It doesn't have to end in nausea: Which cup do you drink on an empty stomach at the 'Kedesh' and which one after the meal? What is worth tasting before the consecration of the holiday and why? • Wine expert Shraga Gebhard Making arrangements for the Seder night
One of the important Seder night mitzvot is the mitzvot of drinking four cups.
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Many observant Jews customarily fill their glasses with wine, not grape juice. Although they are doing their duty, this is certainly not the case from the outset.
In this list, I will attempt to present some principles and rules for drinking wine properly, which, as mentioned, is relevant to every Jew from Israel who celebrates the upcoming Seder night.
First briefly - and later in detail about each cup.
A glass on an empty and full stomach
The first glass is drunk at the "Kedesh" of the beginning of the Seder, at a rather late hour - due to daylight saving time.
At this point, we're already a little hungry.
After this cup, we are faced with a long time of 'Maggid' - during which we were forced to skip some interpretations that we will say tomorrow - so the first cup should accompany us for a long time.
Therefore, "the wise man has his eyes in his head," to prepare a wine with combined properties: on the one hand, it will fill, sustain, and strengthen us, and on the other hand, it will not make us dizzy - or at least it will not make us dizzy too much.
The second cup is drunk immediately before washing hands, which is also not exactly before the meal. After washing hands, there is the 'Motza Matza', 'Maror', and 'Korach', and when there is a lot of bran, these mitzvahs last a little - and by the time you reach the 'Shulchan U'ad', the second cup has already managed to reach the head...
Although, immediately after drinking the second glass, the wine is 'supplied', and matzah and charoset are put into the mouth, which mix with the wine in the stomach, and this makes it a little easier.
The third glass is drunk after the meal - it's easier to drink then, but it's not the last glass. The one after that will come pretty quickly, and then you can barely put it in your mouth.
You can drink grape juice or light sweet wine, but in a professional column of this type, we talk about 'wine', when we mean real wine. That is, red and dry.
It is possible that white wines also have the law of 'wine,' but according to the Bible and tradition, we are specifically referring to red wine, as it is written: "Do not look for wine, for it will burn" (Proverbs 23:31).
I know professional winemakers who fight for the right of white wine to stand at the forefront of wines, but let's leave that fight for another time.
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In the meantime, we need to know what to drink and how to drink it, not only to exit the Seder safely, but to leave satisfied and happy, so that we will want to remember the plan for next year.
Since this night is called 'Seder Night' - let us begin to detail in an orderly manner:
The first cup
The simplest and easiest option is to drink a semi-dry wine from the light Moscato family, which has a total of 5-6 percent alcohol, and so on.
Another option is to choose a wine with a 'light body', regardless of the alcohol content. Not that it's not important, but a wine with a light body is easier to sip, and leaves fewer traces (at least in the first glass).
Even before the holiday begins, it is a good idea to eat some potatoes (carbohydrates) and eggs (protein) with a little oil, to line the stomach, but this "patent" should be done with caution, because you need to go into the Seder hungry in order to eat the matzos with an appetite.
So you only need to taste a little of everything.
It's also a good idea to add a little olive oil to the cabbage dipped in salt water.
The second glass
This is a cup from which the meal is eaten shortly after, so each person will drink what they think is appropriate.
Good, heavy wines are allowed. This should provide good flavor and a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere for the entire meal.
The third glass
Since it is after the meal, it does not matter whether it includes wine with 101% alcohol or 141% alcohol, the main thing is that it contains the joy of Yom Kippur.
And in any case, we have to remember that alcohol eventually accumulates, especially if we also sipped some wine in the middle of the meal.
I suggest that this time, because of the four glasses, it is worth avoiding or reducing drinking in the middle of the meal for a change.
This note is important for those who are careful to drink 'cheers' between the fish and the meat, so this time please make the 'cheers' large, but the glass small.
The fourth glass
For the fourth and final glass, there are two useful options: a light wine like the first glass, or a strong wine with a long finish, meaning that you can feel its taste long after drinking it, and when it is said, "The Passover Siddur is finished, with its conduct, with all its judgments and laws"... we will still feel its taste and think about the sacrifices and Passovers, which I hope we will be able to eat "next year in Jerusalem built.".
The wine didn't finish well.
but…
The wine doesn't end with four glasses of Seder night. It just begins there.
There is another huge cup, the 'Cup of Elijah.' We will make Kiddush on part of it the next morning, and we will drink the rest at the meal, and maybe there will be a little left over after lunch for Havdalah.
Let's not forget that abroad there is another order on the second day, and again 4 cups.
Throughout the week of the holiday, there is a mitzvah to rejoice in meat and wine.
Even on the seventh day of Passover, some communities hold a 'minor seder' again with 4 cups.
The amount of wine also depends on the size of the family and the number of people joining in this joy, so it's not certain that we will be able to finish the holiday with two cases of wine.
Cheers, and a kosher and happy Passover.
