Kosher
- Kosher Wine
Kosher wine results only when wine is produced according
to Judaism's religious law, specifically, the Jewish dietary laws of (kashrut),
and then is known as "kosher wine". However other branches of Judaism
are more "lenient" with these laws, see views of Conservative Judaism
below. Reform Judaism does not observe these laws.
According to Orthodox Judaism
In general, kashrut deals with avoiding specific forbidden foods, none
of which are normally used in winemaking, so it might seem that all
wines are automatically "kosher". However, because of wine's special
role in many non-Jewish religions, the kashrut laws specify that wine
cannot be considered kosher if it might have been used for "idolatry".
Some of these concepts include:
* Yayin Nesekh (Wine that has been poured to an idol, or with idolatry
in mind.)
* Stam Yainom (Wine that may have been touched by someone who might
believe in idolotry, but wouldn't have had it in mind at the time of
contact.)
* When kosher wine is mevushal ("cooked" or "boiled"), it thereby
becomes unfit for idolatrous use and will keep the status of kosher wine
even if subsequently touched by an idolator.
In recent times, there has been an increased demand for kosher wines and
a number of wine producing countries now produce a wide variety of
sophisticated kosher wines under strict rabbinical supervision,
particularly in Israel, the United States, France, Italy and South
Africa. Two of the world's largest producers and importers of kosher
wines, Kedem and Manischewitz, are both based in New York.
When sold commercially
When kosher wine is produced, marketed and sold commercially to Orthodox
Jews, it must have the hechsher ("seal of approval") of a supervising
agency or organization (such as the "OU" sign of the Orthodox Union), or
of an authoritative rabbi who is preferably also a posek ("decisor" of
Jewish law) or be supervised by a beth din ("Jewish religious court of
law") according to Orthodox Judaism.
According to Conservative Judaism
See Kosher foods#Conservative Judaism views on wine.
A number of halakhic authorities within the Conservative movement, hold
that wines produced in western countries, are acceptable. Specifically,
in situations in which there is no reason to believe that the production
of such wines is conducted as part of paganistic (or indeed, any)
religious practice, the wines are thus kosher, regardless of whether or
not their production is subject to rabbinical supervision. This position
holds for wines produced within the United States, almost exclusively,
and is codified in several pronouncements of the Rabbinical Assembly,
the halakhic organization of Conservative Judaism in the United States.
There are, however, a number of notable posqim, even within the
Conservative Jewish community, who oppose this apparent "leniency", or
who accept it with a number of caveats. (See Isaac Klein: Jewish
Religious Practice [1])
Role of wine in Jewish holidays and rituals
Almost all Jewish holidays, especially the Passover Seder where all
present drink four cups of wine, on Purim for the festive meal, and on
the Shabbat require obligatory blessings over filled cups of kosher wine
that are then drunk. At Jewish marriages, circumcisions, and at
Redemption of First-born ceremonies, the obligatory blessing of Borei
Pri HaGafen ("Blssed are you O Lord, Who created the fruit of the vine")
is almost always recited over kosher wine (or grape juice.)
According to the teachings of the Midrash, the "forbidden fruit" that
Eve ate and which she gave to Adam was the grape from which wine is
derived. The capacity of wine to cause drunkenness with its consequent
loosening of "inhibitions" is descibed by the ancient rabbis in Hebrew
as nichnas yayin, yatza sod ("wine enters, [and one's personal] secret[s]
exit".) Another similarly evocative expression relating to wine is: Ein
Simcha Ela BeBasar Veyayin ("There is no joy except through [eating]
meat and [drinking] wine".)
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