Must kiddush be recited again if the wine spills before being consumed?

The kiddush ritual comprises two parts, the b’racha boreh p’ri hagofen and the kiddush recital. When kiddush is recited over wine or grape juice and a mishap prevents the wine from being consumed, the kiddush is valid but the wine must still be drunk. [1]

Therefore, if the wine or grape juice spilled after kiddush but prior to consumption, the cup must be refilled, a new boreh p’ri hagofen recited and the wine or grape juice drunk. If however, one intended drinking more wine or grape juice, it is permissible to refill the cup and drink the wine without reciting a new b’racha. [2]

What if the person reciting the kiddush speaks before consuming the wine or grape juice?

It depends on the nature of the communication. If matters concern the kiddush or the meal, b’diavad (after the action), the b’racha is valid and the wine may be consumed without having to recite a new b’racha. [3] If however, subjects that have nothing to do with the kiddush or meal were conveyed, the b’racha boreh p’ri hagofen is invalid and a new boreh p’ri hagofen is required. [4] As stated previously, the kiddush is valid.

What if another person speaks prior to the person reciting the kiddush consumes the wine?

That person need not recite the kiddush, but if he/she wishes to partake of the wine or grape juice that person must recite a boreh p’ri hagofen. If however, the person spoke about matters concerning the kiddush or the meal, such as “please pass the grape juice” or “bring the salt for the challos,” there is no need to recite a new b’racha boreh p’ri hagofen. [5]

Must all the participants partake of the kiddush wine?

No, the participants need not partake of the kiddush wine, but it is a mitzvah to do so. [6] It is sufficient for the participants to drink a small amount of wine.

What size cup must be used for kiddush?

The Rambam writes (29:7) that the cup must hold a revi’is halog or more. The equivalent of this in modern-day measurements is as follows:

	ml	fl. Oz.(us)
R' Chaim Na'eh	86	2.9
R' Moshe Feinstein	130	4.42
Chazon Ish	150	5.07

How much of this amount should one drink?

The halacha requires “a cheek full” of the wine. [7] As it is quite difficult to estimate this amount, the major portion of the revi’is is recognized. A person who is larger than an average person should drink a “cheekfull” measured by his own cheek. One need not drink more than the revi’is. [8] It is preferable that the person reciting the kiddush drinks the required amount. [9]

The desired quantity should be consumed in a relatively short period of time. [10] There are several opinions as to the maximum time allowed for this and in order to avoid the problem, one should consume it quickly. [11]

Which meal should be more elaborate, the night meal or the day one?

The gemora in Pesochim 105a states that the day meal should be more elaborate. [12] It seems there appears to be a contradiction to this halacha, in that our Friday night meal is more elaborate, with more dishes and delicacies than the day one. Indeed the Yam Shel Shlomo [13] was not pleased with those that made the night meal more elaborate than the day meal. His solution was to omit a delicacy from the Friday night meal and eat it only during the day meal. His understanding is that even if the Friday night meal will have more dishes, since that delicacy is eaten during the day meal it will be considered more elaborate than the night meal.

We are accustomed to eating almost everything during both meals, so what are we to do?

One should allocate a delicacy for the day meal that is not eaten at night and thus the day meal will be considered more elaborate. It is possible that chopped liver or cholent, which are eaten during the day meal only, are considered delicacies unique to the day meal.