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Pesachim 108

108b

[I] THE MITZVAH OF 'DRINKING WINE' ON THE SEDER NIGHT

OPINIONS: The Gemara says that if a person drinks all four cups of the Arba Kosos "at one time" ("b'Vas Achas"), he has fulfilled his obligation of "Yayin" (wine) but he has not fulfilled his obligation of "Arba Kosos." The RASHBAM and TOSFOS explain that "b'Vas Achas" means that he drank the four cups one after the other. RASHI explains that it means he poured them into one large cup and drank them all at once.

What Mitzvah is the Gemara referring to when it says that he fulfills his obligation of "Yayin?"

(a) The RASHBAM and TOSFOS explain that the Mitzvah of "Yayin" refers to the Mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov, which the Gemara later (109a) says that one fulfills by drinking wine.

The SHA'AGAS ARYEH (#68) challenges this explanation from the Gemara earlier (71a) which derives from a verse that there is no obligation of Simchah on the first night of Yom Tov. Our Gemara is referring to the first night of Yom Tov, on which the Seder takes place! The Sha'agas Aryeh answers that although there is no obligation of Simchah on the first night mid'Oraisa, there *is* an obligation of Simchah mid'Rabanan.

Tosfos (DH b'Vas Achas) asks why the Gemara needs to inform us that one fulfills his obligation of Simchah, when the Gemara is discussing the Halachos of Arba Kosos. Drinking wine to fulfill the Mitzvah of Simchah has nothing to do with how the Arba Kosos are consumed! Tosfos answers that we might have thought that the rabbinical enactment to drink Arba Kosos is a Rabbinic refinement of the normal Mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov. If it is, then after the Rabanan enacted to drink Arba Kosos, one cannot fulfill even the Mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov without fulfilling the Mitzvah of drinking Arba Kosos on the Seder night. Therefore, the Gemara must teach us that the rabbinical enactment to drink Arba Kosos is independent of the obligation of drinking wine for Simchah.

(b) The RIF AND RAMBAM have a different Girsa in their texts. Where our Gemara says that one who drink the Arba Kosos "b'Vas Achas" fulfills his obligation of "Yayin," their text read that one fulfills his obligation of "*Cherus*" (experiencing freedom). That is, the case of drinking "b'Vas Achas" is the exact opposite of the previous case of the Gemara, drinking the Arba Kosos "Chai" (undiluted). That is, the Girsa of the Rif and Rambam is one who drinks the Arba Kosos "Chai," fulfills the Mitzvah of "Arba Kosos" but not the Mitzvah of "Cherus," while one who drinks them "b'Vas Achas" fulfills "Cherus" but not "Arba Kosos." What is the Mitzvah of "Cherus" which one fulfills without fulfilling Arba Kosos? Is not the entire point of drinking the Arba Kosos the expression of Cherus?

The BRISKER RAV explains that according to the Gemara (109b, 117b), the Rabanan enacted the Four Cups to be "Derech Cherus, and a Mitzvah should be performed with each cup." (Those four Mitzvos are the Kidush, Hagadah, Birkas ha'Mazon, and Hallel.) These two elements of the Arba Kosos -- "Cherus" and performing a Mitzvah with each cup -- are the two elements which our Gemara here is discussing. The first aspect is "Cherus" -- the celebration of Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, which we express by drinking a lot of wine. (The RAMBAM, Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:7, writes that we want to show that we are free, and as part of the expression of Cherus at the meal, we drink four cups of wine.) Besides the expression of Cherus, the Rabanan enacted that a person should perform each of the four Mitzvos mentioned above on a cup of wine.

Our Gemara is saying that if one drinks the wine when it is *undiluted*, he fulfills the element of performing each Mitzvah on a cup of wine, but he does not fulfill the element of Cherus. On the other hand, if one drinks all four cups "b'Vas Achas," he fulfills the element of Cherus, but he does not fulfill the enactment of performing each of the four Mitzvos on a cup of wine!

Tosfos and the Rashbam, however, explain that "Yayin" refers to the Mitzvah of Simchas Yom Tov (as we mentioned above). They learned that there is only *one* element in the enactment of Arba Kosos -- to perform the four Mitzvos on a cup of wine. There is no separate aspect of drinking wine for the sake of expressing Cherus. That is why the only Mitzvah that they could find of "Yayin" was Simchas Yom Tov. (As far as the Gemara on 109b and 117b is concerned, which states that the enactment of the Arba Kosos was to show "Derech Cherus" as well as to perform the Mitzvah on a cup of wine, we find that the Rashbam there (DH Hachi Garsinan) did not have the Girsa of "Derech Cherus" in his text of the Gemara, and hence he holds that there is no separate aspect of drinking wine because of Cherus!)

[II] IS DRINKING THE FOUR CUPS A SINGLE MITZVAH OR TWO MITZVOS?

As we concluded above, the Rambam understood that the Mitzvah of drinking four cups of wine has two elements; an expression of Cherus, freedom, and performing the Mitzvos of the Seder night (Kidush; Hagadah; Birchas ha'Mazon; Hallel) while holding a cup of wing. The Rashbam and Tosfos disagree, explaining that only the latter aspect is included in the Mitzvah of drinking four cups. There a number of Halachic differences between the approach of the RAMBAM and the approach of TOSFOS:

(a) The BRISKER RAV points out that TOSFOS (107a, DH Im) says that a person must drink "Melo Lugmav" for Kidush. How much is "Melo Lugmav?" Tosfos cites the Gemara (108b) which states that for the Arba Kosos, one must drink a "Rov Kos" (a majority of the cup, which means a majority of a Revi'is, or a "Rov Revi'is"). Tosfos says this must be the size of "Melo Lugmav" -- a "Rov Revi'is." Tosfos is consistent with his understanding that the Mitzvah of Arba Kosos is no different than the usual Mitzvah of Kidush -- in both cases the wine is brought simply to perform a Mitzvah with a cup of wine -- and that is why he says one must drink as much of the Kidush wine as one drinks from the Arba Kosos.

The RAN, however, says that a "Rov Revi'is" and a "Melo Lugmav" are *two different amounts*. A "Rov Revi'is" is larger than a "Melo Lugmav." For Arba Kosos, there is a special requirement to drink the entire cup (and one fulfills this requirement by drinking a majority of the cup, for a majority is considered like the entirety -- "Ruba k'Kula"). This special requirement is related to the additional element of Arba Kosos -- "Derech Cherus" -- which a normal Kidush does not have. The Ran apparently follows the approach of the Rambam, that there are two distinct parts to the Mitzvah of drinking Arba Kosos.

(b) The Brisker Rav further notes that TOSFOS (99b, DH Lo) is in doubt whether each person at the Seder must have four cups of wine, or they just have to hear someone recite make the Berachah on the wine of the four cups. Tosfos says that there is strong reason to say that it is enough to hear someone else recite the Berachah, because the Kidush of the Arba Kosos should be no different than a normal Kidush, where one fulfills his obligation by hearing someone recite the Berachah. Tosfos is consistent with his reasoning, in that he holds that there is no element of "Derech Cherus" involved with the enactment to drink the four cups of wine. This is in contrast to the Rambam, according to the Brisker Rav's understanding, who maintains that the Arba Kosos includes the element of "Derech Cherus," and therefore there is strong reason to say that everyone *should* have his own cup of wine and drink from it.

(c) Furthermore, TOSFOS (DH Shasa'an) asks why does one have to drink the Arba Kosos when they are in a state of Mazug (diluted). We find that the Gemara in Berachos says that the cup of wine used for Birkas ha'Mazon should be Chai (undiluted; Rabeinu Tam says that this means that it is less diluted than usual). Tosfos concludes that it must be that here, too, the Gemara means that the cup is less diluted than usual. The Brisker Rav notes that according to the Rambam, since there is a requirement to fulfill "Derech Cherus" by drinking the Arba Kosos, which means that one must *enjoy* the wine and not just recite a Berachah on it, it makes sense that the wine must be properly diluted, as opposed to a normal Kidush where there is no such Mitzvah. (CHIDUSHEI HA'GRIZ, HILCHOS CHAMETZ U'MATZAH)

(d) We might add another difference (based on the CHIDUSHEI CHAZON YECHEZKEL in the beginning of Arvei Pesachim) between the approach of the Rambam and the approach of Tosfos. The Gemara says that if one drinks all four cups "b'Vas Achas," at one time, he does not fulfill the Mitzvah of "Arba Kosos," but he does fulfill the Mitzvah of "Yayin" (or "Cherus," according to the Girsa of the Rif and Rambam). TOSFOS and the RASHBAM explain that "b'Vas Achas" means that one drinks the four cups consecutively, one after the other. It cannot mean that one poured all four cups into one large cup and drank it, because that has nothing to do with drinking four cups -- one is drinking one large cup, and therefore the Gemara would not be teaching us anything! RASHI, however, says that it indeed means that one poured all four cups into one large cup and drank it. Why was he not bothered by the question of the Rashbam and Tosfos?

The Rashbam and Tosfos explain that the Gemara is discussing drinking four cups consecutively, because they maintain that the enactment of Arba Kosos is only to perform a Mitzvah with each cup of wine. If so, it does not matter how much wine is in the cup -- the cup can never be considered more than one cup as far as reciting a Berachah on it is concernted. Rashi, though, perhaps learns like the Rambam, who says that there is an additional element in the enactment of the Arba Kosos -- to experience "Cherus." The Simchas Cherus that one should attain on Pesach night is accomplished by drinking a certain amount: four Revi'iyos of wine. Therefore, if one poured all of them into one cup, he indeed fulfills the element of drinking four cups for the sake of "Cherus." (Nevertheless, the Gemara states, he does not fulfill the second element, which is performing the Mitzvos over four cups of wine.)