Halakhah su Salmi 104:15

Following the way of the old-timers and strict interpreters of the halakhah, one should be careful about doing the ten things³⁰⁸See B. Berakhot 51a. R. Bahya says ten, but then lists eleven. Chavel says that the last is not really part of the ten, and notes that R. Bahya in Kad Ha-Kemah lists the ten things mentioned here in a different order. R. Bahya more or less paraphrase this discussion of the ten things required for the cup of blessing from b. Berakhot 51a-b, though he adds some kabbalistic interpretations, such as the tradition from the Book of Bahir, that are not from the original Talmud passage. required for the cup of blessing. And they are: (1) “rinsing”; (2) “washing away”; (3) “undiluted” wine; (4) that the cup be full; (5) “crowning;” (6) wrapping; (7) holding the cup in two hands; (8) grasping it with the right hand; (9) raising it a hands’ breadth; (10) setting one’s eyes upon it; and (11) passing it on to members of one’s household. The interpretation: “rinsing” inside the cup, “washing away” the outside.³⁰⁹The Hebrew words hadahah –“rinsing” and shetifah “washing away” are in this context virtually synonymous, thus the need to make the distinction. “Undiluted” – hay: the wine should be pure and undiluted until the blessing “ha-aretz” in birkat ha-mazon; at that point water is put in it. There are some who interpreted “undiluted” – hay – to mean that it came out of a vessel right next to the meal, as in the expression mayim hayyim, that is water drawn from a nearby spring. And there are those who interpreted hay – as “live,” referring to cup that is whole, unbroken, because vessels that are broken are called “dead.” One does not say the blessing of the cup of birkat ha-mazon until water is put in it, because we need the mitzvah to use only the finest, which would be mixed wine, since pure “undiluted” wine is harmful, and the point of the blessing is to be thankful for something that is not harmful. And thus they said, “the cup of blessing is not blessed until he puts water in it, especially the blessing of birkat ha-mazon. However one can say the blessing Boray pri ha-gafen over it, for making Kiddush is analogous to the wine libation, as it written, “a libation offering to the Lord of an intoxicating drink to be poured,”³¹⁰Nu 28:7. – we need wine that intoxicates,³¹¹B. Sukkah 49b. and like this they said, “something like this required to say a blessing over it, or to say the Great Hallel.”³¹²B. Pesahim 107a.And you already knew that wine hints at midat din, whose number is seventy, for in the realm above seventy ruling angels are nourished by the sefirah of Gevurah, and all of them are drawn from Compassion in the form of Jacob, the third in the heavenly chariot, out of whom came seventy souls.³¹³A mystical interpretation of Ex 1:5. Din and Gevurah are more or less synonymous terms for the Divine aspect of Judgment. Rahamim – “Compassion” and “Jacob” are other names for the sefirah Tiferet – “Beauty” which is connected directly to the sefirah Gevurah. For this reason they put a ban on the nazirite, to separate himself from wine and anything that came from the “grapevine of wine,”³¹⁴Nu 6:2-4: “If anyone, man or woman, explicitly utters a nazirite’s vow to set himself apart for the Lord, he shall abstain from wine and any other intoxicant; he shall not drink vinegar of wine or of any other intoxicant, neither shall he drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, nor eat grapes fresh or dried. Throughout his term as a nazirite, he may not eat anything that is obtained from the grapevine of wine, even seeds or skin.” because he is attached to Compassion, as it said, “if anyone explicitly utters a nazirite’s vow.”³¹⁵Ibid. 6:2. Therefore our sages z”l required that the cup for birkat ha-mazon, which is from the Torah, should not have the blessing said over it until water is put into it, because the intention of the blessing is basically for Compassion. And “full”: R. Yohanan said, “Whoever blesses over a full cup of blessing is given a boundless inheritance, as it is said, ‘full of the Lord’s blessing, take possession west and south.’³¹⁶Dt. 33:23. R. Yosi bar Haninah says he earns and inherits two worlds: this world and the world to come, as it is said, “take possession west and south.”³¹⁷Dt. 33:23. R. Yohanan used to prove “boundless inheritance” from the expression: yam ve-darush yerashah, and R. Yosi concurred with him on this, adding, “from what is written, ‘let him take possession [yerashah] west and south;’ it did not say “rash” – “take possession” because the world to come was created by the letter Yod, and this world was created by the letter Hay.³¹⁸Hence, the letters Yod and Hay have been “added” to the word “rash,” to hint at this. This is what the Book of Bahir was talking about when it said, “It should have said RaSh but instead it is written YeRaShaH – everything is given to you. And provided that you keep His ways, this is an inward, hidden matter, for “west [lit., “sea”] and south” – yam ve-darom – are intended to hint at Peace and the Covenant, which are the sefirot Hokhmah – ‘Wisdom’ and Binah – ‘Understanding.’” So understand this! “Crowning:” the cup is “crowned” by the disciples of the person saying the blessing. R. Hisda crowns it with other cups. Wrapping: R. Pappa said he wraps himself in his robe, ³¹⁹The verb for wrapping ‘ataf may connote wrapping oneself in a tallit, since it is the root of the verb in the expression le-hitatef ba-tzizit “to wrap oneself in the fringed garment – i.e., a tallit.sits, and then says the blessing. R. Ashi put a scarf on his head and take up the cup with two hands, as is it is said, “Lift up your hands in holiness and bless the Lord.”³²⁰Ps 134:2. And then he would grasp it in his right hand without any support from his other hand at all. And he would raise it a handbreadth from the ground, as Scripture said, “I will lift up the cup of salvation, etc.”³²¹Ps. 116:13. And he would set his eyes upon it, so his attention won’t be distracted from it. And he hands it over to his wife, for thus his wife may be blessed. So you see these are the ten things which were said about the cup of blessing. But R. Yohanan said, “We have only four, and they are: undiluted, full, rinsing, and washing. And here’s a acronym for them: HaMiShaH –“five”: Het – Hai – “undiluted;” Mem – male’ – “full;” Shin – Shetifah – “rinsing;” and Hay – hadahah – “washing.” Or if you’d prefer it, say SiMHa”H – “joy”, because it is written, “wine gladdens [yiSMaH] the human heart.”³²²Ps 104:15. The letters of hamishah can be rearranged to spell simhah.

Subsequent to the destruction of the Temple and the consequent lapse of the sacrificial order, whether or not there exists an obligation to partake of ordinary meat on the festivals is a matter of some dispute. There would appear to be no basis for assuming that such an obligation exists since the obligation posited by the Gemara explicitly specifies that meat of the festival-offering must be used for this purpose. Indeed the statement of R. Judah ben Beteira concluded with the remark, "but now that the Temple does not exist there is no rejoicing other than with wine, as it is written 'And wine [that] gladdens the heart of man' (Psalms 104:15)." The ostensive implication of this statement is that, subsequent to the destruction of the Temple, the commandment concerning rejoicing on the festival is fulfilled only by drinking wine and not by eating meat. Similarly, the Gemara, Pesaḥim 71a, indicates that, even while the Temple stood, when the sacrificial animal could not be cooked, i.e., on the Sabbath, the obligation of rejoicing was satisfied by donning clean raiment and drinking "old wine" rather than by eating ordinary meat prepared in advance of the Sabbath. This is indeed the position of Ritva, Kiddushin 3b, and of Teshuvot Rashbash, no. 176, who maintain that there no longer exists an obligation to partake of meat on the festivals. Moreover, Tosafot, Yoma 3a, and Rabbenu Nissim, Sukkah 42b, citing the earlier-mentioned statement recorded in Pesaḥim 71a and the statement of the Gemara, Hagigah 8a, which speaks of "all forms of rejoicing," assert that, even during the Temple period, the eating of meat was not an absolute requirement. Rabbenu Nissim characterizes the requirement to eat the meat of the festival offering as a mizvah min ha-muvḥar, i.e., the optimal manner of fulfilling the obligation, but not an absolute requirement.

That is that He commanded us to rejoice in the the festivals. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "You shall rejoice in your festival" (Deuteronomy 16:14). And this is the third of the three commandments that are practiced on the festival. And the first matter that is hinted to us with this command is that we offer a peace-offering no matter what. And these peace-offerings, that are in addition to the holiday peace-offerings. are called peace-offerings of joy. And they said (Chagigah 6b) that women are obligated in these. And Scripture has already appeared [about it], "And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings, etc." (Deuteronomy 27:7). And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained in Chagigah. And included in, "You shall rejoice in your festival," is what they said to also rejoice on them with various types of joy. And among them are to eat meat, to drink wine, to wear new clothes, to distribute types of fruits and sweets to children and women, to play with musical instruments and to dance specifically in the Temple - and that is the joy of the house of water drawing (simchat beit hashoevah). All of this fits into His saying, "You shall rejoice in your festival." And that one is specifically obligated in the drinking of wine is because it is uniquely associated with joy. And the language of the Gemara (Pesachim 109a) is that one is obligated to rejoice his sons and daughters on the festival with wine. And there, they said, "It is taught in a bereita: Rabbi Yehuda says, 'When the Temple is standing, rejoicing is only through meat, as it is stated, "And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings [and you shall eat there and you shall rejoice]." But now, rejoicing is only with wine, as it is stated (Psalms 104:15), "And wine that gladdens the heart of man."'" And they also already said (Pesachim 109a), "Men, with what is fit for them; and women, with what is fit for them." And the language of the Torah is that we include the weak, the poor and converts in this joy - when He, may He be blessed, says, "the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow" (Deuteronomy 16:14). (See Parashat Re'eh; Mishneh Torah, Festival Offering.)