Encyclopedia
Chabad
By Rabbi Chaim Miller
Four
Cups
The four cups of wine drunk on
seider night
a)
Definition
b)
Halachic reason for four cups
c)
Reason why the four cups is of Rabbinic origin
d)
The requirement of leaning while drinking the four cups
i)
Statements of the Rambam
ii)
Two approaches to leaning
iii)
Arguments in favor of each approach
iv)
Conclusion
v)
Ruling of the Alter Rebbe
a)
Definition
On
the first night of Pesach (and the second night in the Diaspora) there is a mitzva
of Rabbinic origin to drink four cups of wine. The Jerusalem Talmud (Pesachim
10:1) cites many reasons for the mitzva of drinking four cups of wine:
The four cups correspond to:
1)
the four expressions of redemption in Parshas VaEira ("I took
out," "I saved," "I redeemed," and "I took").
2)
the four times that Pharaoh’s cup is mentioned in the Torah.
3)
the four exiles.
4)
the four cups of retribution that G-d will pour upon the nations of the world.
In
the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 472:14) only the
first reason is given.
b)
Halachic reason for four cups
The
exodus from Egypt occurred so that the Jewish people could receive the Torah at
Mt. Sinai. After leaving Egypt, the Jewish people worked on themselves for seven
weeks to rid themselves of the idolatrous nature to which they had become
accustomed in Egypt, so as to reach a sufficiently pure status to be able to
receive the Torah.
The
mitzva of matza, a tasteless food, represents the exodus from
Egypt, for at that point the Jewish people had not yet worked on themselves to
become close to G-d, so their Divine service was "tasteless." Wine, on
the other hand, is a rich and strong in taste, corresponding to the state of the
Jewish people after they worked on themselves and were ready to receive the
Torah seven weeks later.
This
explains why there are four cups of wine, corresponding to the four expressions
of redemption (see above, that this is the reason accepted by Jewish Law).
The
last of the four expressions is "I took them for Me as a people,"
which became applicable only when the Torah was given. And it is precisely this
point that the four cups of wine commemorate, since the wine (being rich in
taste) celebrates the climax of the exodus, when the Jewish people merited the
Torah after weeks of personal effort. Consequently, only the mitzva of
drinking wine could be associated with all four expressions
of redemption.
[At
the moment of exodus only three of the four expressions of redemption were
applicable (which explains why there are only three matzos place on the
table during the seider).]
Thus,
the point of drinking the four cups of wine is to celebrate the ultimate purpose
of the exodus of Egypt at the same time we celebrate the exodus itself.
(Based
on Likkutei Sichos 26:46-49)
c)
Reason why the four cups is of Rabbinic origin
We
celebrate the beginning of the exodus by eating matza, which is a
Biblical requirement, whereas the perfection and completion of the redemption
process is celebrated by the four cups of wine, which is a Rabbinic mitzva (see
above ‘b’).
The
inner reason for this difference is as follows:
The
Written Law (Scripture) is compared to a man (masculine), being the source of
all Jewish law, just as the man is the ultimate source of a child. The Oral Law,
on the other hand, is compared to a woman (feminine), since it analyzes
scriptural sources and develops them at length, just as a mother gestates a
child within her over a long period of time.
Thus,
matza, which celebrates the sudden and raw inception of redemption, is a mitzva
derived from the Written Law (masculine). The nurturing development of the
redemptive process to its completion is celebrated by the four cups of wine, a mitzva
from the Oral Law (feminine). (Ibid.)
d)
The requirement of leaning while drinking the four cups
i)
Statements of the Rambam
When
recording the obligation to lean on seider night, the Rambam seems to
repeat himself unnecessarily. In chapter seven of Hilchos Chametz U’Matza (laws
6-7), he writes: "In every generation a person is obligated to make himself
appear as if he has personally been redeemed from Egypt... Therefore, when a
person dines on this night, he must lean while eating and drinking in a manner
of freedom..."
Later,
in law eight, after discussing who is required to lean, and codifying the mitzva
of drinking four cups of wine, the Rambam adds: "When is one required to
lean? When eating the [obligatory] ke’zayis of matza and when
drinking these four cups of wine."
Why
does the Rambam not tell us when to lean when he introduces the idea in
laws 6-7? Only after hearing many other laws do we eventually discover when the mitzva
of leaning takes place. Initially, the Rambam makes a vague statement:
"When a person dines on this night, he must lean." Only later do we
discover that this actually refers to the act of eating matza and wine.
It
would seem, therefore, that by recording the mitzva of leaning twice,
with slight changes, the Rambam is teaching us that there are two distinct,
quite different aspects to our leaning.
ii)
Two approaches to leaning
Basically,
we are only informed of one fact: It is a mitzva to lean while eating the
obligatory matza and drinking the four cups of wine. We are not, however,
told the nature of the mitzva of leaning, which could be understood in
two ways:
a)
Leaning is a clause in the mitzvos of matza and wine. It
is not a separate mitzva unto itself, but rather, a condition
superimposed by our Sages on other mitzvos. In a similar way that we find
defined limits on how much wine one has to drink and what type of wine it must
be, we also find a crucial directive in halacha concerning how the
wine must be consumed - whilst leaning.
Alternatively:
b)
Leaning is a separate mitzva unto itself instituted
by our Sages in order to make the Jewish people demonstrate outward signs of
freedom on seider night. However, our Sages only required that we lean
while we are already performing acts associated with freedom. Thus, they only
commanded that we lean when eating the obligatory measure of matza and
drinking the four cups of wine.
iii)
Arguments in favor of each approach
One
answer could be argued on the basis of the Rambam’s statement (ibid)
that "It is praiseworthy to lean also during the rest of one’s eating and
drinking." This seems to imply that leaning is a mitzva in itself.
If leaning were merely a clause in the eating of matza and drinking of
wine (i.e. approach "b"), why would it be praiseworthy to lean
at any other time?
However,
this argument is untenable, since even if one would follow approach
"a" (that leaning is only a clause in other mitzvos) one
could still argue that "It is praiseworthy to lean also during the rest of
one’s eating and drinking." This is because "the rest of one’s
eating and drinking" on Yom Tov is also a mitzva, and
therefore it is conceivable that our Sages recommended leaning during this mitzva,
as well. However, they did not make it compulsory, but rather,
"praiseworthy."
A
second suggestion would be to argue that approach "a" must be correct
since, according to approach "b," it turns out that eating matza, which
is a Biblical command, is actually a clause in the Rabbinic mitzva of
leaning?! A Biblical mitzva could never become merely the means to
fulfilling a Rabbinic precept. Therefore, it would seem that approach
"a" is correct - that (Rabbinic) leaning is a mere clause in the
(Biblical) consumption of matza.
However,
this answer also fall short, since there was never a suggestion that the
Biblical command to eat matza is a mere clause in the Rabbinic
requirement to lean. Rather, our Sages enacted a mitzva to lean on seider
night (to demonstrate freedom), which in principle could have been
carried out at any point, totally independent of eating matza or wine. It
is only that the perceived optimal moment to display freedom through leaning is
when one is already performing an act, which symbolizes freedom. Therefore, they
limited the mitzva to the time of eating matza and drinking wine.
We seem to be left without conclusive evidence in either direction.
However,
from the Gemara it does seem clear that approach "a" (that
leaning is a clause in the eating of matza) is correct. The Gemara (Pesachim
108a) states, "A shamesh who eats a ke’zayis of matza
while leaning fulfills his obligation. If he leans, he does fulfill his
obligation; if not, he doesn’t." Clearly, the words "if not, he
doesn’t" refer to not fulfilling the mitzva of eating matza
- not the mitzva of leaning. (If a person does not lean he
obviously doesn’t fulfill the mitzva of leaning.) It seems that leaning
is a mere clause in the mitzva of eating matza - approach
"a."
Nevertheless,
from the statement of the Rambam that "In every generation a person
is obligated to make himself appear as if he has personally been
redeemed from Egypt," it seems clear that leaning is a separate obligation,
not merely a clause in something else - approach "b."
iv)
Conclusion
Therefore
we conclude that both are true. When our Sages instituted leaning, they made it
both: a) a clause in other mitzvos, and b) A separate mitzva unto
itself. Thus, the Rambam found it necessary to record the halacha twice,
each time emphasizing a different aspect of leaning. First he writes that
"A person is obligated to make himself appear as if he has
personally been redeemed from Egypt... Therefore...he must lean while eating and
drinking," to indicate that leaning is a mitzva in itself. Then, in
a later halacha, he writes, "When is one required to lean? When
eating the [obligatory] ke’zayis of matza and when drinking
these four cups of wine," thereby indicating that he also holds that
leaning is a crucial clause in other mitzvos.
v)
Ruling of the Alter Rebbe
In
an identical fashion to the Rambam, the Alter Rebbe also records
the requirement to lean twice (in his Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 472:7,14),
stressing the same distinction between them. This implies that he agrees with
the Rambam’s stance that the halacha requires leaning according
to both approaches mentioned above. However, the Alter Rebbe also adds
the explanation that the four cups of wine correspond to the four expressions of
redemption employed by the Torah (see above "a", that this is only one
of a number of reasons given by the Jerusalem Talmud). It follows, therefore,
that this reason (the four expressions of redemption) is also crucial to the
Rambam’s position.
In
brief: If one holds that leaning follows approach "b" above (that it
is a separate mitzva in itself), then any of the four reasons of the
Jerusalem Talmud’s four reasons are appropriate. However, if one also wishes
to adopt approach "a" (that leaning is a clause in other mitzvos),
then it is crucial that the reason for leaning be compatible with the reason
for which the other mitzvos are performed. Since the two mitzvos of
matza and wine denote freedom and redemption, for leaning to be a clause
in these mitzvos, it too must have the same theme. Thus, the Alter Rebbe
rules that only the first reason of the Jerusalem Talmud is applicable - that
the four cups of wine correspond to the four expressions of redemption in
Parshas VaEira.
(Based
on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 11, pp. 14-23)
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