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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman רע״ב · 10 Seifim
On which wine to make Kiddush — required qualities — to discover and understand
סימן רע״ב
עַל אֵיזֶה יַיִן מְקַדְּשִׁין
🌱 Introductory Level · Beginners
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First approach to Siman רע״ב: full Hebrew text of the Mechaber, flowing English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, modern practical cases, and synthesis.
Topic: On which wine to make Kiddush — required qualities
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן רע״ב (10 seifim)
Compilation: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study plan
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch — the 10 seifim of the Mechaber
2. General context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. Key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Detail of the seifim — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. The position of the Rema — Ashkenazi vs Sephardi differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical synthesis and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The text of the Shulchan Aruch
Siman רע״ב contains 10 seifim from the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) which codify the rules concerning on which wine to make Kiddush — required qualities.
Seif א — Excluded wines: foul smell, uncovered, wine/vinegar
על איזה יין מקדשים. ובו י סעיפים:
אין מקדשין על יין שריחו רע — אע״ג דריחיה וטעמיה חמרא. ולא על יין מגולה, אפילו האידנא דלא קפדינן אגילוי. הגה : ואין מקדשין על היין דריחיה חמרא וטעמיה חלא.
Translation: we do not make Kiddush on wine that smells bad (even if it otherwise has the taste and smell of wine), nor on uncovered wine (left without a lid — מגולה), even nowadays when we are no longer scrupulous about this ancient concern. Hagaha (Rema): nor on wine whose smell is of wine but whose taste is of vinegar (ריחיה חמרא וטעמיה חלא). Nuance: if the wine stood uncovered only briefly, one need not be so particular nowadays, so long as its smell and taste have not deteriorated — אלא אם כן נמר ריחו וטעמו (Shulchan Aruch HaRav רע״ב:א; Mishnah Berurah ס״ק ג).
What this seif says:
- Three wines set aside, and a single reason: הקריבהו נא לפחתך — one does not offer to God what one would not dare present to one's governor.
- Wine that smells bad — even if its taste and smell are otherwise those of wine, and one says Borei Pri Hagafen over it.
- Wine left uncovered, even though the fear of snakes no longer applies among us.
- Rema: and wine whose smell is of wine but whose taste is of vinegar.
- Nuance: uncovered only briefly, one need not be so particular — אלא אם כן נמר ריחו וטעמו (Shulchan Aruch HaRav רע״ב:א).
Seif ב — Wine from the vat (new wine)
יין מגיתו מקדשין עליו. וסוחט אדם אשכול של ענבים ואומר עליו קידוש היום.
Translation: Kiddush may be made on wine from the vat (יין מגיתו) — that is, freshly pressed wine, not yet fully fermented. Extreme case: one may even press a cluster of fresh grapes and make Kiddush immediately on that juice. No prior fermentation needed.
What this seif says:
- Wine straight from the vat is fit: fermentation is not a condition.
- The Mechaber goes further: וסוחט אדם אשכול של ענבים ואומר עליו קידוש היום — pressing a cluster suffices.
- It is this seif, not a contemporary opinion, that grounds the use of grape juice.
- Aged wine nonetheless remains preferable — not from the seif, but from the Shulchan Aruch HaRav רע״ב:ב and the Mishna Berura ס״ק ה: מצוה מן המובחר ביין ישן.
Seif ג — Wines with sediment, black wine, sweet wine, etc.
מקדשין על יין שבפי החבית, אע״פ שיש בו קמחין. הגה : ויש אוסרין לקדש עליו, אלא יסננו תחלה להעביר הקמחין. ועל יין שבשולי החבית — אע״פ שיש בו שמרים, ועל יין שחור, ועל יין מתוק, ועל יין דריחיה חלא וטעמיה חמרא. ומכל מקום מצוה לברור יין טוב לקדש עליו.
Translation: Kiddush may be made on (a) wine from the top of the barrel, even if it carries קמחין — fine white specks floating in it: היינו נקודות לבנות (Mishnah Berurah רע״ב ס״ק ז); (b) wine from the bottom, despite the lees (שמרים); (c) black wine; (d) sweet wine; (e) wine which smells like vinegar but tastes like wine. Hagaha (Rema): some require filtering the קמחין first. Not to be confused: a white film formed on the surface (קרום לבן) is something else entirely — « אבל אם יש עליו קרום לבן אין מקדשין עליו » (מ״ב רע״ב:ז), the wine having in all likelihood turned. General principle: "מצוה לברור יין טוב" — the mitzvah prefers a fine wine if one has the choice.
What this seif says:
- A list of cloudy or atypical wines, all valid: from the top of the barrel with קמחין, from the bottom with lees, black wine, sweet wine, and wine whose smell is vinegar but whose taste is wine.
- Rema: filter the קמחין first — and Shulchan Aruch HaRav retains it, אם אפשר לו.
- Not to be confused: a קרום לבן on the surface does forbid Kiddush — the wine has turned.
- The seif closes on a principle that governs the whole siman: מצוה לברור יין טוב.
Seif ד — White wine
מקדשין על יין לבן. והרמב״ן פוסלו לקידוש אפילו בדיעבד — אבל מבדילים עליו. ומנהג העולם כסברא ראשונה.
Translation: Kiddush may be made on white wine. Minority opinion (Ramban): invalidates it even bedi'avad for Kiddush, but permits for Havdalah. Practice: "ומנהג העולם כסברא ראשונה" — the custom is to permit (Mechaber).
What this seif says:
- White wine is valid per the Mechaber, and the custom rules so: ומנהג העולם כסברא ראשונה.
- The Ramban invalidates it even bedi'avad for Kiddush — but allows it for Havdalah.
- It remains a mitzvah to seek red wine, unless the white is better (Orach Chayim תע״ב:י״א).
Seif ה — Pure (undiluted) wine
יין חי — אפילו אם הוא חזק דדרי (פירוש: שראוי להמזג) על חד תלת מיא — מקדשים עליו. ומכל מקום יותר טוב למוזגו, ובלבד שיהא מזוג כראוי. הגה : ויינות שלנו יותר טובים הם בלא מזיגה.
Translation: pure wine (חי, undiluted) — Kiddush may be made, even if it is so strong that it "could bear" 3 parts of water to 1 of wine. But it is preferable to dilute it (according to talmudic custom). Hagaha (Rema): "our wines are better without dilution" — medieval Ashkenazi custom. Today, one follows local custom.
What this seif says:
- Undiluted wine is fit, even strong enough to bear three parts of water.
- The Talmudic ideal remains to dilute it — ובלבד שיהא מזוג כראוי.
- Rema: but our wines, being weaker, are better undiluted. A reversal owing to the material, not to the principle.
Seif ו — Raisin wine
יין צמוקים מקדשים עליו, (והוא שיש בהן לחלוחית קצת בלא שרייה).
Translation: Kiddush may be made on raisin wine (יין צמוקים). Condition (Tur): the raisins must still contain a bit of moisture, without having been soaked in water. Important in regions where fresh wine is scarce.
What this seif says:
- Raisin wine is fit.
- Condition (Tur): the raisins must retain a little moisture — והוא שיש בהן לחלוחית קצת בלא שרייה.
- If nothing comes out of them even when pressed, what is obtained is no longer wine.
Seif ז — Lees/pomace + water
שמרי יין או חרצנים שנתן עליהם מים — אם ראוי לברך עליו בורא פרי הגפן — מקדשין עליו (ועיין לעיל סי' ר״ד סעיף ה').
Translation: the lees (שמרים) or pomace (חרצנים — skins and pips) which were soaked in water — if the resulting liquid is worthy of the bracha "Borei Pri Hagafen" (due to juice concentration), Kiddush may be made on it. Practical threshold: enough wine to give color and flavor.
What this seif says:
- Lees and pomace soaked in water: the question is not the origin but the result.
- The criterion is single, borrowed from siman 204: does the liquid still warrant Borei Pri Hagafen?
- If so, one makes Kiddush on it; if not, it is no longer wine.
Seif ח — Cooked wine, wine with honey
מקדשין על יין מבושל ועל יין שיש בו דבש, ויש אומרים שאין מקדשין עליהם. הגה : והמנהג לקדש עליו אפילו יש לו יין אחר — רק שאינו טוב כמו המבושל או שיש בו דבש.
Translation: Kiddush may be made on cooked wine (יין מבושל) and on wine with honey added. Minority opinion: some invalidate. Hagaha (Rema): "the custom is to make Kiddush" — even when another wine is available — provided the cooked/honeyed wine is of better quality. Today: mevushal wine is valid for Kiddush. For wine that is merely pasteurized, many poskim — Rav Moshe Feinstein among them — hold it to be mevushal, but the question depends on the process and is disputed. For non-Jewish contact, rely on the "mevushal" designation of a recognized certification, not on the word "pasteurized" alone.
What this seif says:
- Cooked wine and honeyed wine are valid, against a minority view that excludes them as unfit for libation on the altar.
- Rema: the custom is even to make Kiddush on them אפילו יש לו יין אחר, when the other is inferior.
- The reason the Alter Rebbe adopts: cooked wine has changed not for the worse but for the better (רע״ב:ט).
Seif ט — No wine: shechar (beer, etc.)
במקום שאין יין מצוי — יש אומרים שמקדשין על שכר ושאר משקין חוץ מן המים, ויש אומרים שאין מקדשין. ולהרא״ש: בלילה לא יקדש על השכר אלא על הפת, ובבוקר יותר טוב לקדש על השכר, שיברך עליו שהכל קודם ברכת המוציא — שאם יברך על הפת תחלה, אין כאן שום שינוי. ודברי טעם הם. הגה : וכן המנהג פשוט כדברי הרא״ש. ואם יין בעיר — לא יקדש על הפת. ומי שאינו שותה יין משום נדר — יכול לקדש עליו וישתו אחרים המסובין עמו. ואם אין אחרים עמו — יקדש על הפת ולא על היין, או ישמע קידוש מאחרים (הגהות מיי' פ' כ״ט דמחזר אחר יין, ותשובת מיי' ספר הפלאה סי' ד' דיקדש על הפת, לכן צ״ל החילוק אם אוכל לבדו ואם אוכל עם אחרים).
Translation: in a region without available wine — two opinions: (a) Kiddush is made on shechar (beer, mead) or other drinks, except water; (b) it is not made. Position of the Rosh (followed by Rema): Friday night, Kiddush on bread (lechem mishneh), not on beer. In the morning (day Kiddush), beer is preferred — because the bracha "shehakol" precedes Hamotzi, which creates a "distinguishing sign" for Kiddush. Vow: one who has vowed not to drink wine — he may make Kiddush and the guests drink. If alone — Kiddush on the bread and not on the wine, or he should hear Kiddush from others [Hagahos Maimonios; Teshuvas Maimoni — hence the distinction between one eating alone and one eating with others].
What this seif says:
- Where no wine is available: two views, one permitting שכר and other drinks — water excepted — the other not.
- The Rosh, followed by the Rema: at night, Kiddush on bread, not on beer; in the morning, beer is preferable, since shehakol precedes Hamotzi and thereby creates a distinguishing mark.
- Rema: and if there is wine in the city, one does not make Kiddush on bread.
Seif י — Kiddush bracha exempts wine of the meal
ברכת יין של קידוש פוטרת יין שבתוך הסעודה, ואינו טעון ברכה לאחריו, דברכת המזון פוטרתו — בין שהוא על הכוס בין שאינו על הכוס.
Translation: the bracha "Borei Pri Hagafen" said at Kiddush exempts all wine consumed during the meal — one does not repeat the bracha on other cups of wine. Likewise, the bracha after ("Al HaGefen") is not required — Birkat Hamazon exempts it — whether the Birkat Hamazon itself is recited over a cup of wine or without a cup (בין שהוא על הכוס בין שאינו על הכוס; see sim. קע״ד:ו).
Overview of the 10 seifim: the siman unfolds along 3 axes:
• Seifim 1, 3-4: wine quality (foul smell, sediment, white wine) — what invalidates and what does not
• Seifim 2, 5-8: expansion (new wine, raisins, lees, cooked wine, honeyed wine) — Chazal are lenient
• Seifim 9-10: alternatives to wine (shechar, bread) + coverage of the meal's wine
• Seifim 1, 3-4: wine quality (foul smell, sediment, white wine) — what invalidates and what does not
• Seifim 2, 5-8: expansion (new wine, raisins, lees, cooked wine, honeyed wine) — Chazal are lenient
• Seifim 9-10: alternatives to wine (shechar, bread) + coverage of the meal's wine
What this seif says:
- The bracha of Kiddush exempts all the wine of the meal: it is not repeated over any other cup.
- And there is no bracha acharona on the cup: Birkas Hamazon exempts it.
- The reason: the Kiddush cup belongs to the needs of the meal, and comes on its account.
2. General context
Which wines for Kiddush?
Siman 271 established that Kiddush must be made on wine. Siman 272 answers the practical question: which wine exactly? The Mechaber proceeds in concentric circles:
- Quality criterion — do not honor Shabbos with a "defective" wine (seif 1: rule "הקריבהו נא לפחתך" — "offer it then to your governor" — Malachi 1:8)
- Origin criterion — from the grape, in all its forms (seifim 2-7: new wine, white wine, raisins, etc.)
- Processing criterion — cooked wine, honeyed wine, diluted pomace (seifim 7-8)
- Alternative criterion — beer/bread if no wine (seif 9)
The fundamental question of the siman: Chazal are at once generous (accepting almost any grape-derived drink) and strict (rejecting what smells bad). How does one balance these two requirements in practice?
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman רע״ב is the technical complement to siman 271. It also prepares siman 273 (location of Kiddush) which will treat the environment of Kiddush.
3. Key halachic concepts
Concept 1 — הַקְרִיבֵהוּ נָא לְפֶחָתֶךָ: "Offer it then to your governor" — verse of Malachi 1:8 rebuked to the kohanim who brought defective animals. Halachic principle: one does not honor Hashem with what one would not dare offer to an important personage. Application to Kiddush: do not use wine that smells bad (seif 1).
Concept 2 — יַיִן מִגִּתּוֹ (Wine from the vat): wine just pressed, not yet fully fermented. Historical validity: permitted for Kiddush (seif 2). Conceptually important: no fermentation is needed to qualify as a halachic "wine".
Concept 3 — קְמָחִין (Kemachin): literally "flours" — fine white specks suspended in the wine: היינו נקודות לבנות (Mishnah Berurah רע״ב ס״ק ז). Mechaber: permitted; Rema: filter first (hagaha on seif 3). Shulchan Aruch HaRav rules likewise — ובלבד שיסננו תחלה להעביר הקמחין אם אפשר לו (רע״ב:ג). To be distinguished from the קרום לבן, the film that forms on the surface: that one forbids Kiddush, לפי שמן הסתם כבר פג בו טעמו ונעשה חמץ (ibid.).
Concept 4 — יַיִן מְבוּשָּׁל (Yayin Mevushal — cooked wine): wine that has been brought to a boil. Permitted for Kiddush per the Mechaber and the custom (Rema, seif 8); Shulchan Aruch HaRav rules likewise (רע״ב:ט). Modern application: the Shulchan Aruch's criterion for wine to be called "mevushal" is משהרתיח על גבי האש — "once it has boiled on the fire" (Yoreh De'ah קכ״ג:ג). Whether a given industrial pasteurization reaches that point is a question of fact, disputed among contemporary poskim: rely on the "mevushal" designation of a recognized certification, not on the word "pasteurized" alone. To be verified with the Rav in a concrete case.
Concept 5 — שֵׁכָר (Shechar — wine alternatives): "strong drink" — beer, mead, etc. Permitted for Kiddush in the absence of wine, but per Rosh/Rema: only in the morning; at night, rather bread (lechem mishneh).
4. Detail of the 10 seifim — synoptic view
| Seif | Wine type | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foul smell, uncovered wine, "wine smell/vinegar taste" | Forbidden (הקריבהו) |
| 2 | Wine from the vat (just pressed) or pressed cluster | Permitted |
| 3 | Wine with קמחין, lees, black wine, sweet, "vinegar smell/wine taste" | Permitted (Rema: filter קמחין) |
| 4 | White wine | Mechaber: permitted (custom). Ramban: invalid. |
| 5 | Pure wine (undiluted) | Permitted. Ideal: diluted. Rema: our wines better pure. |
| 6 | Raisin wine | Permitted if residual moisture |
| 7 | Lees/pomace + water | Permitted if "Borei Pri Hagafen" warranted |
| 8 | Cooked wine, wine with honey | Permitted (Rema: custom) |
| 9 | No wine — beer/bread | Night: bread. Morning: beer (Rosh, Rema). |
| 10 | Kiddush bracha meal wine | Exempts. No after-bracha needed. |
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) has 38 entries on this siman. Here are the first ones — to better understand the meaning of the seifim:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) אין מקדשין - אפילו אין לו יין אחר ואפילו בדיעבד אם קידש משמע מדברי הרמב״ן שהובא בב״י דלא יצא ועיין בבה״ל. ואם מותר להבדיל על היין כזה עיין בחדושי רע״א שמסתפק בזה ול״נ פשוט הדבר לאיסור כיון שהטעם הוא משום הקריבהו נא לפחתך אח״כ מצאתי בברכי יוסף שכ״כ בשם ספר בית יהודה. ופשוט דה״ה על השכר שריחו רע אין מקדשין:
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) שריחו רע - היינו שמסריח קצת מחמת שמונח בכלי מאוס ואף דמברכין עליו בפה״ג אפ״ה לקדש אסור משום הקריבהו נא לפחתך וגו':
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) דלא קפדינן אגילוי - משום שאין מצויין אצלנו נחשים אפ״ה אסור משום הקריבהו נא לפחתך מיהו אם עמד שעה מועטת מגולה אין להקפיד האידנא כ״ז שלא נמר טעמו וריחו וכתב הח״א דדוקא במקום שהיין ביוקר דלא קפדי כולי האי בגילוי מועט אבל המקדש על השכר יהיה זהיר בזה ונראה דבאין לו אחר אין להקפיד בדיעבד גם בשכר כמו ביין:
For the full text of the 38 entries, see Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 272.
6. The position of the Rema — 5 הגהות
- Hagaha on seif 1: "wine whose smell is of wine and whose taste is of vinegar" — excluded for Kiddush (Tur). Expansion of the Mechaber's case.
- Hagaha on seif 3: filter the קמחין before Kiddush (Mordechai). Stricter than Mechaber.
- Hagaha on seif 5: "our (medieval European) wines are better without dilution" — Tur. Reverses the talmudic ideal.
- Hagaha on seif 8: custom is to make Kiddush on cooked/honeyed wine even when one has another wine — provided the former is of better quality.
- Hagaha on seif 9: position of the Rosh — at night, Kiddush on bread and not on beer; in the morning, beer. If there is wine in the city, do not make Kiddush on bread.
7. Modern practical cases
| Situation | Application |
|---|---|
| Wine bearing the "mevushal" designation of a recognized certification | Seif 8 — permitted for Kiddush, and the custom (Rema) is to make Kiddush on it אפילו יש לו יין אחר when the other wine is inferior. The word "pasteurized" alone does not establish that status: see concept 4. |
| Grape juice (pasteurized, non-alcoholic) | Valid — not a modern leniency but the Mechaber's own ruling, או״ח רע״ב:ב — « וסוחט אדם אשכול של ענבים ואומר עליו קידוש היום ». Aged wine nonetheless remains preferable: מצוה מן המובחר ביין ישן (Shulchan Aruch HaRav רע״ב:ב; Mishnah Berurah ס״ק ה). |
| White wine | Valid (Mechaber, seif 4) — and Shulchan Aruch HaRav rules likewise: יין לבן מקדשים עליו (רע״ב:ד). There is nonetheless a mitzvah to seek red wine, אם אין הלבן משובח ממנו — unless the white is better (Orach Chayim תע״ב:י״א; Mishnah Berurah רע״ב ס״ק י). Quality therefore takes precedence over color. |
| Wine with visible deposit (lees) | Seif 3 — permitted as is: the lees (שמרים) call for no filtering. It is the קמחין — the white specks — that the Rema requires be filtered first, and Shulchan Aruch HaRav retains it אם אפשר לו (רע״ב:ג). So it is not a matter of aesthetics. |
| Raisin wine (homemade Chanukah wine) | Seif 6 — permitted. Verify residual moisture, not just infusion. |
| Wine genuinely unavailable locally (not merely not brought along) | Seif 9 — night: Kiddush on bread; morning: on beer (per Rosh/Rema). The Rema: ואם יין בעיר לא יקדש על הפת. |
| "Mevushal" wine to be served or poured by a non-Jew | Cooked wine touched by a non-Jew remains permitted: « יין מבושל שלנו שנגע בו העובד כוכבים מותר » (יו״ד קכ״ג:ג). This is not a matter of impurity (טומאה) but of the prohibition of stam yeinam. And the wine remains valid for Kiddush (seif 8). |
8. Practical synthesis of the siman
The 6 rules to remember from Siman רע״ב:
- No defective wine — foul smell, "wine smell/vinegar taste", uncovered wine (seif 1). Principle: הקריבהו נא לפחתך.
- Any grape wine is fit — new wine, white, red, sweet, black, raisin, lees (seifim 2-7). Chazal are lenient.
- Cooked (mevushal) wine permitted — including when one has another wine that is inferior to it (Rema, seif 8).
- No wine: night → Kiddush on bread; morning → beer or shechar (seif 9).
- Seek the best wine — מצוה לברור יין טוב (seif 3), and seek a red wine unless the white is better: מצוה לחזור אחר יין אדום (Orach Chayim תע״ב:י״א; Mishnah Berurah רע״ב ס״ק י). "Non-pasteurized" is not a criterion: the Rema permits cooked wine even when one has another wine, provided the latter is inferior (seif 8).
- Kiddush bracha exempts any other wine during the meal (seif 10).
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- Which wines are excluded from Kiddush? Why?
- What is the principle "הקריבהו נא לפחתך"? Where does it come from?
- Are white wine, sweet wine, black wine permitted? Is there a Mechaber/Ramban dispute?
- What does the siman say about cooked / pasteurized wine?
- What to do if there is no wine? What is the position of the Rosh (followed by Rema)?
- Can beer replace wine? Evening and morning?
- Does the Kiddush bracha exempt the wine of the rest of the meal?
To go further
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