Is one allowed to make Kiddush on schnapps or does it have to be on wine? If yes, does one need a reviis as with wine, or does the regular required shiur of reviis which is between 3.3-4.5 ounces, decrease in honor of making kiddush on schnapps? Does it decrease from a reviis to the amount of one ounce ordinarily contained in a shot-glass?
The answer to this question just like the answer to every other question in Halacha is, “It’s a machlokes!”
Gemara, Nazir 4A – Kiddush is dioraysa, but making it on wine is only midirabanan as you can also make it on bread. Kiddush at night is midioraysa, by day is midirabanan.
Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 272:9) rules, “In a place where there is no wine one can make kiddush on beer and/or other beverages, as long as it’s not on water.” It is clear from the terminology of the Mechaber that one should only make kiddush on beverages other than wine if no wine is available. It is a secondary solution and not the ideal.
Mogain Avrohom (s.k. 6) takes this even further with a remarkable chidush, “One should not make kiddush on schnapps unless most of the people in his locale drink schnapps every day!”
He then refers to the Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 271:13) which records the law that for kiddush one must drink a mouthful, i.e. rov reviis.
Eshel Avrohom (s.k. 6) explains that is where the halacha is mentioned that one who makes kiddush must drink a rov reviis (mouthful) without any hefsek (pause). This is very difficult if not impossible to do with schnapps, to drink a reviis of approx. 4 ounces in the time frame of kedai shetiyas reviis which is approx. 3- 4 minutes and 2 sips, without any pause. Although some maintain that the drinking of everyone present at the kiddush combines to a reviis, that is only bedieved. Lechatchila, the one making kiddush should drink a reviis himself.
The standard schnapps glass which kiddush is commonly made on and holds approximately 1 ounce, which is much less than a reviis, would seem to be problematic.
So Mogain Avrohom discourages the practice of making kiddush on schnapps for 2 reasons:
1. We would be hard-pressed to find a community where the majority of the people drink schnapps regularly and on a daily basis. (Did someone say Borough Park?) Therefore it is questionable whether schnapps would qualify as a chemar medina (beverage of the land) or not.
2. Even if we would find such a community, it would still be difficult for one to drink a full reviis of schnapps in the appropriate time constraints, i.e. kedai shetiyas reviis of 3-4 minutes.
However not all Poskim agree:
Rabbeinu Shmuel Halevi Segol, Talmid of the Taz (Teshuvos Nachlas Shivah, Siman 35) was asked about reciting kiddush over schnapps. He responds, “There is no reason whatsoever to assume that there would be an issur to make kiddush on schnapps. Although even Bnei Torah oppose kiddush being made on schnapps because it is just zeiah, this is a mistake. With biur chameitz schnapps is not considered zeiah but real mamashus. With kiddush is also considered mamashus and not just zeiah. Now, if the issue is that it is not a chemar medina, which is the concern of Mogain Avrohom, this is not an issue of concern either. For we are discussing kiddush by day, not kiddush by night. Kiddush at night is dioraysa; kiddush of day is just midarabanan for a heker. If there was no heker of kiddush, then there would be no difference between a weekday and the Shabbos day meal. As the Rosh cited in O.C. 272:9 says, the reason why one should make kiddush on a liquid before Hamotzi is because otherwise there is no heker. Therefore, kiddush does not have to be made on a chemar medina during the day. This is also a point of debate as the Mishna Berua, 289: s.k. 9 argues that kiddush by Shabbos day should also be made on a chemar medina as well.
Elyah Rabbah (O.C. 272 s.k. 13) partially agrees with the Nachlas Shivah that it is ok that schnapps is not a chemar medina since we are discussing the kiddush by Shabbos day; however the issue would still be the fact that the reviis of schnapps is almost impossible to drink all at once. And lechatchila it is not ideal to combine the drinking of all present for one reviis. On the latter point he shares the concern of Mogain Avrohom that although possibly Halachically acceptable, it is not realistic to consume that much schnapps in such a short period of time. Bais Yosef (O.C. 289) also holds that according to the Tur (O.C. 272) it does not have to be a chemar medina during the day. However Perisha ( O.C. 289:6) holds that according to the Tur, kiddush should not be made on schnapps since it is not a chemar medina, and that it must be a chemar medina during the day as well. Lehalacha, Elyah Rabah rules that even if it is a chemar medina, one can only make kiddush on it if he can drink a lot of it at a time and without a hefsek. This means, at least the majority of a reviis in a rather short period of time, approximately 3.5 ounces in 3.5 minutes.
Aruch Hashulchan (O.C. 272:13) seems to second this view as he cites the Elyah Rabbah accordingly that one must be able to drink a melo lugmav (cheek-full) at one time. However, he adds that nowadays since our schnapps is not as strong as it was in earlier times and because it is a chemar medina, kiddush can in fact be made on schnapps. So since our schnapps is not as strong as it was in earlier times, one who has a preference for schnapps may indeed make kiddush on schnapps and it is not so far-fetched to consume a reviis in the appropriate time frame of kedai shetiyas reviis. Quite simply, “It just ain’t what it used to be” and now schnapps can indeed be used for kiddush.
Mishna Berura (272:30) rules, “If one prefers schnapps more than wine, then he can make kiddush on schnapps on Shabbos morning, even lechatchila, since it is a chemar medina. This is provided that he makes kiddush on a kos which holds a reviis and that he drink at least a mouthful which is the majority of a reviis.” So lechatchila a tiny schnapps glass which holds less than 3.5 ounces would not suffice for kiddush. If it is a bedieved or a shaas hadechak where one cannot drink a reviis of schnapps and he does not have wine, then everyone can join in and have a shot, and all of their shots will combine to a reviis.”
Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 210:1) rules, “If one eats less than a kezayis of food, or drinks less than a reviis of wine, then he makes the brocha rishona but not the brocha achrona.”
Taz (O.C. 210:1) notes that schnapps is an exception to this rule since it is impossible to drink a reviis of schnapps, which amounts to the equivalent of an egg and a half, all in one shot. So with schnapps it goes according to the standard amount for most people. If the standard amount of schnapps would be, for example, the amount that fits into a small shot-glass, e.g. 1 ounce, then one would be able to make a brocha achrona after having one ounce of schnapps. Taz cites backing to this view from Shulchan Aruch (Hilchos Yom Kippur, 612:9) where it is mentioned that even for the issur dioraysa of drinking on Yom Kippur, the shiur of a reviis is not quite etched in stone. Rather the reason why we put the shiur of drinking at a reviis is because that was the assessment for how much liquid it takes to satiate a person on average. For a smaller person a mouthful would be less and for a bigger person it would be more. Thus, the shiur of reviis is flexible and assessed according to what it takes to satiate a person. A reviis might be the industry standard for other liquids, but for schnapps the standard is most likely less, perhaps only an ounce. Schnapps is stronger than other liquids and much less of it is needed for the same effect. The Taz mentions this with regards to bracha achrona, not with regards to kiddush.
Still, Machtzis Hashekel (O.C.272 s.k. 6) reasons that the logic of the Taz would apply to kiddush as well. If the common shiur for most people to drink schnapps decreases in Hilchos Brocha Achrona, then it decreases in Hilchos Kiddush as well. Although the Taz does not mention that it applies to kiddush, many point to this Taz as the source for making kiddush on less than a reviis of schnapps. They certainly seem to be in good company as this is the reasoning of Machtzis Hashekel as well. Nonetheless, it should be reiterated that the Taz does not say this with regards to kiddush, nay only with regards to brocha achrona. The debate centers on whether a parallel can be drawn from brocha achrona to kiddush.
So, since it takes much less schnapps to satiate a person than wine does, the shiur for kiddush is less, just as the shiur for brocha achrona is less.
Furthermore, it is logical to infer that if the shiur of reviis is flexible with an issur dioraysa like eating and drinking on Yom Kippur, then certainly it should be flexible with kiddush by day which is only midarabanan.
Mogain Avrohom who was adamantly against making kiddush on schnapps, obviously rejects this entire argument and contends that the shiur of reviis does not decrease for schnapps drinkers. They must have a reviis as well.
Harav Tzvi Pesach Frank (Har Tvi O.C. 159) was asked a shaila on whether one is allowed to make kiddush on less than a reviis of schnapps. He cites Pri Migadim who holds that since one makes a brocha achrona after consuming less than a reviis of schnapps, you can make kiddush as well. This is in line with the view of the Taz that we go according to what is considered the standard drinking amount for most people. The shiur of a kezayis also depends on what it is that normally satiates people. So with schnapps it should be the same thing. Just like the brocha achrona goes according to what satisfies most people, so too kiddush is the same. It depends on the dispute regarding if one makes brocha achrona on less than the shiur reviis for schnapps. So he also draws a parallel from the view of Taz with brocha achrona to kiddush. Still, Mogain Avrohom maintains that one should not make a brocha on less than a reviis of schnapps. So, safek brachos lehakel and one should not make kiddush or brocha achrona on less than a reviis of schnapps.
Maharsham (Teshuvos 1:175) holds that you do not need a full cup when making kiddush on schnapps. He writes that the Av Bais Din of Rupshitz told his Talmidim to make kiddush on less than a reviis of schnapps even though there was wine right on the same table. The Gaon of Kamnika did the same, and the Rebbe from Lublin also did the same. So, Maharsham reasons that since several great scholars made kiddush on less than a reviis of schnapps, they must have had a valid reason for doing so.
Shemiras Shabbos Kihilchosa (53:19) rules that one who makes kiddush on schnapps on Shabbos morning should make sure that the kos can hold at least a reviis and should drink at least a melo lugmav. Bedieved the drinking of everyone present can combine to a reviis, provided that they drink it in the appropriate time constraints of approx. 3-4 minutes.
So the final recap in a nutshell would be as follows:
Shulchan Aruch- Wine is preferable over other liquids. Mogain Avrohom – Schnapps should not be used. 1. Not a chemar medina. 2. The issue of reviis. Nachlas Shivah – Kiddush on schnapps by day is fine since a chemar medina is not required by day. Elyah Rabah – That’s true but you still have the problem of reviis. Aruch Hashulchan – True but our schnapps are not so strong and now it is practical to have a reviis. Mishna Berura – Schnapps is fine as long as you have a reviis. Shemiras Shabbos Kihilchosa – Schnapps is fine as long as you have a reviis. Taz, according to Machtiz Hashekel – You do not need a reviis since schnapps is stronger than wine, and has the effect with much less than a full reviis. Maharsham – Nothing wrong with kiddush on schnapps, even if on less than a reviis. Har Tzvi – Safek brachos lehakel, so no brocha achrona or kiddush on less than a reviis of schnapps.
It is not the intention of this publication to be machria. For a final ruling on whether kiddush can be made on schnapps, and how much is required, a Halachic authority must be consulted.
A Guten Shabbos! Written by: Rabbi Binyomin Radner For any comments or questions please contact the author at Benradner@gmail.com
Leave a Reply