Kiddush: Why Four Cups of Wine?

Kiddush: Why Four Cups of Wine?

The Torah and Halakhah offer us a set of behavioral expectations but do not necessary explain the reason for these practices. We often assume that we know why we do what we do as Jews but there are often multiple reasons for Jewish customs – and all of them are right! Here is an example of it – why do we drink four cups of wine.

קידוש אחד מד' כוסות וטעם ד' כוסות נגד ד' גזירות שגזר פרעה. ונגד ד' לשוני גאולה לכתיב בקרא ואיתא במדרש רבה פ' כ"ו הדהו"ד לא שלותי ולא שקטתי ולא נחתי ויבא רגז  - לא שלותי מגזירה ראשונה שגזר פרעה שנאמר וימררו את חייהם. והעמיד להם הקב''ה גואל זו מרים ונקראת כך ע''ש המירור ולא שקטתי מגזירה שניה אם בן הוא והמתן אותו. והעמיד הקב"ה גואל זה אהרן ע''ש ההריון, ולא נחתי מגזירה שלישית שגזר ואמר כל הבן הילוד היאורה תשליכוהו והעמיד להם הקב''ה גואל זה משה ע"ש שנאמר כי מן המים משיתיהו, ויבא רוגז  זה עמלק שנאמר ויבא עמלק וגו' ויחלוש יהושע את עמלק ואת עמו וגו:

Kiddush is the first of the four cups of wine. The reason for the four cups of wine:

1.    The four cups are for the four decrees which Pharaoh made against the people of Israel.

2.    The four promises of redemption in Exodus chapter 6:6-8

3.    There is a passage in Midrash Rabbah 26:1 that relates the four cups to the following verse: "I had  no repose, no quiet, no rest and trouble came." (Job 3:26)  "I had no repose," refers to Pharaoh's first decree, about which it says, "They embittered their lives." (Ex. 1:14) In response to Pharaoh's first decree, God appointed a redeemer - Miriam. She was name thus because of the bitterness which the Egyptians caused. "I had no quiet," refers to Pharaoh's second decree, "If it is a baby boy you shall kill him." (Ex. 1:16) God appointed a second redeemer - Aaron. He was thus named because he saved the women in pregnancy (herayon - similar to his name, Aharon). "I did not rest," is a reference to the third decree of Pharaoh: "Every baby boy who is born shall be cast into the river." (Ex 1:22). God appointed third redeemer - Moses, who was thus named, "From the water I drew him out." (Ex. 2:10). "And trouble came," this refers to Amalek of whom it is say, And Amalek came…And Joshua overwhelmed the people of Amalek with the sword." (Ex. 17:8, 13)

Commentary:

The first two explanations are common reasons given for the four cups of wine: Pharaoh's four decrees and the four promises of redemption: "I will free you, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, and I will take you out."  The third explanation is unique. The Midrash, based on Job 3, relates the four decrees against Israel to the four parts of the verse from Job. However for each evil decree there was a redeemer. The four cups, then, were for the four redeemers who took Israel out of the land of Egypt and brought them to the promised land. The Midrash does not make a connection between the cups of wine and the four redeemers but Rabbi Bondi makes the connection by quoting this passage from Midrash Rabbah.