for him to do work—even though he has not made Havdalah over the cup (of wine). And [in Kiddush,] one first recites a blessing on the wine, and then recites Kiddush. And he may not wash his hands (to eat bread) until he makes Kiddush.

(7) How does he do [this]? He takes a cup that holds a reviit or more, rinses it on the inside, washes it on the outside and fills it with wine. He [then] holds it in his right hand and lifts it a handbreadth or more from the ground—and does not assist [his right hand] with his left hand. He recites the blessing, "on the vine," and then recites Kiddush. But it is a custom that has spread to all of Israel to read from the beginning of the section, "And He completed" (Genesis 2:1). And [only] then does he recite the blessing on the wine and recites Kiddush afterwards; he drinks [enough] to fill his cheek and gives all of the members of the group to drink. And afterwards he washes his hands, recites the blessing, "who brings forth [bread]" and eats.

(8) The Kiddush should be recited only where the meal is served. This means that a person is not to recite the Kiddush in one house and eat in another; but if he has recited the Kiddush in one corner of a room, he may eat in another corner. Why then is the Kiddush recited in the synagogue? For the benefit of transients who eat and drink there.

(9) If one desired bread more than wine or if he does not have wine, such a one may surely first wash his hands, recite the blessing, "who brings forth" and recite Kiddush. And afterwards, he cuts [the bread] and eats. But we may not make Havdalah on bread, but rather [only] over a cup.

(10) [In the case of] one who intended to make Kiddush on wine on Shabbat evenings but forgot and washed his hands before he made Kiddush—such a one should surely make Kiddush on bread, and he may not make Kiddush on wine after he has washed his hands for the meal. And it is a commandment to recite the blessing over wine on Shabbat day before one partakes of the second meal. And this is what is called, "the great Kiddush": He only recites the blessing, "who has created the fruit of the vine," drinks and then washes his hands and eats. And it is forbidden for a person to taste anything until he makes Kiddush. And also this Kiddush should only be in the location of an [impending] meal.

(11) One may make Kiddush over a cup on the eve of Shabbat while it is still day, even though Shabbat has not come in. And likewise may he make Havdalah over a cup while it is still day, even though it is still Shabbat. For the commandment of its mention is either to say it at the time of its entry and exit or a bit before that time.

(12) [In a case of] one who was eating on the eve of Shabbat, and the day became sanctified upon him (Shabbat began) while he was in the midst of his meal: He should spread a tablecloth over his table, make Kiddush, finish his meal and then recite the Grace After the Meal. [And if] he was eating on Shabbat, and Shabbat went out while he was in the midst of his meal, he should finish his meal, wash his hands and recite the Grace After the Meal over a cup, and then recite Havdalah over it. And if he was in the midst of drinking, he should stop, recite Havdalah and then return to his drinking.

(13) [If] he was eating and finished his eating with the entrance of Shabbat, he should recite the Grace After the Meal first (over a cup), and then recite Kiddush on a second cup. But he should not recite [the Grace] and make Kiddush on [the same] cup, as we do not do two commandments with one cup. For Kiddush and Grace After the Meal are two commandments from the Torah.

(14) We may only make Kiddush upon wine fit for libations on the altar. Hence, if honey or leaven was mixed [with the wine]—even if only a drop like mustard seed into a large barrel—we can not make Kiddush on it. That is how we instruct [people to act] in all of the West (Maghreb). But there are those that do permit making Kiddush on it, saying that what is said that the wine be fit for libation on the altar, is only to exclude wine that has a bad odor or was left uncovered or was cooked—as we may not make Kiddush upon any of those.

(15) We may not make Kiddush on wine the taste of which is the taste of vinegar—even though its smell is the smell of wine. And likewise do we not make Kiddush on sediments upon which one placed water—even though it has the taste of wine. To what are these words applicable? When he poured three [parts] of water upon the sediments and extracted less than four [parts] of wine. But if he extracted [at least] four, this is surely mixed wine—so he may make Kiddush on it.

(16) [Regarding] a vessel full of wine—even if it holds several reviit: If he drinks [even] a little from it, such a one surely renders it defective, so it is disqualified. [Hence] we do not make Kiddush upon the remnant, because it is like the leftovers of the cups.

(17) We do make Kiddush on wine the smell of which is the smell of vinegar but the taste of which is the taste of wine. And likewise mixed wine (see 29:4). And likewise do we make Kiddush on raisin wine—and that is when the raisins have moisture such that if one crushes them, their [juice] will come out. And likewise may we make Kiddush on new wine [fresh] from its press. And one may [even] squeeze a cluster of grapes and make Kiddush at that time. [In a case of] a city where most of its wine is beer—even though it is disqualified for Kiddush—it is permissible to make Havdalah on it, since it is a [common] drink of the city.

(18) Just as Kiddush is recited on Friday nights and Havdalah on Saturday nights, so also is Kiddush recited on festival nights, and Havdalah at the termination of festivals and Yom Kippur, since all these are called Sabbaths of the Lord (Leviticus 23:38). Havdalah is recited also at the termination of a festival followed by Hol ha-Mo'ed and at the termination of a Sabbath followed by a festival, but is not recited at the termination of a festival followed by a Sabbath.

(19) The text of Kiddush for holidays: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has chosen us from all peoples and has raised us above all tongues, chosen us and made us great, wanted us and given us splendor. And You have given us, Lord our God, in love, appointed times for happiness, holidays and special times for joy, the holiday, this holy convocation, this Festival of Matsot or this Festival of Weeks or this Festival of Tabernacles—the season of our freedom or the season of the giving of our Torah or the season of our joy—in love, in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us above all peoples, and You have granted us Your special times for happiness and joy. Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctifies Israel and the appointed times. And if it falls out to be on Shabbat, one mentions Shabbat, and concludes the way he concludes in the [silent] prayer, "who sanctifies Shabbat, Israel, and the appointed times."

(20) On Rosh Hashanah, one says, "And You have given us, Lord our God, in love, the holiday, this holy convocation, the Remembrance of Blasting, a holy convocation, in love, in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us above all peoples, and Your word is true and lasting forever. Blessed are You, O Lord, who sanctifies Israel and the Day of Remembrance." And if it falls out to be on Shabbat, one concludes , "who sanctifies Shabbat, Israel, and the Day of Remembrance"—in the way he concludes in the [silent] prayer.

(21) On holiday nights, one makes Kiddush on wine like on Shabbat. But if he does not have wine or he desired bread, he may make Kiddush on the bread. And likewise does he make the Great Kiddush on a holiday [during the day], in the way that he makes [this] Kiddush on Shabbat.

(22) How do we recite the blessing on nights of a holiday that fall out to be on Sunday? At first, he recites the blessing on the wine, then he makes the holiday Kiddush, then he recites the blessing over the candle and then separates [with Havdalah]. And in Havdalah, he concludes, "who separates between the holy and the holy." And then he recites the blessing, "who has kept us alive" (shechechiyanu).

(23) We say, "who has kept us alive," on all holiday nights and on the night of Yom Kippur. But we do not say, "who has kept us alive," on the seventh [day] of Passover, because it is not a festival on its own, and we have already recited [this] blessing on the time at the beginning of Passover.

(24) The order of Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbat: One recites a blessing over wine, then on the spices and then on the candle. And how does he recite the blessing on the candle? "Who created the lights of the fire." And then he separates (with the Havdalah blessing).

(25) We do not recite the blessing on the candle until one has benefited from its light, in order that he recognize [the difference] between the coin of this province and the coin of another province. And we may not recite a blessing over the candle of idolaters, as their standard parties (from which it is taken) are for idolatry. And we may not recite a blessing over a candle of idolatry, nor on a candle of the dead.

(26) We may recite a blessing on a [candle] that an Israelite lit from an idolater or an idolater from an Israelite. [But] we do not recite a blessing on a [candle] that an idolater lit from an idolater. [Regarding] one who was walking outside of a town and saw a light: If most of the people of the town are idolaters, he may not recite a blessing; but if most are Israelites, he may recite a blessing. One should not recite a blessing at the outset over a fire of an oven or a stove. One may recite a blessing on coals if, when he puts a twig among them, it kindles on its own. We may recite a blessing over the fire of a study hall if there is an important man there for whom they are lighting [it]. We may recite a blessing [on a fire] in a synagogue if there is a cantor that lives there. And it is a choice [fulfillment of the] commandment [to use] a torch for Havdalah. And we do not search for fire in the way that we search for all the commandments, but rather [only] recite the blessing if one has it.

(27) We may recite a blessing at the conclusion of Shabbat on fire that was lit on Shabbat for a sick person or a midwife. We may recite a blessing at the conclusion of Shabbat on fire that was combusted from wood or stones, as this was [the manner of] its first creation at the hands of man. But we may not recite a blessing on it at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, but rather upon a candle that rested (that was lit from before Yom Kippur). [However,] even though a candle was lit for a sick person or a midwife on Yom Kippur, we may recite a blessing on it—as it surely rested from sin.

(28) [When] a holiday falls out to be in the middle of the week, one says in the Havdalah, "who separates between the holy and the mundane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the [other] nations and between the seventh day and the six days of activity"—in the way that he says [it] at the conclusion of Shabbat, when he enumerates the series of separations. But he does not need to recite a blessing on spices and on a candle. And likewise does he not need to recite a blessing on spices at the conclusion of Yom Kippur.

(29) Why is a blessing recited over fragrant spices at the conclusion of the Sabbath? It is to cheer the soul which is saddened at the departure of the Sabbath.

(2) 2. Women are obligated in Kiddush, even though it is a positive commandment that time causes (meaning, a positive commandment dependent on time), because Remember is compared to Guard. And these women, since they are included in watching, they are include in remembering. And they can discharge men (from their obligation) since they are obligated biblically, like them.